Shazam!

[JasonEvans]

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Thanks for those of you who did click. For those who want to read...

I am guessing that DC decided they needed to course correct after making nothing but dour, dreary, depressing movies about how much it sucks to be a superhero. So, they made Aquaman and Shazam. And while it is more fun to laugh than scowl, there is something to be said for treating your story with some seriousness.



There are two ways to evaluate a film. The first is whether or not it’s enjoyable and people will have a good time watching it. In that regard Shazam is a success. But enjoyable and quality are not the same thing. It is fair to ask whether a film succeeds on more than just a "hey let’s have a good time" level. In that regard this film does not. There's nothing substantial, no lessons learned, nothing thoughtful, no heft to it. Which is fine but means it will probably slip from our memory fairly quickly. A friend asked me if the film was more than "Big with superpowers." It certainly isn't because Big is lasting and meaningful and had some real messages about growing up and responsibility and how we look at the world. There is nothing anywhere close to that here.

My biggest problem was the juxtaposition of humor and drama or peril. There is so much wisecracking and childish joking that the film loses any sense of reality. I'm not saying humor is a bad thing-- I love the way Marvel uses humor -- but there comes a time where the story needs to be taken seriously. A good example is a film like Ant-man, which has a ton of humor in it, but when there is actual peril happening. When the fighting is going on in Ant-man, they don’t crack jokes because they are in a serious situation. The movie still gives us some lighter moments, like when Ant-man is fighting the Yellowjacket and the Thomas Train runs into the miniaturized villain and it looks like it’s going to cause a lot of damage but then it just harmlessly falls off the tracks because it’s just a toy train. That was a funny moment but it wasn’t the characters treating their situation in a joking fashion. Shazam consistently has characters joking and laughing while in very serious situations. The tone is just all wrong and it prevents the audience from caring about the gravity of the situation.


I also found most of the characters to be unbelievable. There were tons of stereotypes and very little nuance to any of them. Again, to hearken to Marvel movies, we tend to get villains and heroes who are shades of grey or have some redeeming traits... there's a reason to care about them and believe in what they believe in or at least understand why they believe in it. The characters here are a paper thin as a comic book, especially the evil villain.

That said, I am glad DC is going in this direction. I am happier laughing and rolling my eyes a bit at the silliness than I am with a plot that makes no sense in the dark, disturbing universe of Zach Snyder. I laughed a lot in this film and I had a pleasant time watching it. I didn't have to use my brain too much and I was never bored. On a 1-to-10 scale, it is a solid 6 and is better than pretty much anything DC has done in a decade other than Wonder Woman... but it pales in comparison to all but the very bottom of the Marvel universe.

-Jason "to those of you who clicked on the podcast link... my pod partner, Josh, disagreed with many of my comments so I hope you got another perspective on the flick" Evans

[Wander]

I just don't trust the DC movies anymore. At this point, they will have to have Black Panther level word-of-mouth-hype for me to go see them.

[aimo]

I take it this is nothing like the Saturday morning show of the 70s. With the old guy Mentor driving the Winnebago.

[JasonEvans]

The director of the film is now doing interviews where he says this is a kids film. I call bullpatooty on that. If they really were making this as a kids flick, there is no way they would include a scene where the 7 deadly sins quite literally come to life as scary demons and bite the head off of some innocent folks. That scene and "kids movie" do not connect.

That said, most critics seem to enjoy watching it (as I did, even if I found it lightweight and silly) and the reviews are largely pretty positive.

-Jason "interested in hearing what ya'll think of it when you see it this weekend... probably a great movie to take an 11-13 year old son/grandson to see" Evans

[Kdogg]

The director of the film is now doing interviews where he says this is a kids film. I call bullpatooty on that. If they really were making this as a kids flick, there is no way they would include a scene where the 7 deadly sins quite literally come to life as scary demons and bite the head off of some innocent folks. That scene and "kids movie" do not connect.

Maybe in the sense that Lucas says Star Wars is meant for kids?

[Acymetric]

The director of the film is now doing interviews where he says this is a kids film. I call bullpatooty on that. If they really were making this as a kids flick, there is no way they would include a scene where the 7 deadly sins quite literally come to life as scary demons and bite the head off of some innocent folks. That scene and "kids movie" do not connect.

That said, most critics seem to enjoy watching it (as I did, even if I found it lightweight and silly) and the reviews are largely pretty positive.

-Jason "interested in hearing what ya'll think of it when you see it this weekend... probably a great movie to take an 11-13 year old son/grandson to see" Evans

Maybe in the sense that Lucas says Star Wars is meant for kids?

This sort of depends on what you mean as a kids movie I guess. I suppose in standard movie-talk "kids" refers to a younger age group which is why Jason is taking issue, but as an outsider (who isn't that old I swear!) I don't have much problem calling a movie targeting 11-13 year olds a "kids" movie.

[camion]

This sort of depends on what you mean as a kids movie I guess. I suppose in standard movie-talk "kids" refers to a younger age group which is why Jason is taking issue, but as an outsider (who isn't that old I swear!) I don't have much problem calling a movie targeting 11-13 year olds a "kids" movie.

Shoot. From my vantage point anyone under 40 is a kid.






And Stay Off My Lawn dagnabbit!!

[Nick]

My wife and I made it out to an actual movie theater for the first time in a while last night and we both really enjoyed this one. It was just fun--kind of an 80s movie vibe without being self-conscious about it.

[-jk]

My wife and I made it out to an actual movie theater for the first time in a while last night and we both really enjoyed this one. It was just fun--kind of an 80s movie vibe without being self-conscious about it.

Got to thinking: Gomer Pyle - if "Shazam!" worked for him.

Boy would Sarge get it!

-jk

[killerleft]

Got to thinking: Gomer Pyle - if "Shazam!" worked for him.

Boy would Sarge get it!

-jk

Didn't need it. Welsh rarebit did the trick!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euna5583WGM