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Andy R (6 KP) rated Shazam! (2019) in Movies

Oct 17, 2019  
Shazam! (2019)
Shazam! (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
Funny, I mean very funny the total premise of the film is amusing and it plays on it alot (2 more)
Story is quite good and characters go on quite an arc
Supporting characters are excellent and are probably what keeps the film going and make it enjoyable
Probably plays on the honour a bit too much which makes the action take a back seat. (1 more)
Film takes quite a while to get going
Good but not brilliant
In the past comic book movies could be deemed as being to serious(batman) but this has changed recently with films like deaspool. Shazam going down this approach with this film being basically a comedy the action takes a back seat. To me the film relays too much on the houmor but the supporting cast and good story make the film quite enjoyable although it does take a little while to get going
  
Blue beetle (2023)
Blue beetle (2023)
2023 | Action, Adventure
6
7.5 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
I'm not sure whether this is officially considered to be one of the last movies in the DC EU (DC Extended Universe) or one of the first in the new DCU (DC Universe) but, regardless, it's about a Superhero that I have never really heard of before and know nothing about.

Like, I suspect, most people.

Anyway, it stars that Mexican kid from Cobra Kai as Jaime Reyes who finds himself in possession of a relic of alien technology, that attempts to form a symbiosis with him and bestows powers upon him (in a world which already includes the DC Holy Trinity of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman).

What happens, them, comes across as a mix of Spider-Man and Iron Man (especially), with a hint of Venom, Shazam and Batman also all thrown in for good measure!

In short: been there, seen that, got the t-shirt ...
  
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
2020 | Adventure, Fantasy
Contains spoilers, click to show
As I write this in early 2021, 'Wonder Woman' is considered to be the best of the DC Extended Universe movies (closely followed by 'Shazam!' and 'Aquaman')

Wonder Woman 1984, in contract, is currently ranked as the worst on IMDB.

While it's definitely not a patch on the original, I'm not sure it's all that bad: sure, it is hard to get past the seeming lack of concern Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman has for (mild spoiler alert!) the body/soul/whatever of the man the returning Steve Trevor has (think Quantum Leap style) while it definitely follows into the old 'Superhero loses/gives up their powers' trope a la Superman 2 or Spider-Man 2, and I still don't understand how a World War One pilot can climb into the cockpit of a jet and fly it with nary a problem ...

Having said that, set your expectations accordingly (Superman 3 level, maybe), and it's an enjoyable enough
  
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David McK (3194 KP) rated Shazam! (2019) in Movies

Apr 17, 2019 (Updated Nov 20, 2022)  
Shazam! (2019)
Shazam! (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
Zachary Levi (0 more)
None of the rest of the Chuck TV series cast (0 more)
One of the better entries (at the time of reviewing) in DCs attempt at a shared universe, although (if I'm honest) I barely realised that it was part of that universe at all: yes, there's a couple of mentions of Superman and Batman et al, but they could easily be viewed similarly to how we talk about them.
I was also quite surprised by how dark/scary parts of this were for a child-friendly film, with it really only lightening up once the 14 year old Billy Batson gets his powers and transforms into Zachary Levis's adult superhero (but still with his child's mind).

With a subplot concerning family - one strand of which could probably have been handled better - and Levi knocking it out of the park (I'll admit, the TV series Chuck in which he starred is one of my favourites) as Shazam, this is one of the better entries in DC growing catalogue of movies.
  
Shazam! (2019)
Shazam! (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
Growing up I was a regular viewer of the Shazam and Isis “Super Power Hour” on television. Back before the days of mega-budgeted Super Hero movies; we had to content ourselves with cartoons and low budget television offerings which did their best to capture the look and action of comic characters within the budget and technology limits they had to deal with.

Warner Bros. has brought their latest DC hero to the big screen with “Shazam!” and it looks to launch a new franchise for the studio and build on the success of “Wonder Woman” and “Aquaman” following some earlier disappointments with their planned hero franchise films.

The film follows the story of young Billy Batson (Asher Angel), who has grown up in and fled several Foster Homes after being lost at a Carnival years earlier and unable to find his mother. Billy has never stopped trying to find her and even takes extreme measures to try to find her that has gotten him in trouble with the law.

While trying to stick up for a family member at his latest Foster Home; Billy is forced to flee from some local goons and finds himself facing an ancient Wizard (Djimon Honsou; who tells him he will now have superior powers when he speaks his name as he is now a guardian against the forces of evil.

Billy does not believe this but upon uttering the name; he transforms into a powerful hero in adult form. Zach Levi plays the title hero and soon finds himself eager to test his new powers and his Super Hero obsessed Foster Brother is more than happy to mentor him and make all sorts of viral videos of his efforts and training.

Their efforts soon draw the attention of an evil individual (Mark Strong), who covets the power Billy has for himself as along with the Seven Deadly Sins; he looks to become an unstoppable force for evil and sets out to destroy all that stands in his way.

The film is aimed more for a younger audience as much of the humor is squarely focused on Middle School level jokes. There are more than a few references to “Big” along the way which does sum up a good portion of the backstory as when he is in hero form; the young boy without a family is a popular and dynamic adult.

In many ways this was one of the more odd aspects of the film. Billy is a dour and untrusting individual most of the time; however when he is hero form he is a jovial and goofy individual who acts like a teenager. I could see an increase in confidence but it is odd considering that they are the same person.

Levi is very energetic in the part and goes all in and he does a great job of conveying a kid in a man’s body. The biggest issue with the film is that there is mostly a lot of humor aimed at a much younger audience and large gaps with minimal action which made sitting through numerous childish antics a bit tedious at times.

Despite this; the film was entertaining and one of the better adaptions of a comic. The door is wide open for future adventures and I look forward to seeing what they come up with next.

http://sknr.net/2019/03/23/shazam/
  
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Lenard (726 KP) rated Shazam! (2019) in Movies

May 8, 2019 (Updated Jun 15, 2019)  
Shazam! (2019)
Shazam! (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
Did you ever dream of becoming a superhero? Thaddeus Sivana does. Bullied by his father and older brother because they think he is weak, Thaddeus dreams of becoming the most powerful being in the world. However, Wizard, the last remaining guardian of the secrets of the universe, doesn't think he is pure of heart and worthy of being a superhero. Thaddeus decides to become a supervillain and waits for a champion of the downtrodden, Captain Marvel (I refuse to call him Shazam since he IS Captain Marvel unlike Carol Danvers who got a promotion to Captain after being Ms Marvel for decades). A couple decades later, Billy Batson who was abandoned by his mother at a state fair spends his day researching and looking for the woman who abandoned him while running away from various foster homes. That is, until he is placed in a foster home full of damaged children. He learns the value of family while learning how to be a hero. I watched the TV series every Saturday growing up and while the movie is good, the show remains a pivotal time in my life.
  
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Sarah (7798 KP) rated Shazam! (2019) in Movies

Mar 22, 2020  
Shazam! (2019)
Shazam! (2019)
2019 | Action, Sci-Fi
Could've been better
Shazam has been on my box to watch for quite some time, and after finally being persuaded to watch it I have to say I'l was a little unimpressed.

This is a very child orientated and almost childish film, which for me was a surprise considering it's set in the DC universe. Understandable to a point as the main character is a 14 year old child, but some of the silly childish jokes and the very super cheesy family friendly final act made me cringe. There were some decent laughs and these mainly came from Zachary Levi acting like a teenager. Levi shines in this film and if it wasn't for him this film would've been pretty dire. Even the usually reliable Mark Strong was wasted in this, and his villain wasn't particularly evil - although the effects used for the seven deadly sins were quite impressive.

Overall this was a rather underwhelming film that dragged on for a little too long. Whilst I didnt hate it as it did at least raise a few laughs, it's not a film I'd rush to watch again.
  
Black Adam (2022)
Black Adam (2022)
2022 | Action, Adventure
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson did a lot of cheerleading for this movie.

Like, a lot.

I was still completely unaware, however, that it would include Pierce Brosnan's Dr Fate nor Hawkman not Atom Smasher nor Cyclone (all of which, for me, were the first time I had seen any of them on the big screen).

It also fits into the - current - DCEU - with Black Adam getting his powers from the same council of Wizards as Shazam (and using the same word), alongside cameos by Viola Davis' version of Amanda Waller and - in possibly the worst kept secret - a certain superhero during the end credits (the actor for who was told he would be returning to that role, then told not).

Anyway, this sees The Rock's Black Adam released from his tomb 5 centuries after being imprisoned within it, to modern-day Kahndaq which is now occupied by foreign invaders with some very advanced weaponry. The plot is then your usual run-of-the-mill softening of Adam's hard edges, teaming up with his supposed enemies to fight his real enemies, lots of destruction and a few general quips thrown in ...

The result? Somewhat messy; not as good (or surreal) as, say, Aquaman or Wonder Woman. Maybe a B+.