Shazam Movie Review

Normally, I'm not into today's modern comic book movies. They all feel the same. But Shazam caught my eye a little bit. I went in expecting a goofy over the top movie, and while it had its light moments, it was a little darker than what I anticipated. That being said, it was better than what I thought it would be. And it is also a case where you don't need 10 A-list actors and a bloated 200 million dollar budget to make a good comic book movie.

Billy Batson is a teenager who has been in foster care for a long time. His reasoning is not hard to figure out as he wants to find his mother. On the other side, there is Doctor Sivana, who experienced seeing the wizard Shazam in the 70s as a child. Shazam wants to find someone that has a pure heart and a few other things that will take over his place as a hero. Sivana has been working on trying to get to that dimension and hearing others stories about what he experienced. Escaping from bullies after fighting them, Billy finds himself in that dimension and reluctantly becomes Shazam.

After that, Billy comes to terms and tries to figure out his new powers. Along with that comes a greater responsibility, a lot of funny moments, and action that you don't think could happen. The people involved made this more in line as a dramedy. Early on, it has its serious moments and lighter toned parts through the first half. After that, it becomes more serious like and action oriented with a few sprinkles of humor here and there. As far as actors, the performances are excellent. I don't know how others will feel, but there is a Santa Claus that is very over the top, so your mileage will vary. The humor is not cringeworthy. Its action sequences are solid and the editing for those parts is excellent.

The cinematography is done well. Lighting is about as good as it gets. Special effects are not overdone and despite the 100 million dollar budget, it comes off very real. It's a fun little popcorn flick that should appeal to a lot of people. There are a couple knocks I do have to give. It is a little slow in the beginning and about 10 to 15 minutes longer than what it should have been. Otherwise, it gets point across at a good pace with no filler or side plots outside of Billy trying to find his mother. Check out Shazam in theaters. It's an example of a film where less is more in a good way.

Score: 7.5 out of 10