Shazam! (C- or 1.5/4 stars)
'Shazam!' (directed by David F. Sandberg), a DC Comics-based superhero comedy, gets off to a slow, convoluted start. The 1st 35 min. provides an origin story for our villain, Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong, as an adult), who has some major daddy issues; and introduces us to our protagonist, Billy Baston (Asher Angel), a 14 yr. old foster kid who was abandoned as a little boy by the mom he never stops looking for, and gets a last-chance placement with a large (and diverse) foster family. One day at school, Billy protects his new foster brother, Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), who has a physical disability, from bullies and ends up in the secret lair of a powerful-but-elderly wizard named Shazam (good 'ole Djimon Hounsou).
Suddenly, said wizard bestows Billy his 6 mystical powers; including the ability to transform into an adult superhero (now buff, brawny, but goofy Zachary Levi) by saying the word "Shazam!" In his new very grown-up body, Billy tells Freddy what happened, & they start testing out Shazam's superpowers {shown prominently in the trailers and a highlight of the film, overall}. Shazam saves some folks & poses for pictures with adoring fans. But matters get serious once he runs into now-evil Thaddeus Sivana, the man who, as a child, had a run-in with the old wizard, as well. Thaddeus seeks to destroy Billy in order to fully unleash monsters known as the Seven Deadly Sins on the world. Now I ask you, doesn't that all sound ridiculous?
I don't know what happened, here. This film has a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes and received an A CinemaScore from audiences ... and I just don't get it. I found it boring, silly, & containing stock dialogue. Attempts at humor fell flat most of the time. Most critics/viewers seem to find it lighthearted & charming {especially for a DC Universe film; the kind known for their drudgery & darkness} -- I say, meh. I appreciate that the film offers a rare look at a foster family consisting of loving parents & a diverse house full of kids. That said, I couldn't have cared less about the family dynamics because the script gives them so little to do; any warm fuzzies felt unearned & unconvincing. I also appreciate the positive messages (family unity, teamwork, yada yada} ... but even that wasn't a home run.
Asher Angel makes for a fairly non-descript Billy. Zachary Levi annoyed me more times than not. And these two actors barely register as the same character! Angel comes across as timid & introverted while Levi is gregarious to a fault. So the notion that these two play the same person separated by 20 yrs. is bogus. As for the other child actors, only Jack Dylan Grazer impressed me as geeky Freddy -- that kid has the stuff in him to be a star. At least HIS adult counterpart, played by Adam Brody, rang true. Mark Strong's Thaddeus Sivana is all power-hungry rage & no pathos. This is not his finest hour and, the role, itself, disappoints. Another thing that disappoints is the 7 cloudy smoke monsters who show up every now & then to wreak havoc.
A movie like 'Shazam!' lives & dies on its humor and, it just doesn't cut it, here. It tries hard to be funny, but I only chuckled a few times and, most of the jokes land flat {with several second breaks left for audience laughter which never even occurred - how embarrassing}. The script relies on too many one-liners & not enough actual comedy which stems from Billy's personality inhabiting a grown body. And of course, there's a climactic 'battle' high in the sky; the type we've seen 100 times before. You know, 'Shazam!' is not reprehensible. But it's a too-long, visually-bland {sets that look like they came from a TV adventure show}, underwhelming superhero story that thinks it can skate by on buoyant geniality & juvenile humor -- it didn't for me.
Suddenly, said wizard bestows Billy his 6 mystical powers; including the ability to transform into an adult superhero (now buff, brawny, but goofy Zachary Levi) by saying the word "Shazam!" In his new very grown-up body, Billy tells Freddy what happened, & they start testing out Shazam's superpowers {shown prominently in the trailers and a highlight of the film, overall}. Shazam saves some folks & poses for pictures with adoring fans. But matters get serious once he runs into now-evil Thaddeus Sivana, the man who, as a child, had a run-in with the old wizard, as well. Thaddeus seeks to destroy Billy in order to fully unleash monsters known as the Seven Deadly Sins on the world. Now I ask you, doesn't that all sound ridiculous?
I don't know what happened, here. This film has a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes and received an A CinemaScore from audiences ... and I just don't get it. I found it boring, silly, & containing stock dialogue. Attempts at humor fell flat most of the time. Most critics/viewers seem to find it lighthearted & charming {especially for a DC Universe film; the kind known for their drudgery & darkness} -- I say, meh. I appreciate that the film offers a rare look at a foster family consisting of loving parents & a diverse house full of kids. That said, I couldn't have cared less about the family dynamics because the script gives them so little to do; any warm fuzzies felt unearned & unconvincing. I also appreciate the positive messages (family unity, teamwork, yada yada} ... but even that wasn't a home run.
Asher Angel makes for a fairly non-descript Billy. Zachary Levi annoyed me more times than not. And these two actors barely register as the same character! Angel comes across as timid & introverted while Levi is gregarious to a fault. So the notion that these two play the same person separated by 20 yrs. is bogus. As for the other child actors, only Jack Dylan Grazer impressed me as geeky Freddy -- that kid has the stuff in him to be a star. At least HIS adult counterpart, played by Adam Brody, rang true. Mark Strong's Thaddeus Sivana is all power-hungry rage & no pathos. This is not his finest hour and, the role, itself, disappoints. Another thing that disappoints is the 7 cloudy smoke monsters who show up every now & then to wreak havoc.
A movie like 'Shazam!' lives & dies on its humor and, it just doesn't cut it, here. It tries hard to be funny, but I only chuckled a few times and, most of the jokes land flat {with several second breaks left for audience laughter which never even occurred - how embarrassing}. The script relies on too many one-liners & not enough actual comedy which stems from Billy's personality inhabiting a grown body. And of course, there's a climactic 'battle' high in the sky; the type we've seen 100 times before. You know, 'Shazam!' is not reprehensible. But it's a too-long, visually-bland {sets that look like they came from a TV adventure show}, underwhelming superhero story that thinks it can skate by on buoyant geniality & juvenile humor -- it didn't for me.