They say theres a hero in all of us. Shazam! runs with that concept, punches it in the gut then kicks it off a skyscraper. It follows fourteen year old foster kid Billy Batson, who finds he can instantly transform into a fully-grown, practically invincible superhero when he says the magic word “Shazam!”
Comic aficionados will have heard of this lightning-fingered crusader as he first appeared in 1940s as Captain Marvel. Hes undergone several name changes since – Captain Thunder, Marvelman – which becomes a running joke in the film, with characters referring to him as everything from “Red Cyclone” to “Captain Sparklefingers”. Comics publisher DC finally settled on Shazam! after buying the rights in the 1970s, and its just as well, because Brie Larsons Marvel-owned Captain Marvel sure as hell isnt backing down to any dude.
Just so you can gauge the level of camp menace, he stomps into the childrens foster home and declares it a shithole.
Abandoned by his mother and forced to live in a nauseatingly happy foster home in Philadelphia, Billy is unexpectedly transported to a wizards lair. Tired of looking for someone pure of heart to be his champion on earth, the wizard decides Billy will do just fine.
A good chunk of the film is given over to Billys joyous discovery of his newfound powers and ultra-buff man body; its great fun, especially for film and comic nerds able to spot the references to titles as diverse as Batman and Big. Our guide in all this is Freddy, Billys disabled foster brother, a comic nerd played with bags of charisma by Jack Dylan Grazer. Mark Strong is excellent – as usual – as villain Sivana, a rejected cRead More – Source
