The Wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) is getting old, and his fellow wizards are long gone now, leaving him to guard the world from the Seven Deadly Sins, spirits that usually inhabit stone statues in the wizard’s castle, but have recently been released and are wreaking havoc on the world.
The wizard has long been searching for someone pure of heart enough to take over his role, and he believes he has found that someone: a young teenager named Billy Batson (Asher Angel).
Billy is a foster kid who has been bounced from one foster home to another for many years. All of the homes he has been in, he has run away from, desperately trying to find the mother that abandoned him when he was barely old enough to walk.
He now finds himself in a group home, run by foster parents Victor Vasquez (Cooper Andrews) and his wife Rosa (Marta Milans). Sharing a room with disabled comic-book nerd Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), he is reluctant to share anything of himself with his new family, still certain his mother will want him back when he eventually finds her.
Summoned to the wizard’s castle, he takes on the mantle the wizard gives to him, albeit reluctantly at first, and becomes a superhero known as Shazam (Zachary Levi). Inhabiting an adult body whenever he says the name ‘Shazam!’, he now has superhuman strength, and many other qualities he discovers as the film goes on.
Of course, any superhero movie needs a good villain, and in this case, it is Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong), the man who released the Seven Deadly Sins, and is now filled with their combined power.
I really can’t say anything more about the plot, I think you ought to discover it for yourself. This is an immensely enjoyable film, and I really don’t want to spoil it for you.
The script by Henry Gayden is absolutely hilarious. Honestly, I (and my fellow audience members) did not stop laughing from start to finish; this is an incredibly clever film filled with so many great lines and gags, as Billy tries to get used to his new body.
Zachary Levi does a fantastic job playing a teenager in an adult body. If you’ve seen Tom Hanks in Big, then you can guess at some of the things you might expect to see (and the filmmakers are all too aware of this comparison, giving several tips of the hat to that classic film).
In fact, all the cast are great in this film, in particular the younger cast members. And Mark Strong is exceptional as the villain, also. (Note: Some of his scenes are particularly frightening for younger viewers; the two young children who were in the cinema when I was watching this film spent large chunks of it hiding their faces. Even though this film may look family-friendly from the trailer, I would think seriously before bringing children under the age of eight or even ten to see this film).
Benjamin Wallfisch’s score is quite overpowering at times, but on the whole is suitable for the genre, and the high-level action scenes. But be prepared to have your ears over-blasted on many occasions, even some that felt quite unnecessary to me. Sure, I know I have particularly sensitive hearing, but this was just too much at times.
The costume design by Leah Butler and production design by Jennifer Spence are also well done.
Director David F. Sandberg has made a pretty good film here, in my opinion. There is a lot to enjoy, and also some reasonably wholesome messages in there, too. I would definitely watch it again, and would recommend you see it at least once (particularly if you enjoy comic-book movies, but even if you just enjoy a really good laugh).
7 out of 10.
No comments:
Post a Comment