So here we have Shazam!, DC's latest attempt at making a new successful series based on one of its characters. At this point, I have little interest in most of the already established characters from the DC movies. Aquaman was a mess of a movie and didn't do A LOT to excite me about future movies with him. Batman and Superman, I could go a year or two without seeing again right now. Flash and Robocop were the worst parts of Justice League, mostly cause they barely did anything. So the just leaves Wonder Woman, who is the only interesting member of the Justice League and has a sequel coming soon that should be good. Actually, I forgot about the Suicide Squad... which is probably a good thing.
The story of Shazam! follows a teen orphan named Billy who keeps transferring from foster home to foster home. A new foster home decides to take him in where he meets Freddy, a superhero-obsessed boy. When Billy is summoned by a weird old wizard that gives him new superpowers, Freddy helps Billy learn how to use those powers. While this is going on, supervillain Doctor Sivana is searching for Billy to take his powers from him.
The good thing about Shazam! is that it's not connected to any of those other movies, nor does it really set up anything in the future. That might sound like a spoiler, but I think it's good to know that this movie stands on its own without trying to be part of a connected universe. It does have references to other DC characters, but it's doesn't distract from the story. So how does Shazam! do as a stand-alone DC movie?
Good, actually. This movie has something that I feel has been missing in all the recent DC movies. Heart and good characters. Shazam! tells a great story and focuses its attention on the right things. It does a great job of introducing new characters and getting you to really connect with them by the end of the movie. I found myself caring about all the characters more in this one movie than I ever cared about Superman, Aquaman and the Suicide Squad in their movies. That's because of the two main characters Billy and Freddy and how well they are written and presented in the movie. They have a great relationship throughout the movie that is really fun to watch and the story doesn't stray too far away from that focus. The movie doesn't feel too long and bloated like Aquaman and that's because it focuses on the characters that you like and doesn't take a lot of time trying to explain itself and establish a ton of lore. The performances are all great and nothing is ever taken too seriously. Not to say there aren't some great heartfelt moments, because there are. There's actually a surprisingly well-done scene in the movie that caught me off guard and got me all emotional.
Simply put, Shazam! was a really fun movie without any ties to the rest of the DC movies. It felt focused and well made. It's got some nice surprises with some great emotional moments sprinkled in it. It's the most fun I've had in a superhero movie in a while, especially in the DC side of things. Honestly out of all the newer DC movies, this one is easily my favorite. It's entertaining from start to finish and it doesn't really ever slow down. So if you've been put off by DC's latest films, give this one a chance because you might be surprised with what you see.