Shazam!
Shazam!
A newly fostered young boy in search of his mother instead finds unexpected super powers and soon gains a powerful enemy.
Manuel Frangis reviewedMarch 26, 2025
I just watched Shazam! and I give it 3 out of 5 stars. It is a fun superhero movie with a lot of heart, some solid laughs, and a different vibe than most other DC films. It tries to mix comedy, family drama, and action all in one package, and while it has some really good moments, it did not fully land for me the way I hoped it would.
The story follows Billy Batson, a teenage kid who is suddenly chosen to become a superhero whenever he shouts the word “Shazam”. Once he transforms, he becomes an adult superhero with all sorts of powers, but on the inside, he is still just a fourteen-year-old kid. That setup is one of the best parts of the movie. It feels like a superhero version of Big and leans into that idea hard.
Zachary Levi is great as Shazam. He brings a lot of energy and really sells the idea that he is just a kid in an adult body. He is goofy, excited, immature, and trying to figure it all out. His chemistry with Jack Dylan Grazer, who plays Freddy Freeman, is solid and they carry most of the fun parts of the movie. Their friendship is believable and the scenes of them testing out Shazam’s powers are easily some of the highlights.
The movie has a lot of humor, and most of it works. There are plenty of jokes about superhero clichés, awkward teenage behavior, and the idea of suddenly being super powerful with no clue what you are doing. It does not take itself too seriously, and that makes it feel refreshing compared to some of the darker DC movies.
But for me, the movie started to lose steam in the second half. The villain, played by Mark Strong, is just kind of okay. He is not terrible, but he feels very one note. His backstory is explained early on, and from there he is just kind of there to be the bad guy. His scenes are way more serious than everything else, and that tone shift feels a little off.
The pacing also feels uneven. The first half is funny and light, but then it jumps into darker territory with creepy monsters and dramatic family moments that do not always feel like they belong in the same movie. It tries to balance so many different tones at once that some scenes feel out of place.
The family stuff does work though. The foster family Billy ends up with is one of the best parts of the movie. Each member of the family gets a little moment to shine, and there is a real message about finding where you belong and opening up to people. That gives the movie some nice emotional beats even if they are mixed in with all the crazy superhero stuff.
The visual effects are solid, the action scenes are fun, and the finale is big without going overboard. The final act has some surprises and adds to the overall theme of teamwork and family, which I thought was a nice way to close it out.
I give Shazam! 3 out of 5 stars because it is good, not great. It has strong characters, good laughs, and some heart, but it does not fully come together in the way it could have. Overall Shazam! is a fun and different kind of superhero movie that is worth watching, even if it does not hit every note perfectly. I enjoyed it, just not as much as I hoped.