Shazam! is just around the corner and it looks like DC just scored another point to get this franchise back on track. The DCEU has seen some struggles in the past but 2017’s Wonder Woman proved that they could make good films only for the franchise to f–k it all up again with Justice League. However, last year’s Aquaman turned things around for the franchise and it looks like this latest outing is going to offer a worthy follow-up if early reviews are any indication.
Early reactions for Shazam! were pretty good but those were simply reactions on social media so they were pretty brief. Now, the reviews are out and they are pointing to a something worthwhile to check out. Read the excerpts of some spoiler free reviews below:
Screen Rant wrote:
“Shazam! is a different kind of DC movie than those that have been released in recent years, but that derives from Sandberg and Gayden building the film from a character-focused standpoint. Because Shazam has a sillier origin story, it makes sense for the movie to be on the lighter, more humorous side. Though it still has moments of darkness and drama, they are mostly earned by the film, even if the balance isn’t always quite right.”
Sounds like fun and it looks like it’s definitely a departure from earlier DC films if you know what I mean. Of course, we’re talking about the darker tone of the earlier films but Shazam! being lighter isn’t necessarily the reason for its success or so it seems according to a review from Vox :
“It’s not that the movie’s buoyancy alone makes it so stellar; fun doesn’t always outweigh grimness. Nolan’s The Dark Knight is grisly, powerful, and the pinnacle of superhero storytelling. This is instead a matter of execution, and Shazam’s hilarious script and unflinching commitment to the earnestness of its comic book source material work in tandem to deliver the joyous high notes it’s going for.”
Of course, it looks like the fun factor helps a lot as highlighted by a review from Variety comparing it to Tom Hanks’ comedy film Big. Read the excerpt below:
“Shazam!, on the other hand, is just a light, funny, grounded, engagingly unpretentious sleight-of-hand action comedy about a boy in a (super)man’s body. The movie, in other words, is “Big” in tights. And it’s Zachary Levi who makes that work, in much the same way that Tom Hanks did.”
It looks like the film is pretty bats–t as well in regards to the film’s absurd premise as a review from Polygon highlights:
“Shazam! embraces the the absurd gaggle of elements in Billy Batson’s origin story — subway rides; wizards; a mixture of figures from Christianity, Judaism, and Greek mythology; a hero who wears a marching band cape — and succeeds by never spending a moment acting like anyone would consider them absurd at all. I would argue that it does this in an even more compelling way than Aquaman, despite the fact that Shazam! has to juxtapose its fantastical elements with downtown Philadelphia.”
Looks like the film is pretty awesome or at the very least, fun. DC is making a solid comeback it seems and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store. However, let’s hope audience reactions would align with how the critics feel about the film but let’s be honest, it probably will (I hope). We’ll have to wait a little bit longer to see the film in theaters but it looks like it’s going to be worth it.
Shazam! is scheduled to be released on April 5, 2019
Source: Screen Rant , Vox , Variety , Polygon
