More a comedy than an action flick, the latest superhero outing for the DC Extended Universe emphasises the direction Warner Bros clearly started taking with last year's ridiculously entertaining Aquaman. Gone is the energy-sapping gloom and doom that permeated throughout the Justice League centric franchise, now replaced by colourful, cartoonish wish fulfilment that goes all in on the goofier side of superheroes. When 14 y.o. foster kid Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is plucked from obscurity by a bizarre underground wizard (Djimon Hounsou), he's given the power to transform at will into the near-invincible hero Shazam, played by man-child Zachary Levi. Although a lot of the funnier moments were in the trailer, when focusing on the titular rookie hero and his amusing sidekick/best friend Freddy Freeman (a scene-stealing Jack Dylan Grazer), the movie kicks goals. Their methods of testing exactly what powers he possesses is often hilariously realistic. The change in tone for this series is welcome, but it's unfortunate that the blockbuster spectacle has seemingly fallen by the wayside. The set pieces on offer here are unfathomably unoriginal and, by the time the final showdown arrives, it has repeated similar action beats ad nauseum. It also makes two terrible decisions in the villainy stakes: employing a seemingly-bored Mark Strong as a one-dimensional megalomaniac and then giving him indistinguishable CGI monster henchmen who grow wearisome quickly. Parents of youngsters beware: although primarily a light-hearted romp there are a few scenes that are emotionally and physically brutal - a board room sequence in particular holding back no punches with its savagery. Amusing enough to serve as a decent slice of escapism, but Shazam! lacks the action awesomeness required to really scratch the blockbuster itch.
Review of Shazam!
