Review : "Shazam"

Things are finally starting to look good for the DCEU. Shazam is the first movie in the entire cinematic universe to focus on a character and not the plot. The plot and dialogue feel real if not entirely magnificent which is the first step in making a fantasy series. Because unlike the MCU, the powers of DC characters except for Batman don't really seem very realistic. A solo Flash movie might answer the correct origins of his powers and provide a feasible explanation, but other than that, Superman in Man of Steel and Diana in Wonder Woman didn't really do a lot. In Man of Steel, Superman's powers and the extent of his capabilities were never explained (still don't know what was up with him blowing freezing air outta his mouth in Justice League) and in Wonder Woman, Diana's exact powers were not unique. She had super strength and could make explosions with her bracelets but they didn't really make her unique. The same wasn't true for Aquaman. His powers are distinct. They didn't use him well in Justice League but I'm sure they will in the future. It seems to me that DC's approach to superhero movie making is to focus more on the emotional strains of a character's powers and not their realism. Which is, truly, fine as long as they don't overpower them.

Moving on to the plot of the movie. It's fresh. I can't think of another movie in the Superhero genre which has done something similar before. I have a few reservations as to why the Last Wizard chose Billy without even testing him like he did the others but that can be fixed in a future movie. I believe what this franchise needs most now is a good villain arc. Doctor Sivana's arc felt used and nothing about it was fresh nor compelling. He's returning though, so, I believe that with a better screen-writer, most of the errors in this film can be fixed.

Next up, Humor. This movie is funny. And it's not cheap or childish humor. The jokes are intelligent. Most importantly, the movie doesn't over-rely on jokes. I respect that. 

Now, I'm gonna discuss the problems. A great part of film-making is to make a movie seem interesting. This is done with Dialogue, Music and Camera work. Shazam doesn't get a lot of stars in these departments. The Dialogue is not unique. Quotes neither stand out nor exist. Which is really strange since the movie deals with a strong and emotional theme of a child who is looking for his long lost mother and trying to find a family. Some bold dialogue could have helped audiences empathize with the protagonist. The Music is forgettable, unlike Man of Steel and Wonder Woman. They use popular songs throughout the movie but no original score stands out. The camera work is just a little lazy. There were scenes which I felt I could have shot more inventively. It felt like they weren't trying hard enough.

The Visual Effects are ok; just ok. Mostly because there wasn't a lot to edit visually. The movie didn't over-rely on CGI, from what I could tell. What I didn't like was that the colors were too saturated but that's a subjective preference. I usually don't like stuff that's too colorful. Also, I would have preferred a wider aperture on the camera; it gives stuff a more cinematic feel. And i think the costume needs to be tweaked. The Red needs to be darker and the lighting bolt needs to be darkened a little; too bright. I would have preferred a completely different color combination but I don't want them to eliminate the comedic element.

Now, what does this movie mean for the DCEU? If I've gotta be honest, it means great things. I like to believe that Shazam is like the Spider-man of the DCEU. He fanboys over the bigger guns. Also, they should keep Zachary Levi. He is the right fit for the character. Another interesting character, is Billy's foster brother, Freddie. This brings a lot of diversity to the DCEU. I really feel that they need to re-cast the present day Batman for sure. But, maybe not ask Hency Cavill to leave? Cause he's perfect for Superman. Shazam brings magic into the DCEU. The magic has to be explained though. Fans need to know how it works kinda like Harry Potter and if they don't wanna explain it, they should at least use dialogue and music to acknowledge the fact that there is still a lot to unravel. And I'd refrain from bringing Shazam to a cross-over movie for now. He's not ready.

Verdict: Great movie with a promise for the future of the franchise.