Review: After Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad set the ultimate low bar for superhero movies, DC movies have slowly been getting better. Wonder Woman and Justice League were decent, and Aquaman was an improvement over those. Shazam! continues this improvement, as it is actually a darn good movie.
It may not be one of the all time great superhero movies, but I have the feeling that is not what it wanted to be. It does not try for the awe and wonder of Superman: The Movie or the pure scope of Avengers: Infinity War. Instead this movie just wants to provide its audience with a fun time at the movies while tugging at a few heartstrings along the way. With this it successeds surprisingly well. The humor is legitimately funny at many points. It satirizes all the clichés of superhero stories. It never does this in a mean spirited way, instead this is loving tongue in check tribute to all we love about superhero movies and comic books. As we laugh at the jokes we also remember why we love what they are making fun of. This humor also never distracts from the story. We legitimately care about our main characters and root for them the whole way. As they grow as people we like them even more and even take pride in them. With siblings like Darla, Freddie and Mary, it is no wonder Billy finally feels like he has found his family. The relationships between these characters is touching and completely believable. This movie also has quite a good villain. His motivation is completely understandable and relatable. Any of us who have ever been told we aren't good enough want nothing more than to prove it and it is completely understandable how this could drive a man mad. The seven deadly sins are actually quite terrifying. They look extremely creepy and the scene with them in the office meeting could have come right out of a horror movie. This adds an intense atmosphere to much of the film.
At one point this movie falls into a trap that too many superhero movies do. The climatic fight scene goes on much too long. It is very exciting and fun at first but this excitement and fun couldn't last for the entire length of the fight and what was fun began to drag. This movie also uses one of my least favorite movie clichés. These are the boring and typical school bullies that we have seen too many times in movies.
This may not be perfect superhero movie but it is a darn fun one and makes it obvious DC is stepping in the right direction.
-Michael J. Ruhland
Nice review! I agree with your assessment!
ReplyDeleteIt's rare these days to see a group home presented in a movie as a good thing, a positive environment. I was a little put off by the fact that never once was Captain Marvel mentioned by name. I realize that there is competition with the recent Marvel film, but that IS the character's name and it should have been mentioned. That aside, I pretty much liked it a lot.