Shazam 2019
I heard good things about this movie when it came out, but it seemed like it was more for kids. Later on as Black Friday was approaching I thought about maybe buying it, but I also had a free Redbox rental, so I used the rental to try it out. It is a fun origin story for Shazam, who is kind of a silly DC hero. It is nice that this movie isn’t as dark as other DC movies, has a good sense of humor, but isn’t just cheesy and dumb like Aquaman. It isn’t a great movie, but it is fun to watch as this somewhat troubled orphan kid is placed in a group home and doesn’t warm up to them right away. Almost by mistake he ends up with superpowers, and he isn’t ready for that kind of thing yet. It plays a little like Big if instead of turning into Tom Hanks, the kid turned into a superhero. I really liked Big and this one is good too. Although the bad guy could end up dominating the world, they kind of make him seem not all that threatening. Parts of the movie look kind of cheap and not enormously polished, with a cast of mostly unknowns and a lot of child actors. And the main hero, since he is actually a 14 year old, is portrayed as not that smart, but he figures out things when he needs to. It plays a little like Spider-Man, but sillier. The good thing is that most of the humor works and the rest of the story supports that, plus some decent character development as the kid who becomes Shazam builds a relationship with his new family. It was nice to see foster parents portrayed as nice people for a change. Not a life changing movie, but fun for a couple of hours. They are talking about a sequel, but that could go very badly.
Written: 23 Nov 2019
Owned on: Blu-ray, Digital