Shazam! (2019) * * *

 

Directed by:  David F. Sandberg

Starring:  Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Mark Strong, Djimon Hounsou, Jack Dylan Grazer, Faithe Herman, Grace Fulton, Cooper Andrews, Marta Milans, Ian Chen

It is a relief to report that Shazam! is more dependent on innocent charm and cheesy appeal than flooding the screen with CGI.    Its story is simple, and must have been easy to pitch at the producers' meetings.    Think Big meets Superhero movie and you have Shazam!    Add to it the awkward likability of Zachary Levi playing a superhero who is still trying to get the hang of being a superhero even during the final showdown with the villains.    Wearing a cape can't be all that comfortable, although if a superhero can fly, he doesn't need one anyway since he can fly without it.

In a quick recap of how teenager Billy Batson (Angel), a foster child who has run away from 23 different foster homes in search of his birth mother, becomes Shazam!, a wizard (Hounsou) passes off his powers of the gods to Billy after a worldwide search.   Years earlier, a youngster named Thad was given the same opportunity, but was not allowed to take possession of these powers of good.    Years later, Thad has become obsessed with finding the fortunate person to whom the wizard bequeathed his powers.    He ventures back into the underworld and takes possession of a glowing ball (which seems to be the object everyone fancies in these movies), and assumes the powers of the seven deadly sins. 

Billy, once he is given these supernatural powers, transforms into a grown man donning a red suit with a bolt of lightning emblazoned on the front.    He quickly enlists his new foster brother Freddy (Grazer) to help him harness his powers, and wouldn't you know it, being able to shoot fireballs from your hands is cool stuff.   But Thad comes calling soon enough, and the battle is on.   Shazam! does fall back into superhero movie cliches including a montage of Shazam! trying out his superpowers on unsuspecting people and objects and the hero and villain clashing by flying into each other.   If this happens once in this movie, it happens ten times.

But, these are minor quibbles.   What makes Shazam! stand out is its humor and heart.    When Billy finally meets his birth mother, the payoff unfolds in unexpected ways.   Through it all, Billy/Shazam! maintains its pluck, and so does the movie, which thankfully doesn't overdo the visuals or heaviness like other superhero films do.    It is appropriately silly, but also knows when it's time to get down to the business of being a superhero movie.