Shazam!

Our Review

Shazam! is Big with superpowers, and it knows it. A foster kid named Billy Batson gets chosen by an ancient wizard and can turn into a grown man in a cape by saying a magic word, and the film mines that premise for every fish out of water gag you could want: Zachary Levi’s adult hero tests his powers on camera, buys beer with a fake ID, and geeks out over his own merchandise. The comedy lands because the kids are cast so well.

Jack Dylan Grazer’s Freddy steals scene after scene, and the found family theme, built around a group home of foster siblings, gives the film more heart than most superhero entries of the era dared to attempt. Billy’s whole arc, a runaway learning to stop running, resolves in a climax that hands the whole family capes, and it earns the goosebumps.

The flaws are the villain and the climax. Mark Strong does his professional best with Dr. Sivana, but the character is a thin revenge sketch, and the final battle in a carnival of CGI demons is studio default. Still, this was the DC line at its lightest and most likable, proof the brand could do joy as well as gloom. Our score: 7/10. A feel good pick for families that holds up on rewatch.