Shazam! (2019) Film Review: The Best DCEU Film To Date?

With "Joker" coming out this week, it's time that I review the other DC film that was released earlier this year. "Shazam!" follows the story of Billy Batson, an orphaned boy who is restless to find his mother. His journey has caused him to push away those that want to treat him like family, such as the new foster home he has been sent to. He is summoned one day by the aging wizard, Shazam, who gives his power to Billy in order to stop Dr. Sivana, who has allied himself with the Seven Deadly Sins. This power allows him to become an adult superhero, though Billy is still a kid that would rather fool around with his foster brother instead of using these powers for good. The story alone sums up the basic tone overall. It is a fun, light-hearted film that emphasizes the youthful energy of the main character. It doesn't shy away from mature elements though, which some say feels out of place in the film. For me, the dark moments such as the opening scene, the office massacre, or the overall resolution with Billy's mother work well as intended. The opening establishes the villain's motive, the office scene is a horror-esque set piece, and the scene with Billy and his mother is heavily grounded in reality, which is necessary for that moment to work. These scenes also give off a unique structure to the film, where it is light-hearted enough for families, but has very mature moments to toughen kids up. The lighter tone also means that humour is more frequent, which is written really well in this case. The jokes come out naturally and the majority of them land, mostly due to the performances of the actors and how the characters are written as a whole.

Zachary Levi steals the entire film as the adult Billy. He pulls off the youthful energy of a kid with such effect that makes him blend perfectly into the role, both delivering physical and dialogue comedy as best as they could. It is enjoyable watching Levi having fun onscreen just as much as you are. However, this undermines Asher Angel's performance as Billy, who while not bad, is much more laid-back in the role and can come across as bland. I feel that it is intentional, since it shows how becoming Shazam makes Billy more positive or fun, compared to his more reserved persona as a kid. Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy almost steals the spotlight from Levi, due to his fast talking, high charisma, and wittiness,  playing off against Levi and Angel with such effectiveness. Grazer and Levi are the best on-screen duo I've seen in a very long time with their acting talents combined. Mark Strong as Sivana can be viewed as a generic antagonist, but I feel that he works fine in the narrative, mostly due to the film's theme of family and how the main characters are affected and view family as a whole. His motive at least helps make the character to not be extremely forgettable, unlike other villains in the franchise. As for the side characters, the only noteworthy examples are the foster family members. They all have their own quirks with Darla's talkative nature, Eugene's gamer status, Mary's matureness, and Pedro's quietness. They are well acted and likeable, but only come to play in the third act where they get roped in with the adventure with Billy, which is extremely satisfying to say the least. These characters also play into the theme of family as a whole, which makes their role in the film more important. I will get to the Seven Deadly Sins when I talk about visual effects, but the characters are very well written and exceptionally well-acted, with the standouts being Levi and Grazer.

David F. Sandberg steps out of the horror genre and delivers a refreshing take on the superhero genre. Due to the lower budget of the film, Sandberg makes the film look and feel down-to-earth, despite the fantastical elements. The cold Philadelphia setting adds towards a washed-out, grey film that is most represented when Billy is dealing with his personal life. Whether Shazam or Sivana is on screen, the film starts looking more polished and a tad colourful, especially in dark settings, where the emblem on Shazam's suit glows brightly as well as the lightning that the character shoots. The score by Benjamin Wallfisch is decent, with an emphasis on fantasy-like and somber beats throughout the film. It is overshadowed by the amount of pop songs that I feel are completely unnecessary, outside of "Don't Stop Me Now" by Queen. Most of the songs are just used to transition to the next scene, which is fine if these songs are either related to each other or to the film as a whole, but they don't. Visually, the wizard's lair, the foster home and Christmas fair are most pleasing, due to the nice cold/warn colours and aesthetic that clash with the overall look of the film, and represents the light-hearted tone as well. The action is fun to watch, though it's set more in the third act compared to most superhero films that try to make a balance of action sequences. The comedy and characters however keep you distracted from the fact that there's not much action in the film though. The visual effects are decent for when it is needed, though the effects look much better in darker set pieces compared to ones that are bathed in daylight, which I feel the lighting is to blame for having the bright daylight and grey colour scheme making the CGI look poor in these scenes. Then, you have the Seven Deadly Sins. These secondary antagonists look like they belong on a TV show budget, no matter what scene they are in. While I appreciate the unique designs of each Sin and the voice actors, they are the weakest element in the film due to their lack of personality and the inclusion almost feeling out of place in the film. Despite some issues though, Sandberg did a great job making a unique-looking film set within the genre with the choice to have a grounded-looking feel, despite the very over-the-top elements.

Although the competition is not very strong, "Shazam!" proves to be the best film in the DCEU and can be a contender as one of the best in the genre. Although the Seven Deadly Sins, average visual effects, and pointless song choices do keep it from being a perfect film, it is looked over by the light-hearted tone, fun performances, thematic theme of family, nice action scenes, well-written comedy, and Sandberg's directing. It not only feels like nothing from a DC film, but also feels unique from a Marvel Studios production, due to the emphasis on young characters and mature moments thrown in. I I'm hoping that more people get the chance to watch it, since it didn't take over the box office like it's Marvel competition or even the last film from the franchise, "Aquaman".  Perhaps it's due to the lack of awareness of the character as a whole or Levi as a leading man? Regardless, I as well as others are hoping that a sequel is made with more chances to see Levi, Grazer, and Sandberg back to offer a refreshing experience in the theatre.

Verdict: 8.5/10. It might have a bit more issues than I recalled, but that doesn't mean much for this superhero classic.