As I sit in room #5 of the maternity ward waiting for my partners’ induction to kick-in, I’m reminded of the overriding theme in SHAZAM!… family. Admittedly, I probably shouldn’t be thinking of teenage friendly superhero movies when my partner is in labour but, you know, it’s a long process and you can tell when “you’re doing great, honey!” starts to fall on deaf ears.
Starring Marvel alumni Zachary Levi (SHAZAM!) and Djimon Hounsou (Wizard) with relative new-comers Asher Angel (Billy Batson) and Jack Dylan Grazer (Freddy Freeman), SHAZAM! is the latest film in the ‘DC Extended Universe (DCEU)’, DC Comics/Warner Bros. Pictures struggling attempt to keep pace with Marvel/Disney and the ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe’ behemoth (‘Avengers: End Game’ out soon, kids).
Image: Polygon
This endeavour, so far, has managed to throw-up continuously lacklustre adaptations of fantastic source material – Suicide Squad, Aquaman, Justice League, the one where Batman kills people, the one where Superman gets moody, etc. Thankfully, as with Wonder Woman, the DCEU has managed to get out of its own way, briefly, to produce something worthy of the time and effort.
Unlike 90% of the previous DCEU output, SHAZAM! is not a dark or moody film. Its primary concern is humour and making the watching experience fun. They succeed well and this is where all that is good about SHAZAM! begins. The majority of the humour is driven by a great performance from Zachary Levi, who brings what he learnt in the Thor films to the DC universe and Warner Bros. should really be thanking Marvel for the help. Levi is ably aided by Asher Angel and Jack Dylan Grazer, whose own chemistry is one of the brightest sparks in a movie full of, well, sparkles.
SHAZAM! follows the story of Billy Batson as he struggles to integrate into another foster family. He’s been bounced from home to home ever since he was separated from his mother as a young boy, a physical struggle mirrored throughout the film. This is where the movie grounds itself; in familial themes – the importance of family, family as a support network, the family you choose isn’t necessarily the family you need, etc – and it’s also where the darker elements of the film are explored.
Whilst Billy Batson’s shadows – and Freddy Freeman’s (eye on the superhero alliteration people) – are more simply drawn (lost children seeking family and a place in the world) the nemesis of the piece, Dr. Sivana’s (Mark Strong) story comes from a much more compelling space. Also grounded in family, Dr. Sivana’s struggle is one against mental torment imposed by an unloving father and bullying older brother. Where Billy Batson’s struggle is to find his mother and, therefore, home, Dr. Sivana’s is only to win and beat those who hurt him in the past. This difference is framed as a degree of purity each character has in their heart and dictates how each life is allowed to pan out.
Whilst it’s an interesting point of division, and the use of foster children is a truly original superhero origin story, the treatment of Dr. Sivana leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste. Ultimately, he’s not a nice character and his lack of control perfectly shows this. However, treating a child horrifically, giving them hope of extraction from the horrific situation, and then telling them they’re not good enough to be helped is no grounding for creating a good man. The movie knows this but the person who squashes the hope, the Wizard, is only ever shown as above reproach. I was left feeling the movie had tried something interesting here but didn’t quite have the conviction to follow it through.
That can’t be said for Billy Batson’s narrative arc. Early childhood separation has left him with a desperate need to search – for his mother, for home, for a purpose. This drive is amplified when he’s imbued with the powers of SHAZAM! because having superpowers does not suddenly make you more included. This struggle is played out nicely as Billy/SHAZAM! only thinks of using these powers to make money from selfies and hurts those closest to him in the process. Equally, learning to trust himself and the superpowers is his gateway into learning how to trust those calling him family, even if that might not be his mother.
SHAZAM! is a superhero movie that, in a movie-going landscape saturated with superheroes, overwhelmingly deserves the attention of a big audience looking to enjoy themselves. Whilst it struggles with elements of Dr. Sivana’s story, it more than makes up for it with Billy Batson’s and, in particular, the innovative way good looks to defeat evil. There’s already talk of a second instalment, of course, and I feel like that might be a mistake. See SHAZAM! before DC Comics/Warner Bros. Pictures get all excited and think they know what they’re doing and ruin all the good feeling with a lacklustre follow-up.
By Ryan Goodyear
10 March 2019