SHAZAM! Tries To Protect His Secret Identity In This Hilarious New Clip From The DC Comics Movie

SHAZAM! Tries To Protect His Secret Identity In This Hilarious New Clip From The DC Comics Movie

A new clip has been released from Shazam! and this one puts the spotlight on Billy Batson after he returns home in his superhero form and attempts to hide his secret identity from his fellow foster kids.

By JoshWilding - Mar 22, 2019 09:03 AM EST
Filed Under: Shazam
Shazam! is the next big superhero movie of 2018 and with so much positivity in those early reactions, it's easy enough to imagine it being a box office hit when it arrives in theaters on April 5th (even if it doesn't ultimately reach the same heights as Aquaman). 

Now, another clip from the DC Comics adaptation has been released and this one is totally different to everything else we've seen from the movie, as Billy Batson arrives home and attempts to stop Darla from blurting out his secret. We also get to see the hero learn that he can transform back into his regular self by saying the magic word: "Shazam!" 

It's a lot of fun and definitely nice to see something new, especially after the second trailer used a lot of familiar scenes from TV spots.

Still, you can't fault Warner Bros. for not showing off too much from this one, even though it probably wouldn't hurt to do so as they really should be doing as much as possible to get butts in seats for a movie starring a relatively obscure character.

Check out this clip below and then let us know your thoughts in the comments section.


Hit the "View List" button below for a recap of
everything we learned from those first reactions!

It's A Horror Movie Too



Like James Wan before him, Shazam! director David F. Sandberg made a name for himself in the world of horror so it's no great surprise that he's bringing elements of that to this movie. While no specifics are provided, it's said that it's "legitimately" and "incredibly" scary "in the ways we wanted Venom to be."

This is more than likely a reference to the Seven Deadly Sins, the monstrous villains
Dr. Sivana will enlist to try and steal Shazam's powers. With any luck, these horror elements will be teased in future TV spots or trailers as there's no sign of them as of yet. 
 

Zachary Levi Is The Perfect Shazam



The prevailing opinion among critics is that Zachary Levi steals the show as Shazam and that has to feel like vindication for the actor after he was wasted by Marvel Studios across two Thor movies. 

It sounds like the actor is having a lot of fun here and some have even said that this is "the role Zachary Levi was born to play." That's high praise indeed and it's good to know that the former Chuck star nails it, especially as some fans have taken aim at him for being too goofy or not bulked up enough. 

 

Another Win For The DCEU



While Aquaman wasn't quite everyone's cup of tea, it was still a box office success and received mostly positive reviews (moviegoers, meanwhile, seemed to love it). Now, it sounds like Shazam! is another win for the studio and while we don't know whether that will be the case in terms of box office earnings, positive reviews will obviously go a long way in helping with that.

Critics have been hard on the
DCEU in the past so it's a genuine surprise to see so many of them heaping this much praise on the movie and declaring it a win that will keep this shared world's momentum going after Aquaman, as noted, ended up being such a huge hit.
 

Brace Yourselves For Batman And Superman (References)



It goes without saying that the critics haven't dropped any spoilers but it sounds like Shazam! is full of references to the wider DC Universe. Apparently, Batman and Superman are talked about an awful lot (which is no great surprise after watching the trailers) but one critic notes that there are some "Amazing deep cut DC references in there too."

Considering the fact that this is the first DC movie to address magic in a meaningful way, we can more than likely expect at least some nods to the world of the Justice League Dark.

 

There's A Post-Credits Scene



As of right now, it's unclear whether or not there are one or two post-credits scenes but one critic points out that we should "Stay all the way to the end credits" which really isn't a surprise given how popular they are among superhero movies these days. 

Still, it's hard not to wonder what this scene (or scenes) might include. Will Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson make an appearance as Black Adam or could that long rumoured Superman cameo finally become a reality? If it's the latter, there's a very good chance his face won't be seen given what's happening with Henry Cavill but his status as the Man of Steel could be cleared up next month. 

 

Jack Dylan Graze Steals The Show



You'll no doubt remember Jack Dylan Graze from IT but it sounds like the youngster's performance is even more impressive here. 

"The scene stealer of Shazam is Jack Dylan Grazer who is perfect as Freddy," claims one critic. "Smart, hilarious, vulnerable & with plenty of
attitude, he’s the second half of the heart of the film." Asher Angel (who plays Billy Batson) gets some mentions too but it seems as if Freddy Freeman could end up being the breakout character during the course of this adventure. 

Ultimately, though, it sounds like Levi is the real scene stealer from start to finish. 

 

It's Funny



It's no great surprise that Shazam! is a comedic movie because that's exactly what the trailers have promoted it as. However, what's definitely a relief to learn is that it's actually funny! 

Described as a "laugh-out-loud funny romp," one critic even claimed that the audience was laughing so loudly, they missed some of the dialogue! If Shazam! ends up being a crowd pleaser, that's going to help its chances of box office success, especially when Avengers: Endgame follows so soon after. 

 

Comparisons To Christopher Reeve's Superman



The DC Universe has had a pretty hard time of it on the big screen and in recent years, it's become clear that moviegoers don't want dark and violent superhero movies. 

Shazam!, however, clearly moves away from that as it's been called the "most joyful [and] sweet movie since the era of Christopher Reeve’s Superman," while it seems as if Sandberg has been heavily influenced by those movies because Benjamin Wallfisch's score is being compared to what John Williams did for the Man of Steel with that still iconic theme tune. 

 

Comparisons To Deadpool



Another massively unexpected comparison comes in the form of Shazam! reportedly having some similarities to...Deadpool?! 

While it's not as meta as that (or R-Rated), "It's Deadpool with heart" and does something equally as unexpected with the genre, at least for Warner Bros. and its DC Extended Universe. Based on this, we can probably expect further changes to be made to the
DCEU depending on how moviegoers respond to this seemingly very different approach. 
 

Reviews Are Coming "Soon"



The overwhelmingly positive reactions are out there and Warner Bros. must be feeling extremely pleased with themselves and the decision to screen the movie unexpectedly early. 

Now, with one critic promising to share their review "soon," we can expect the review embargo to lift sooner rather than later and probably a good couple of weeks before Shazam! arrives in
theaters. It will be interesting seeing what those lengthier verdicts say, especially as reactions like these tend to be unreliable or overly kind. However, expect plenty of 4*/5* reviews by the looks of it!
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HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 3/22/2019, 9:07 AM
Of the three clips released so far, this was the best one, noice!
bropous
bropous - 3/22/2019, 11:17 AM
@HeavyMetal4Life - It is just going to be SO fun!!!!
HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 3/22/2019, 11:21 AM
@bropous -
Fogs
Fogs - 3/22/2019, 11:44 AM
@HeavyMetal4Life - I love how, after Snyder, it seems like WB is injecting LIFE into DC movies.
HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 3/22/2019, 11:46 AM
@Fogs - they pretty much are, and its funny how all these DC fanatics that defended Snyder like crazy are somehow totally on board with this new approach.

But yeah, Aquaman was such a creative and tonal reboot for the DCEU, guess they finally realized they should make movies that much of the audience can enjoy.
Fogs
Fogs - 3/22/2019, 11:49 AM
@HeavyMetal4Life - I'm just glad they're moving away from the "dark and gritty" bullshit.

Batman is dark and gritty. That's all.
Fogs
Fogs - 3/22/2019, 11:51 AM
Plus to me it's pretty clear Snyder thought he should follow Watchmen and he would do fine. Didn't understand where he was getting into.
HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 3/22/2019, 12:01 PM
@Fogs - exactly. Dark and gritty only applies if the character itself is intrinsically dark and gritty. You don't take the symbol of hope and fill him with despair, self-doubt, and surround him with darkness.

I think Snyder has a giant ego who is pretty full of himself (which is pretty obvious listening to the guy). Not only did he think he could take the Watchmen formula and apply that to other DC heroes and be successful, he also seemed to think that he knew these characters better than anyone else alive, and that whatever he was doing with them would be great because, well it was him behind the camera.

At the end of the day, he failed to understand these characters on a fundamental level, and he felt that the rest of the world would enjoy his dark twisted fantasy versions of these characters as much as him. From casting to aesthetic to character actions to writing to portrayal, everything about his films indicates he was making his own fan fiction, of what he himself wanted to see. That's part of the reason why he failed.
Fogs
Fogs - 3/22/2019, 12:52 PM
@HeavyMetal4Life - Then you suddenly have Aquaman.

So good.
HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 3/22/2019, 1:00 PM
@Fogs - haha exactly! Aquaman was almost night and day from Snyder's universe, felt like the beginning of something new. Imo, the best film in the DCEU.
WilliamHMacy
WilliamHMacy - 3/22/2019, 5:08 PM
@HeavyMetal4Life - This movie is gonna rock.
HeavyMetal4Life
HeavyMetal4Life - 3/22/2019, 5:10 PM
@WilliamHMacy - looks like it will!
Pierce
Pierce - 3/23/2019, 5:44 AM
@HeavyMetal4Life - there are plenty of dark and gritty justice league stories. the best comic runs are the impactful life threatening mature toned story lines. look at just about everything with the word crisis in it. Justice league and BVS were bad because he followed the fox x men formula and gave each character whatever personality traits he wanted. the tone can be dark AND superman can still be hopeful. Id prefer darkseid create a setting of despair and be lead out by supermans indomitable will hope in the face of it. Dark and gritty could have worked great, if the writing was any good. He wastes Lex Luthor, an underdeveloped doomsday, kills superman, has batman/punisher become irrationally crazed over superman, gives straight laced boy scout barry allen autism, bruce talks openly with everyone he batman, and i don't remember anything cyborg did. Mamoa as aquabro was annoying but aqua man was an entertaining movie (i don't require everything to be dark) and out of all the villains he can choose, he picks one that i can't even remember his name without googling it. overall, awful writing and character decision making doomed these movies. sorry for the rant. i just prefer a mature and intelligent tone without dumbing characters down for laughs (Thor)
AnthonyVonGeek
AnthonyVonGeek - 3/22/2019, 9:09 AM
Can’t wait!!!!
WakandanQueen
WakandanQueen - 3/22/2019, 9:11 AM
This looks like one of these films almost no one will dislike. I legit expect it to get a perfect, 100% approval by critics, for at least the first couple of days after its review embargo lifts (tomorrow).
Gizmoduck
Gizmoduck - 3/22/2019, 9:15 AM
@WakandanQueen - youre cute, critics will slam DC films no matter what. If its dark, its not comic book enough, if its light then its too comic booky. This has been looking great, and im super excited to see it, but i have no doubts critics will roast this calling it a marvel copy OR they will say its not realistic enough....when its a CBM. Lots of them SLAMMED Aquaman, when Aquaman was actually really good, same thing with WW.
Kyos
Kyos - 3/22/2019, 9:17 AM
@Gizmoduck - I mean, Wonder Woman had pretty amazing reviews and kind of destroyed this tired narrative for good, but sure, conspiracy-complain away.
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