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Shazam - Movie Review

Shazam vs Captain Marvel

My cousin had a hard time understanding why Captain Marvel was a female in the recent Marvel movie when that was the original name for Shazam. It was difficult to explain that while Shazam initially used to be called Captain Marvel when we grew up, Marvel actually trademarked the name preventing DC from using the name. This made for an interesting point throughout the Shazam movie as characters searched for a name to call our new hero.

Movie Review

I admit that I was not looking forward to seeing this movie. I felt DC was going to make it into what I called a "dumb" comedy. I was not a fan of Zachary Levi playing the hero Shazam. The trailers made the body suit seem ridiculous on him. I understand finding someone with the body of Dwayne Johnson who could accurately portray a 14 year old in a superhero body might be difficult. Wait, Dwayne Johnson could do it but I guess he will be playing Black Adam in a later movie.

Don't get me wrong, Zachary was very good at portraying a 14 year old in a superhero body. From the trailers, I thought the body suit was too much. Fortunately, I was wrong. The suit was not as bad as I initially thought and I began to noticed the oversized muscles less and less as the movie progressed. Asher Angel was an excellent choice for Billy Batson. I thought many of the cast where excellent choices for the film. I was surprised to see John Glover in the film bringing him back to the world of DC since his previous role as Lionel Luther in the Smallville TV series. 

DC seams to have heard the masses and realized superhero movies should not be as dark and realistic as the Dark Knight movies. Shazam almost went too far the other direction but they kept it where it needed to be for a 14 year old who suddenly finds himself with superhero powers. It also helped that the movie had a good story and allowed us to actually care for the characters.

I left the movie pleasantly surprised at how good the movie was. In my opinion, Shazam is one of the top four recent DC movies. Wonder Woman and Aquaman are definitely the top two. I also liked Man of Steel but would have liked it better if they would have invested into a steady camera for most of the film. If you don't see this movie in the theaters, I highly recommend you rent or buy it.

Spoilers?

There are several references to the current DC heroes in the movie. Batman, Superman, and Aquaman are mentioned during the film. There are two post credit scenes that you will not want to miss. Those familiar with Shazam's family will be in for a treat and I will leave it at that.

Rating

I would give this movie an HD digital purchase rating.  I would go up to $10 for purchasing the movie.  I picked up my HD copy from UltraCloudHD for $8.

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