Unlike the backstories of Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent, this teen’s life may be less familiar to the general public. Billy became a ward of the state at an early age and was moved through the foster care system multiple times during his young life. Even though he continues to search for his birth mother, he is given the ultimatum to do all he can to remain in his newest home with the loving and caring Vasquez family.
While adjusting to all of his new ‘family' and his new school, the runaway comes to the aid of his foster brother, Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer). After defending his disabled sibling, Billy runs from the bullies and is magically transported to a different realm that is inhabited by an ancient wizard. The Wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) has been searching for a person with a pure heart to pass on his powers with the intention for him to become the Champion of Eternity to battle the seven deadly sins of the world.
Billy becomes the bearer of this new role and gains all of the powers of Shazam (Zachary Levi), which includes the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, and the ability to summon lightning like Zeus. These new powers include a more mature body, but do not come with an instruction book. With Freddy’s extensive knowledge of all things superhero, he begins the journey of self-discovery and what to do with his new found talents. While uncovering the depth of his powers, a new threat comes upon the scene that will force the young teen to determine his depth of character and heart. Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) has acquired the powers of the seven deadly sins, but desires to take away all that Billy has been given. Forcing the young man to determine what is really important in life and what he will do with his new abilities.
Shazam! has the potential to deliver the heart to the DCEU. A delinquent teen with a heart of gold who becomes a hero should have all of the earmarks of the needed humour and innocence that has not existed throughout this series. The problem that stands out about this film is that Billy Batson is supposed to be ‘pure of heart’ and very little of his life proves this to be true. Even if this film is labelled as a coming of age film, the majority of the film does not deliver the moral core that is at the center of this genre.
Devout DC fans could argue that Shazam! exists outside the world of the Justice League, but director Peter Segal (Grudge Match) capitalises on a multitude of the legendary comic characters to support his story and has his hero land squarely in the thick of the DCEU. Even though he uses themes from Big, Goonies, Power Rangers and even The Greatest America Hero (dated reference - look it up) as a means of lightening the overarching dark tone of this franchise, his use of excessive violence and other mature themes pulls this whimsical character back into the dark realm of its predecessors. Even though there are funny moments and original concepts in the film, they prove to be mere flashes of inspiration that fail to get the support needed to make this a fresh addition to this world of superheroes.The challenges of this film come out in the performance of Zachary Levi, a proven comedic force in the industry who seems confused by his character. He seems to struggle with the ethical juxtaposition of his role who has to work with some exceptionally uncomfortable story arches. The character is meant to be a flawed teenager with a heart of gold, but his first choices after getting his powers are to buy beer, go to a strip club and destroy a bully’s truck prove his heart is less than pure. The script tries to make up for these moral weaknesses by introducing a strong family theme, but this comes a bit too late and leaves the lead actor to walk around bewildered for most of the film.
Watching Shazam! is reminiscent of the parental experience of observing the potential of your teenager, but seeing them make misstep after misstep while on the journey to adulthood. A loving parent could see the possibilities for this character are endless, but in the end, Billy proves to be a disappointment.
