Review of Shazam! (2019) by Wiscojoe — 04 Apr 2019

Shazam! is the rare comic book movie that will appeal to everyone, from families, to neckbeards, to cinephiles. It wildly succeeds in what it sets out to do because it understands that there is nothing childish about childhood or children's entertainment.

Irregardless of the invulnerability of its title character or the power fantasy inherent in the superhero genre, the film embraces a disarming vulnerability and emotional intelligence. The movie never forgets that while childhood is full of wonder, humor and escapism, it is also full of fear, loneliness, and struggle.

Where other recent comic book movies are built behind a smug aura of "cool face," cheap sentimentality, or winking humor, Shazam! earns its attitude and big laughs by leaning in to the humanity, complex emotions, and social longing inherent in comic book mythology.

The film is decidedly on a smaller scale that what we've come to expect in the genre, both in times of budget, star power, and 'end of the world' dramatics, but rather than diminishing the impact of the film, it heightens the very real and emotionally powerful stakes of family and friendship.