The marketing campaign for
Shazam! has definitely been disappointing, and with so much attention being paid to both
Avengers: Endgame and
Joker this week, it honestly feels like Warner Bros. has forgotten they have a new DC Comics adaptation to promote!
Regardless, if you're curious about what to expect from the excellent big screen debut of the Big Red Cheese or are too distracted by other superhero movies to see it this weekend, then you need to check out our breakdown of everything that does - and, sadly, does not - work in
Shazam!.
From some missed opportunities with certain characters to creative decisions that left us baffled and moments which were downright amazing, there's a lot to delve into.
So, to check out this feature in its entirety, simply hit the "View List" button down below.
Didn't Work: Recasting Mary Marvel
The talented Grace Fulton plays Mary Marvel in
Shazam! and at 17, her character is the oldest member of Billy Batson's new foster family. However, when she uses the power of Shazam to transform into a superhero, she's played by 40 year old Michelle Borth.
While she's fine in the role, this feels totally unnecessary and simply does not give Fulton the chance to shine. While the kids becoming adults makes sense, why would Mary - who will be college age when we next see her - become a middle-aged woman?
It's an odd creative choice that doesn't hurt the movie, but definitely disappoints.
Did Work: Zachary Levi Gets The Chance To Shine
After delivering an incredible performance in
Chuck, there was a lot of excitement about Zachary Levi joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe when he was cast as Fandral in
Thor: The Dark World.
Alas, like Idris Elba before (and after) him, he ended up being totally wasted and had only a handful of lines as a member of The Warriors Three. It's easy to see why he decided to make the jump to the world of DC, and his decision pays off in a big way with Shazam!.
It's clear that he was born to play this character, and seeing him reprise the role is an absolute must, so here's hoping people flock to see the movie this weekend and make it a box office success.
Did Work: The DC References
In the build up to the release of
Shazam!, Warner Bros. made a point of reminding us (on a pretty frequent basis) that the movie is set firmly in the DC Extended Universe. The movie makes reference to this by showing real-life toys of characters like Batman, Superman, and...Harley Quinn?!
It was a bit weird and felt forced, so it was hard to escape the feeling that the movie could end up suffering as a result.
After all, we've seen plenty of superhero movies that have been stuffed to the brim with nods to a wider universe, and they've all been pretty bad. Thankfully, the references we get here are not only spaced out perfectly, but also good fun and enough to give us an idea of what it would feel like to live in a world where the Justice League exists.
Didn't Work: Superman's Cameo (Mostly)
Shazam!'s final scene features the Man of Steel making an unexpected appearance in Billy Batson's school to have lunch with Freddy Freeman. It's a cool moment and definitely funny, but the fact we don't see Henry Cavill's face (because he refused to reprise the role here, hence why he's no longer playing Superman on the big screen) hurts this a lot.
Whoever wears the suit is built completely differently to Cavill, and it takes you out of the moment in a big way. If Warner Bros. couldn't get Cavill to make an appearance and his time as the hero is really over, why bother with this? Gal Gadot or Jason Momoa would surely have said yes to a cameo, and at least they have a future in the DCEU moving forward!
Did Work: Dr. Sivana Makes An Impact
Villains almost always tend to be hit and miss in superhero movies, but Mark Strong's Dr. Sivana most definitely doesn't disappoint. The movie kicks off with a flashback which nicely fleshes out the character, and his motivations are both understandable and suitably evil throughout the entire movie.
Strong's performance is also great and it's a pleasant surprise that he survives the final battle with the door is left open for him to return. The actor also has some solid chemistry with Levi.
Didn't Work: The Seven Deadly Sins
Visually, the Seven Deadly Sins are pretty terrifying and a quite unexpected addition to a movie which hasn't been marketed as having any real horror aspects.
Unfortunately, the PG-13 rating means they're never really given the opportunity to fully unleash their monstrous side and in terms of CGI, they look...mostly okay. However, there's one scene, in particular, when they're supposed to be holding the foster kids back that they appear really fake, and the fight scenes they're a part of aren't exactly a highlight.
With plenty of hints that the Sins played a role in Black Adam's origin story, We can only hope that they're either improved upon in that movie or relegated to a very minor cameo.
Did Work: Sequel Set-Up
Warner Bros. didn't spend a huge amount of money on
Shazam! and it shouldn't be that hard for the movie to make a profit. That obviously opens the door to a sequel, and director David F. Sandberg does a great job of setting the stage for a follow-up here.
The mid-credits scene features Mr. Mind and his conversation with Dr. Sivana points to the arrival of the Monster Society of Evil. That more than likely means we're going to see another batch of CGI baddies in the sequel, and while that definitely isn't cause for celebration, the Shazam Family taking on an entire team obviously makes sense from a story point of view.
Of course, most of us would be much happier seeing Shazam go head to head with Black Adam!
Did Work: Asher Angel's Billy Batson
Most of us hadn't seen Asher Angel in anything before
Shazam! but if you had any doubts about his acting abilities heading into this movie, they will quickly be forgotten about when you watch it.
His performance is awesome from start to finish, and the real highlight comes during a scene when he learns that his mother abandoned him before runningon to the rooftop and shouting "Shazam!" to transform into his superpowered alter-ego. Asher takes the character on a journey here, and it's hard to imagine anyone leaving this movie not wanting to see more of him as Billy Batson.
Didn't Work: An Overlong Final Battle
There's an awful lot crammed into the movie's final act, and the battle between the Shazam Family and Dr. Sivana and the Seven Dealy Sins sadly goes on a little too long.
That's not to say it isn't exciting or enjoyable; there are just too many false finishes and, at times, you can't help but hope Shazam hurries up and just does away with the bad guys once and for all, as this battle becomes overlong and dragged out. Ultimately, it would have been better for
Shazam! to spread out the action throughout the movie rather than saving it all for the end.
Did Work: Meagan Good's Darla
The adult actors cast as the Shazam Family don't get a huge amount of screentime, which means we don't really have the opportunity to spend more than a few moments with them.
However, if anyone steals the show, it's Meagan Good as Darla. She does a fantastic job playing an adult version of the chatty youngster and as the youngest member of the superhero team, the actress is massively enjoyable to watch as a little girl who suddenly finds out she's super fast!
Moving forward, it's easy to picture Good becoming the standout member of the Shazam Family.
Continue reading below for a recap of how Shazam! sets up the DCEU's future!
Black Adam
When Billy Batson meets the Wizard for the first time, he learns of a previous champion who used his powers for revenge, unleashed the Seven Deadly Sins, and wiped out entire civilisations. He is, of course, referring to Black Adam.
That's the only reference we get to the villain turned anti-hero here and it as now going to be interesting seeing whether that long-rumoured movie starring Dwayne Johnson will tell an extended version of that origin story over two hours or skip through it and bring Adam into the present day for an eventual clash with Shazam.
Either way, a meeting between these two has to be on the horizon now and providing this movie is as commercially successful as it has been critically, then there's no way Warner Bros. will hold off on this highly anticipated and much-wanted crossover.
The Marvel Family
In
Shazam!'s final act, we're finally introduced to the Marvel Family as Billy's fellow foster kids say the magic word and transform into superheroes as well.
Its a cool moment but the adult versions of Mary, Freddy, Darla, Eugene, and Pedro only get a relatively limited amount of screentime and so the sequel is bound to elaborate on that by delving into what it's like for these youngsters to be superheroes and how they operate as a group. As introductions go, though, this movie handled that well.
However, we definitely need to see more of them in action and given how powerful they are as a group, you can see why the stage has been set for them to battle an entire team of bad guys the next time we see them....
Mr. Mind And The Monster Society Of Evil
We first catch a glimpse of Mr. Mind during the opening sequence at the Rock of Eternity where he's being kept in a jar. Once the Seven Deadly Sins escape, we later see that that's been smashed open and he returns in the mid-credits scene to recruit Dr. Sivana.
Based on what the miniscule villain says, he's planning on forming the Monster Society of Evil and given the history between him and Sivana in the comics, we can expect them to make one neck of a team as they take aim at the Shazam Family.
A two inch talking worm may seem like a comical choice of big bad but his comic book counterpart has conquered world and could make for a formidable new foe to Shazam. Whether this franchise needs more CGI monsters after the mostly underwhelming Sins is obviously up for debate, though.
The DC Multiverse
At one point in the movie, the kids find themselves being pursued through the Rock of Eternity by Dr. Sivana. It's then that they come across a room of door, all of which appear to lead to difference universes.
This is obviously a reference to the wider DC Multiverse and reminiscent of something we saw in DC Rebirth.
While I don't think the follow-up will necessarily delve straight into this complicated aspect of the DCEU, it's interesting to now ponder the possibilities and easy to imagine the types of stories that could be told with access to this. The Rock itself, meanwhile, definitely leaves the door open to more characters and magical artefacts being introduced.
Only Magic Hurts Magic
During Shazam's first clash with Sivana, the villain mentions that human weapons cannot harm the hero and that only magic can hurt one powered by it. While I'm sure a punch from someone like Superman would leave Billy Batson reeling, it seems the intention with this franchise is to delve into the world of magic in a big way.
That's an interesting and extremely exciting decision and hopefully one that will lead to a lot of fan-favourite comic book characters finally getting their due. In fact, it's easy enough to imagine the possible success of
Shazam! leading to
Justice League Dark finally becoming a reality after years of delays.
Mary Marvel's Future
During the course of this adventure, we find a conflicted Mary dealing with the fact she's been offered a spot in a college based in California. She's about to turn 18 when we meet her too so what, if anything, does this mean for her future as a member of the Shazam Family?
As it is, it's a little strange to see an actress who is 40 playing her adult counterpart and it would be even stranger for that continue as she enters her 20s.
So, does this mean Grace Fulton will take over the role? Here's hoping but her college woes will need to be addressed first. It's feasible that the action could move to California if the family chooses to follow her there and it's definitely going to be interesting seeing how this particular ploy point is handled.
Shazam Knows Superman
While the Man of Steel's cameo is very much used for comedic effect, there's obviously one key takeaway here: Shazam has met Superman and they get on well enough that he was able to convince him to come and have lunch at Freddy Freeman's school.
While it seems as if Warner Bros. doesn't have any immediate plans for Superman (especially as Henry Cavill has walked away from the role), Billy Batson having met a member of the
Justice League is bound to be mentioned in the sequel. Ultimately, this may or may not lead to more cameos; it depends on just how standalone the studio wants this franchise to be.
Speaking of which, that post-credits scene may very well leave the door open for another big meeting...
Shazam Vs. Aquaman
Aquaman was the DCEU's first $1 billion hit and the signs are all pointing to
Shazam! finding a great deal of success as well. With that in mind, it doesn't feel like a stretch to think that Warner Bros. could have Billy Batson and Arthur Curry meet, especially after that fun post-credits scene.
In that, Shazam makes fun of Arthur Curry's ability to talk to fish before being put in his place by Freddy.
While this initially feels like a meaningless stinger, there are a number of ways a team-up between these two could be handled and one of the Monster Society of Evil's members could easily have some sort of connection to Atlantis (the Monster Brigade, for example). Honestly, Jason Momoa and Zachary Levi would steal the show together!
Unite The Seven?
As has always been the case in the comics, there are only six members of the Shazam family and that leaves a seventh throne to fill in the Rock of Eternity. The question is, is this a plot point future instalments will delve into?
Black Adam could ultimately take that spot of we see him go through a redemption arc, while Geoff Johns' current Shazam comic book series is exploring the idea of that mantle belonging to a character called King Kid.
The fact that there's an empty throne is never directly mentioned here so there's a possibility that this isn't really a priority for the studio right now. However, the opportunity is there to delve into this if the opportunity presents itself and I can definitely see this tying into Black Adam's movie in some way, shape, or form.
A New Direction For The DCEU
Between this and
Aquaman, it's now clear that the DC Extended Universe is going to be very different to what Zack Snyder had planned. At its heart,
Shazam! feels like a Marvel Studios movie and while that's certainly not a bad thing, it obviously means the studio has realised that superhero movies should be fun and not dark and brooding.
Aquaman embraced this direction and made over $1 billion, so assuming
Shazam! is a success (I'm sure it will be even after a lacklustre marketing campaign), this tone is likely indicative of what comes next and that means Ezra Miller's hopes for a dark
Flash movie written by him and Grant Morrison will probably never come to fruition.