SHAZAM!

US, 2019, 132 minutes, Colour.
Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Mark Strong, Djimon Hounsou, Jack Dylan Grazer.
Directed by David F. Sandberg.

Shazam! comes from DC comics. After the various serious films with the super heroes, this is definitely DC comics Jr (very much junior). Its target audience is about the age of the young central character and his friend, 14. And, it probably has a great appeal to those who are still 14 in their imagination.

Somewhere in the DC comics mythology world, there is a wizard called Shazam (Djimon Hounsou). He lives in a cave, growing ancient, his powers receding. In the main hall of this cave, there are large fierce-looking statues who are revealed as the deadly sins, just waiting for the opportunity to come alive and to destroy. Shazam is on the lookout for a worthy successor (the criteria are not particularly clear and do some of those summoned to audition do not seem likely at all!).

There is also a deceptive beginning, a father driving with his two sons, the older son very smug, the younger son, seeming innocent and bespectacled, is continually criticised by his sibling and his father, ending up with a car crash. It will later be revealed that the young boy is not nearly as innocent as he might have seemed, has been rejected by Shazam and has spent many years searching for Shazam in order to take over his magic powers. He has grown up to be played by Mark Strong, an ambitious and relentless villain.

Surprisingly, the specially chosen one is an orphan, abandoned by his mother, going from pillar to post in foster care, never satisfied, forever searching for his mother. His name is Billy Batson (Asher Angel) and, as mentioned, he is 14. He is allotted to yet another foster home, very sympathetic parents with a religious bent, and four other children in the home, an intelligent young woman, a large uncommunicating boy, a little girl, and, the character, also 14, who most people would have chosen to be the new Shazam, given his liveliness in comparison with Billy Batson. His name is Freddie (Jack Dylan Grazer) and he is crippled, bullied at school.

Shazam approves of Billy Batson and the entertaining part of the film is Billy’s discovery of his powers, his outer life as Shazam! And being transformed into a superhero, costume and all, though Billy has to gradually discover all his powers, sometimes hit and miss, sometimes causing disasters which he has to fix, a kind of comic image of Superman. His played by Zachary Levi, all smiles, quite ingenuous, more loquacious than Billy, and also, judging by how he talks and acts, still 14.

Which means then that the audience has sympathy for the young boys and their difficulties in life. However, as the film builds up to a confrontation between Shazam and the ever more sinister villain, acquiring powers, cruelly ambitious – and then those capital sins coming to giant life!

So, for a climax? Not only Billy turning into Shazam but his foster parents and all the kids turned into superhero avatars guaranteeing computer-generated stunt work, images, superhero action.

It certainly looks as they could be a sequel to hope for – but will Billy, Freddie and Shazam grow up?

1. DC comics for young audiences?

2. The realistic aspects, the orphans in foster families? The blending with the Shazam fantasy?

3. The American city, the foster homes, school, the streets? The musical score?

4. Shazam, ancient, his cave, powers, the statues of the capital sins? Their glowing eyes? The threats? The candidates to succeed, the auditions, the tests, failure?

5. The story of Dr Sivana? The boy, his critical brother and father? The car swirling, the crash? As resentment? Growing up, his search for the powers? His ambitions? His manner? His father and the company, confronting them, his father in the wheelchair after the accident? his staff? His artificial eye?

6. Billy, the audition from Shazam? His succeeding? Getting the powers? Zachary Levi as the young Shazam? Comics style? Superman style? Aged 14, discovering his powers, his mistakes and remedying them?

7. The foster system, Billy searching for his mother, eventually finding her, meeting her, the rejection? New family, the genial foster parents, the range of the other children, lifestyle, Billy and his resentments?

8. Freddie, genial character, strong, bullied at school? Billy at 14, his silence, supporting Freddie? Freddie disabled?

9. Billy as Shazam, alter ego, from introvert to extrovert? Going into action?

10. Sivana, his discovery, the confrontation, wanting the powers?

11. The buildup to a confrontation? The family and their support – and their all becoming super heroes? The confrontation is, Sivana, the capital sins and their giant presence?

12. Billy and his final achievement as Shazam?