After recently regaling you with the information concerning the "Captain Marvel" moniker, and all the controversy attached to it, it is fitting that I would be reviewing a movie from yet another of the characters to have used that name...this time from the DC stable.
Now, personally, I'm old school, and this was actually the first Captain Marvel I knew of. I even remember his old cartoon adventures that I got to watch, an episode of which I found on Youtube.
Right off the bat, choosing to name him Shazam seems like a very silly idea. It was always understood that that specific title belonged to the wizard that bestowed his powers upon Billy Batson, turning him into Captain Marvel. Because he is unable to say the name without undergoing transformation into or out of the Captain Marvel persona, he basically remains unnamed throughout the whole movie. Sure, they'll play it for laughs: his hype man, Freddie Freeman (Jack Dylan Glazer) gets in a truckload of silly sounding facetious names before the movie's through ("Thundercrack" was probably one of the worst of them).
All that aside, this is DC's foray into the realm of magic. They do have a couple of characters who straddle that line - John Constantine, Dr. Fate, etc - but Shazam is cut from a mould similar to Wonder Woman's, though he is skewed more towards the magical spectrum. This is an origin story, so it takes up the story of the wizard Shazam as he looks for his successor: a human who is pure of heart. (If you get a chance, watch the DC animated short "Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam", which is a barebones compact version of this story).
The villain in this scenario is Dr. Thaddeus Sivana played to maximum bad guy effect by quintessential bad man Mark Strong. I will not spoil his origins for you because it initially just hits you in the face, but his fate and that of Captain Marvel are deeply intertwined. This is quite a serious take on the character, because, if (like me) your experience with Dr. Sivana doesn't stretch beyond "Batman: The Brave and The Bold", you'd probably just think of him as a very comical villain. He got away with insulting Captain Marvel by calling him "The Big Red Cheese"; he even upped the ante when he met the Marvel Family, and referred to them as "The Big Red Cheese and his two Gorgonzolas."
This is certainly a dark take on the character, but it is developed organically throughout the film. In essence, he doesn't feel Nolanized. Surprisingly, one moment in which he settles family business will definitely produce a jump scare.
Changes have been made to more than just Dr. Sivana. They significantly darkened Billy Batson's backstory. I feel like they could've still gotten the family message across without changing his past so significantly...but at least they make it work by fleshing out the underpinnings of this re-imagining. Previous animated versions portrayed Billy as more innocent and naive; totally worthy of the "Pure of Heart" descriptor. This time Billy is streetwise, a bit of a smart ass, and displaying a singular drive towards a mission that puts him at odds with the foster families he's usually placed into. He basically isn't much of a team player, but the last foster family he's placed into is more than up to the task of dealing with his character quirks.
I'd have to say that with few exceptions, this movie was well done. They nail the dual personality of Billy Batson/Shazam thanks to great performances from Asher Angel and Zachary Levi. Zachary Levi channels that confusion that he did so well in his "Chuck" appearances so at this point he plays someone out of his depth quite well; and in a similar vein to that show, he has a sidekick who he can at once threaten, and also look to for advice on his unique situations.
Mark Strong can basically do no wrong as a bad guy; case closed. The foster family truly brought a lot of heart to the movie. All actors - adult and children included - did a stellar job concocting an environment where Billy could feel accepted without needing to conform to a set standard. Each of the foster children is unique, and the family dynamic works.
Also have to give props to the world building, and I'm focusing on the magical portion of it, because some of the real world portion is set in Philadelphia, and they even reference Rocky in one scene when they're seated on the "Rocky Steps"at the Philadephia Museum of Art. (Note: a lot of the movie was actually filmed in Canada). They tackle the magical realm in the "magic as a form of science" method that you've usually seen in the Thor movies. One scene in particular, which I cannot spoil, references this very well; mind you, the scene is not original (you'll get the animated reference when you see it), but it's no less creatively done.
Unfortunately, this movie has a less than stellar third act, and this comes down to that final fight. First off, since this is the Shazam universe, there's already an understanding that he comes laden with some baggage. I feel like it was a poor choice by the producers to include that this early in the game. All the seriousness (shrouded by all the comedy) built throughout the earlier two-thirds of the film is sacrificed for a comicky more childish finale. The fight choreography is also subpar, too busy, and lacking a crisp finish. It could have benefited from better editing.There is also something lost in the works about how Shazam finds Billy worthy of his powers; there is a dynamic that was set up by the story itself, and as the story proceeded this gimmick got written out, so something just felt amiss when Shazam chose Billy.
All in all, I had a great time with this movie, and it is definitely one worth watching at the cinemas. I'm tied between grading this as an A- for the first two-thirds, and a B+ or B for the finale. You be the judge.
God Bless
P.S: Kindly desist from staying till the end for the end credits scene. Nothing new about it. It is that same Aquaman-esque scene already shown in the trailers where Shazam tests his ability to talk to fish. Stay for the mid-credits though.
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