If you read the Top 20 Movies to look out for in April, then
you know I made some big claims about Shazam!
(2019). If you need a reminder: I stated that I thought Shazam!, if done right, could be a
game-changer for the DCEU.
The big caveat: ‘if done right’.
Well, I saw Shazam!
this past weekend. I can say, with absolute certainty, it was done right.
Let me start with a basic review.
The actors, even the child actors, had their game faces on. I
believed every one of them, from the youngest – Faith Herman (This is Us, Doe, Bodied) – to the main
character – Zachary Levi (Office
Uprising, Chuck, Tangled) and Asher Angel (Andi Mack, Driven to Dance, Jolene) – every actor played to their
strengths and made me believe them.
As important as acting can be in most films, it’s even more
important in Shazam!. A lot of the
movie is based on whether or not you believe the transformation between Billy
Batson and the title character. A single slip on either Levi or Angel’s part
could have destroyed the feel of the entire thing. Yet every transformation was
portrayed without issue. There was never a time during the movie where my
suspended disbelief was challenged by it.
A lot of that might have had something to do with other
members of the team, though.
David F. Sandberg (Annabelle:
Creation, Lights Out, Not so Fast), the director, is more well known for
his shorts and YouTube content than his full-length features. That’s right, DC
took a giant leap of faith and gave Shazam!
to a less Hollywood-versed, but experienced, director.
Most of his shorts were developed with no budget at all, and
that undoubtedly helped with this film. Shazam!
has the lowest budget of all the DCEU movies. That means all the graphics,
editing, and everything else, had much less money thrown at it than films like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
and still managed to just be a better movie.
The editor, Michel Aller (The Forger, The Nun, Lights Out), needs to be commended as well.
Just as much as one slip from either main actor could have screwed the whole
thing – one misstep from Aller could have done the same.
I think the story was the right way to go, too.
It was an origin story through-and-through, but it’s
different when the origin follows a tier 2 character instead of one of the most
popular ones. We know Batman’s parents are dead. We know Superman is an alien
that gets his powers from our yellow sun. If an origin doesn’t show us
something we don’t know, then what the fuck is the point?
Most people more interested in films than comics don’t even
know who Shazam is, let alone his origin, so this still felt fresh.
People went into Shazam!
with very low expectations. I think, at this point, we all still kind of expect
DC to disappoint us.
It’s a shame, too. There’s no reason Marvel and DC shouldn’t
be on the same cinematic level. Marvel’s characters aren’t better as a whole,
the stories aren’t exponentially more in depth. Comics-wise, they ARE on the
same level. Some characters and stories are better than others, but it all
equals out in the end. There’s nothing wrong with DC’s source material.
Unfortunately, they’ve fucked up their movie universe so
much that even loyal DC fanboys walk into the theater with a sense of dread.
My best friend is one of those DC fanboys. He came with me
and my husband to see Shazam! and,
let me tell you, he expected the worst. Going into the theater, he was in the
worst mood; grumping and grunting his responses to things. I kept telling him
to keep an open mind, but that was not going to happen. As much as he adores
the comics (his apartment is like a comic store, filled to the brim with DC
merch), the films have done nothing but let him down. It PAINS him to admit the
MCU is better.
When Shazam! was
over, though… he was near tears, he was so happy. He said it himself, it was
the perfect DC movie. It was something their fans could be completely proud of
for the first time since The Dark Knight
(2008).
Let’s talk about how the movie meshes with the comics. I’m
going to avoid spoilers to the best of my ability.
I know the name ‘Shazam’ sounds a bit corny, but you have to
remember that this character wasn’t originally called that. He was originally
Captain Marvel and the name had to be changed after Marvel sued the original
creator.
As Captain Marvel, the character has existed in print since
the 40s. The name ‘SHAZAM’ is an acronym. It’s supposed to be a road map of his
abilities.
In the 1973 comic, the original Shazam explained that he
would have the powers of Solomon
(wisdom), Hercules (strength), Atlas (stamina), Zeus (power), Achilles
(courage), and Mercury (speed).
Of course, the film doesn’t follow the story of the Billy
Batson from the 70s. DC started publishing a comic, starting in 2019, that the
film follows the feel of much closer.
That’s the biggest thing, following the ‘feel’ of the comics
is something I’ve mentioned in the past as being a necessity. It doesn’t need
to follow the stories completely, but it needs to stay true to the feel. Which,
Shazam! did.
What could this mean for the DCEU?
Honestly, if they capitalize on the success of Shazam!, it could mean everything for
them.
Shazam! was good
enough as a stand-alone film that it doesn’t really need to be part of the DCEU
to be worth it – but they still including just enough connection to make the
audience hopeful. That will give them a lot of wiggle room.
They fixed their balance issues as well. Although there was
a lot of light-hearted and amusing content to Shazam! they did NOT shy away from the violence. The film is rated
PG-13, so there wasn’t a ton of blood… but there didn’t have to be. They
maximized the effect of the violence without turning into gore.
The opening weekend might not have made as much as their
other films, but considering how little they spent on it, even the big-wigs
will likely see it as nothing to sneeze at. Their profit was pretty well
maximized for this particular story.
As I mentioned earlier, fans have been disillusioned with
DC. This film could start getting fans to believe in them again. If they put
out more movies like Shazam!, they
will begin to out-do even their most popular films. If they stick to showing us
little known characters (in the big screen) and then bring them together later
on, we’re going to see films that subvert our expectations of DC for a long
time.
Here’s hoping this is the dawn of a new age for the DCEU.
