For the past decade or more, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has dominated box the box office and pop culture as a whole. But sandwiched in between the MCU mega-blockbusters Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame, there’s another little superhero movie from the underdogs at DC Comics, and it’s actually really awesome.
How awesome? Well, here’s a spoiler-filled look at the four best and four worst things about Shazam!
The films of the DC Extended Universe have a well-earned reputation for being dark, grim, and gritty, which a lot of audiences felt weren’t too much fun to watch. There’s a lot of angst and moral ambivalence and very little in the way of actual heroism. Instead, they seem to feature angry people who clearly aren’t getting enough fiber in their diets.
So maybe the biggest surprise about Shazam! is that it’s not just funny, it’s also actually fun from start to finish. Director David F. Sandberg mostly does a great job keeping the tone upbeat and energetic as teen Billy Batson discovers his incredible new powers. It’s true that Aquaman also dared to have at least a good time along the way, but Billy’s exuberance at becoming a superhero is something we haven’t really seen before, and is a welcome change compared to the DCEU’s usual dark and violent fare.
On the other hand… while Shazam! is mostly family friendly fun, once in awhile it just sort of forgets itself and veers off into the realm of horror. Of course, this makes some sense considering that Sandberg is best known for directing the acclaimed horror hits Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation.
Still, the tonal shifts are jarring. One minute, Billy and his foster brother Freddy Freeman are clowning around doing the floss, and then the next minute, the evil Dr. Sivana is summoning a horde of demons to literally eat people’s heads off.
“Oh, snap! You’re like a bad guy, right?”
These abrupt detours into terror feel kind of out of place and unnecessary. Luckily, it doesn’t happen often, but even a couple of times might be a couple of times too many.
Watch the video for more on the 4 best and 4 worst things in Shazam!
#Shazam #DCEU
Best: It’s fun and funny | 0:23
Worst: It’s too dark and violent | 1:17
Best: The cast is fantastic | 1:59
Worst: The bad guys kinda stink | 2:34
Best: It’s comfortable with itself | 3:17
Worst: It’s a little too comfortable with itself | 3:59
Best: the Marvel Family | 4:44
Worst: Action figures spoiled the twist | 5:19