The Reel Easy Review

Shazam! - BIG .... on super human steroids! 

 What a bloody wonderful surprise from the DC universe! I really really enjoyed this film and it’s exactly the boost and type of film DC should be making! 

Shazam! is a fantastic coming of age story that has all of the heart that ‘Instant Family’ should have had when dealing with the potentially sensitive subject of foster families and the pursuit of biological parents. Tie that in with the comedic value of being chosen at the age of 15 to be the champion of the world, gain super human powers that also turn you into a muscle glad “at least mid-twenties, maybe thirty” man at the shout of a word, then you’ve got yourself a cracking bit of escapism and an entertaining few hours! 

Not quite as good as Wonder-woman but then again I don’t fancy Zachery Levi quite as much as Gal Gadot but it’s a very encouraging step forward for DC ahead of the Batman reboot.

Mark Strong is always a great bad guy and Zachery and Asher Angel were brilliant separately as Billy Batson and Shazam! My only issue with this paring was they seemed to be playing different characters. Zachery seemed to be playing down much younger than Asher who was playing a more mature 15 with actual adult issues. This I feel should have been addressed more in the rehearsal period for this role as I'm sure someone ( I don't want to point fingers) didn't do their homework.

The stand out performance therefore for me was that of Jack Dylan Grazer who played Freddy, Billy’s new foster brother, turn friend, turn superhero sidekick. Jack was as funny as he was heartbreakingly torn up about his life, and he brought every scene he was in together so well that I can’t wait to see him in more films. 

Overall I would give this film A RATING OF 8/10 and I highly recommend it to all the family with great humour and compelling storyline for all! 

I’ve been Christopher Whitmore, thanks for reading!