Dec 06, 2019
The funny thing with Shamaz is it almost feels like half of it is an indie film about an orphan boy finding a family and the other half is this wacky superhero movie. The other funny this is, it kind of works! Kind of. Both parts I actually really like. I didn't think I'd like all the other orphan kids, his new family, but I really enjoyed their stories. The superhero comedy stuff all works too. Zachary Levi is absolutely fantastic as an adult superhero with a child's mind, and he's just damn funny. The villain is a bit standard, but still enjoyable enough, and the movie is just a great time. Where it doesn't quite work for me, and really my only nitpick, is the blending of the two elements. I don't quite buy Shazam and Billy Batson as the same character. Billy is this brooding sad character, and Shazam is fun and wacky. I guess it's supposed to be something like with Spider-Man where when he's in the suit, he lets loose and feels more free to get all his quips going, but with Spider-Man that works better because the character is still played by Tom Holland. With this, it's two different actors, and it really does feel like two different characters. Yeah Zachary Levi feels like a kid, but just not this kid. Other than that though, Shazam really is a ton of fun.