SHAZAM!
Review by Myla Tosatto
I have been SHAZAMED! I sat in a movie theater and was so swept up in this DC Comic tale that I felt everything that one can feel in a movie: joy (so much funny going on), sadness (Shazam’s origin story is killer), fright (the villain is REALLY scary), awe (how can a comic book movie be so moving?) and jubilation (there is a scene where I, like my whole theater, erupted in cheers and claps). Am I hyping this movie too much? Nah. It’s that good. You should probably put on your tights and capes and make like a lightning bolt to your local multiplex. Stop reading. Go.You back? Good. Let’s talk (without spoiling the movie, of course).
A lonely foster kid, Billy Batson (Asher Anger) becomes the superhero Shazam (Zachary Levi) after passing a test from The Wizard (Djimon Hounsou). After he tells his foster brother, Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) about his new powers, the fun begins. Billy (and Shazam) and Freddy have to hide what is going on from their foster parents Rosa and Victor Vasquez (Marta Milans and Cooper Andrews) and their foster siblings: Mary (Grace Fulton), Darla (Faithe Herman), Eugene (Ian Chen) and Pedro (Jovan Armand). While keeping this huge secret, they are also trying to figure out Shazam’s powers and taking on the very, very, very, very frightening baddie, Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong) and his deadly henchmen.
The script by Henry Gayden is a pleasure as directed by David F. Sandberg. They fit A LOT of story into this one movie. The movie is long, but totally worth it. Be warned that Mr. Sandberg has a background in horror movies. This PG-13 film is scary. The violence isn’t implied or off screen. You see it all. If you have a sensitive kid that is prone to nightmares, take note. However, if they can get past that, kids (and adults) will love the positive message in this movie.