Review - Shazam! (2019)

     Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, we've made it. This will be the last DCEU movie I review until the release of Wonder Woman 1984. Hard to believe that we've made it to this point. What started with a review of Man of Steel wraps up with this: my review of Shazam!. 

    The movie opens up in 1974, where a young Thaddeus Sivana is on a Christmas trip with his father and older brother, when suddenly he is mystically transported to the Rock of Eternity, which is a cavern belonging to an ancient wizard. The wizard has chosen Sivana to be his successor, but after failing a test of purity, the wizard sends him back. An upset Sivana, returned to his family's car, causes an accident that kills his older brother, and seriously injures his father. Years later, we meet 14-year-old foster child Billy Batson, who has repeatedly run from foster homes in search of his birth mother, who had lost track of him at a local fair in Philadelphia ten years prior. Billy is taken in by Victor and Rosa Vasquez, who run a group home with other foster kids, including Mary, Freddy, Pedro, Darla, and Eugene. Meanwhile, an older, and embittered, Sivana has found a way back to the Rock, where he steals a relic called The Eye, making him the vessel for seven monsters that represent the Seven Deadly Sins. While he Sins also imbue Sivana with incredible powers. 

    Billy, meanwhile, struggles to adjust to his new situation. However, after saving Freddy from a pair of bullies, Billy is transported to the Rock, where the wizard gives Billy his powers: the powers of Shazam. The powers of Shazam give Billy extraordinary powers, and turn him from a 14-year-old boy into an adult man by saying the word "Shazam." Returning home, Billy trusts Freddy with his secret, and the two of them test his abilities, and Billy begins his path to being a superhero. Sivana, meanwhile, learns of this, and begins to go after Billy to gain the powers of Shazam for himself. Billy's foster siblings help Billy out by giving him the address of his mother, who he goes to talk to and gets closure when she tells him the truth. She left him with the police after losing him in a crowd, knowing he'd have a chance for a better life. After Sivana, who had abducted Freddy, tracks down the other kids, Billy returns to save them, heading to the Rock, and finally ending up at the winter fair. Billy, remembering the wizard's words, shares the powers of Shazam with his foster siblings, giving them powers as well. Working together, the Shazam Family defeats Sivana and the Sins, returning The Eye back to the Rock, and return to Victor and Rosa at the house. The next day, Billy, as Shazam, proves that Freddy is friends with a superhero, and brings a "friend" with him: Superman.

    Admittedly, Shazam! was one that wasn't originally on my radar. However, when casting was announced, I became interested, and after a trailer dropped. I knew right away that I wanted to see it. And I'm glad that I did, because it was a lot of fun. With Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, and the rest of the cast, director David F. Sandberg made a superhero film that anyone can enjoy. However, the sophomoric humor, while getting a pass due to the nature of the titular hero, can be noticeable to those who may not like those kinds of things. Overall though, I definitely recommend this one, and I give Shazam! a rating of 4.75/5. This is Chuck signing off. Thanks for tuning in to my DCEU movie reviews, and I'll see you guys next time.