Shazam! Review

Shazam!


Release Date: 4th April 2019 - Australia

Production Companies
Warner Bros. Pictures

New Line Cinema

DC Comics
DC Entertainment

Seven Bucks Productions
The Safran Company

Distribution
Roadshow Films 


Genre: Action/Comedy

Rating: M

Runtime: 132 minutes

Budget: $100,000,000

Box Office Gross: $365,971,656 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary 

We all have a bit of

superhero inside of us -

it takes a bit of magic to

bring it out. In the case of

14-year-old Billy Batson,

one word is all it takes 

to transform him into the

adult superhero Shazam.

Still a kid at heart, Shazam

celebrates the new version

of himself by doing

what any other teenager

would - having fun and

trying out his newfound

powers. But before the

evil Dr Thaddeus Sivana

gets his hands on Shazam's

magical powers, must

master them fast. 


Cast
Asher Angel - Billy Batson
Zachary Levi - Shazam
Mark Strong - Dr. Thaddeus Sivana
Jack Dylan Grazer - Freddy Freeman
Grace Fulton - Mary Bromfeld
Faithe Herman - Darla Dudley
Ian Chen - Eugene Choi
Jovan Armand - Pedro Pena
Cooper Andrews - Victor

Vasquez
Marta Milans - Rosa Vasquez
Djimon Hounsou - Wizard
Adam Brody - Super Hero Freddy
Ross Butler - Super Hero Eugene
Michelle Borth - Super Hero Mary
D.J. Cotrona - Super Hero Pedro
Meagan Good - Super Hero Darla
John Glover - Mr. Sivana
Wayne Ward - Sid Sivana
David Kohlsmith - Young Billy
Ethan Pugiotto - Thaddeus Sivana (1974)
Landon Doak - Sid Sivana (1974)
Caroline Palmer - Billy's Mom
Keisha T. Fraser - Rachel Batson
Andi Osho - Ms. E.B. Glover
Lotta Losten - Dr. Lynn Crosby
Lisa Truong - Ms. Kwan
Carson MacCormac - Brett Breyer
Evan Marsh - Burke Breyer
Steve Blum - Sin (Voice)
Darin De Paul - Sin (Voice)
Fred Tatasciore - Sin (Voice)

Crew
Director - David F. Sandberg
Shazam Creators - Bill Parker and C.C. Beck
Superman Creators - Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
Story/Screenplay - Henry Gayden
Story - Darren Lemke
Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager -
Jeffrey Chernov
Executive Producers - Richard Brener,
Christopher Godsick, Walter Hamada,
Dave Neustadter, Dany & Hiram Garcia,
Geoff Johns, Adam Schlagman and
Dwayne Johnson
Producer - Peter Safran
Co-Producer/Unit Production Manager - David Witz
Production Designer - Jessica Spence

Supervising Art Director - Brandt Gordon
Set Decorator - Shane Vieau

Property Master - Christopher Geggie
Costume Designer - Leah Butler

Costume Concept Illustrator - Jerad Marantz

Prosthetics Designers - Steve Newburn

and Neil Moll
Director of Photography - Maxime Alexandre

Director of Photography: Second Unit - Josh Bleibtreu

"A" Camera/Steadicam Operator - BJ McDonnell

First Assistant Director - Misha Bukowski

First Assistant Director: Second Unit -

Andrew M. Robinson
Second Unit Director - John Mahaffie
Stunt Coordinators - Kyle Gardiner and
Larry Lam
Fight Coordinator - Chan Griffin
Special Effects Supervisor - Cameron Waldbauer
Special Effects Coordinator - Rocco Larizza
Visual Effects Supervisors - Kelvin McIlwain,

Mike Wassel and Carey Villegas

Visual Effects Supervisors: MPC - Asregado Arundi

and Pier Lefebvre 

Additional Visual Effects Supervisor -

Blaine Lougheed

Additional Visual Effects Supervisor: MPC -

John Dykstra

Visual Effects Producer - Cari Thomas

Editor - Michel Aller

Supervising Sound Editor/Sound Designer -

Bill R. Dean

Sound Designer - Erick OCampo

Re-Recording Mixers - Kevin O'Connell

and Michael Keller 

Music - Benjamin Wallfisch 
Music Supervisor - Season Kent


Review

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) hasn't had a great film since Wonder Woman. However, the release of Aquaman changed the fans' perceptions of the DCEU in 2018, after years of unsuccessful attempts to copy the Marvel Cinematic Universe. SHAZAM! is a definite shift away from this mimicry. It's among the latest movies to come from DCEU, along with the forthcoming release of The Joker. I remember the title character from Justice League when I first watched the episode. The only difference is that the character wasn't called Shazam, but Captain Marvel. However, this name is not related to Marvel's titular super heroine. Although the DC comic SHAZAM! is hardly obscure, it predates the film by about 80 years.

This cheerful, exciting romp reminds me of Richard Donner's Superman, where you get this lighthearted feel to the movie and get highly entertained. In SHAZAM!, there’s even a heartwarming subplot about the foster home and the occasional bits of drama, where the main character is searching for his long-lost mother, from whom he lost contact when he was younger. The film portrays SHAZAM! as if it's more like a comedy than an average superhero feature. It isn't like Iron Man or Guardians of the Galaxy. It could not convey this infectious hilarity or the sense of cheesiness, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I must say Zachary Levi was a perfect casting choice for the role of Shazam. Since he usually performs in comedies, he was playing to his strengths. Young Jack Dylan Grazer does well as Billy's foster brother and best friend, Freddy Freeman. Even Mark Strong gets his chance to shine in a DC movie as Shazam's arch-nemesis. He seems to be doing better in this role in a DC movie than what he played Sinestro in Green Lantern.

SHAZAM! is an outstanding film for DC fans or anyone who has never read the comics. It is a fast-paced, lighthearted popcorn blockbuster that keeps audiences enthralled. Remember to say the magic word!

Star rating: (9/10) Excellent Movie

Back to Home