SHAZAM! : Wednesday 10th April 2019.

'SHAZAM' which I saw earlier this week, is the seventh instalment in the DC Extended Universe based on the DC Comics of the same name, which first appeared in 1939 under his original name 'Captain Marvel' and subsequently changed to 'Shazam' in 1972 due to trademark conflicts over another character named 'Captain Marvel' owned by Marvel Comics. He is the alter ego of Billy Batson, a boy who, by speaking the magic word 'SHAZAM' (an acronym of six 'immortal elders', being Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury), can transform himself into a costumed adult with the powers of superhuman strength, speed, flight and various other abilities. The film cost in the region of US$100M to bring to the big screen, is Directed by David F. Sandberg, was released in the US last week too and has so far received generally favourable Reviews with some describing it as one of the best Superhero films. The film has so far taken US$194M at the Box Office. A sequel is already in the works and under redevelopment.

The film opens in 1974 with a car driving along a deserted highway late at night. Driving the car is Mr. Sivana (John Glover) father of teenager Sid (Landon Doak) sat in the passenger seat and in the back youngest son Thaddeus (Ethan Pugiotto). The two brothers are arguing over a toy game that Thaddeus is amusing himself with, when the car seems to take on a life of its own, gathers speed rapidly, the windows frost over and then comes to a grinding halt leaving Thaddeus alone in the now stationary vehicle. He ventures outside to see that he has somehow been magically transported to some kind of ancient looking temple. There he meets the equally ancient looking wizard 'Shazam' (Djimon Hounsou), the last surviving wizard of the Council of Seven Wizards. Shazam explains that he has spent these past centuries seeking out a new champion without success who is 'pure of heart' to whom the old wizard can pass on his magical and mystical powers before he finally departs this mortal coil. He further explains that after the previous champion went rogue, the Seven Deadly Sins were released by him upon the ancient world to wreak widespread havoc, death and destruction. The Sins, are now trapped in stone statues within the temple, yet they tempt Thaddeus with promises of power and riches. However, for succumbing to them so easily he is banished back to Earth as unworthy to be the champion. Upon returning, Thaddeus' car gets T-Boned by an oncoming pick-up truck from which Sid and Thaddeus survive but Mr. Sivana is lying in a crumpled heap on the ground having been thrown from the car. Sid blames his little brother for being the cause of his fathers injuries.

We then fast forward to the present day Philadelphia. Here we meet up with fourteen year old Billy Batson (Asher Angel) who frequently taunts the local Police force while searching for his birth mother whom he was separated from when he was just four years old. Billy has been in foster care ever since and repeatedly has run away from his foster carers for varying reasons. He is placed into a new group home run by Victor and Rosa Vazquez (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans respectively), who have five other foster kids: Mary Bromfield (Grace Fulton), Pedro Peña (Jovan Armand), Eugene Choi (Ian Chen), Darla Dudley (Faithe Herman) and Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), his new roommate who is a budding and nerdy superhero enthusiast.

Meanwhile, a now adult Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) who has spent his life's work in trying to discover a way back into the magical temple, discovers a way of re-entering it. Upon arrival, Sivana confronts the now older and more frail Shazam, steals the 'Eye of Sins' from the 'Rock of Eternity' so freeing the Seven Deadly Sins and in doing so becomes their collective vessel. He uses his new powers to attack the wizard, and later returns to Earth to kill his abusive father, now the CEO of Sivana Industries, his domineering older brother Sid (Wayne Ward) and the other members of the Sivana Industries Board all gathered for a meeting.

While at school, Billy saves Freddy from bullies and leads them on a chase into a subway. While travelling on the subway train Billy experiences the train gather rapid speed, the lights go out, the windows frost over and the train then comes to an abrupt halt with only him in the carriage. He gingerly ventures outside to reveal that he is in the same ancient temple having been summoned by Shazam who chooses Billy as the next champion. By touching the staff and repeating Shazam's name, Billy is transformed into an adult costumed superhero who takes on the wizard's name before the wizard turns to dust, leaving behind only his staff.

Shazam (Zachary Levi) returns home and, with Freddy's help, starts to learn the extent and test out his newly gifted powers : super strength, electricity manipulation, bulletproof skin, hyper speed and flight (which he hasn't quite got the hang of yet!). Freddy posts videos online of Shazam testing his powers, creating an overnight viral sensation. 

Freddy brags to their classmates about knowing Shazam. Billy meanwhile abandons him and skips school to entertain fans with his newfound super powers for money. After seeing Shazam save a bus on the news, Sivana attacks him demanding he give up his power to him. After all, Shazam is just a fourteen year old boy trapped inside the body of an adult, so what use does he have for the powers bestowed upon him. The untested Shazam is easily defeated in close quarter hand to hand combat staged in a shopping mall at Christmas time. Shazam transforms back into Billy to escape into the fleeing crowd trying to exit the mayhem going on all around them. 

Sivana sees news coverage of Shazam and Freddy following Shazam's saving of the bus load of passengers after it had careered off the side of the freeway. From this he deduces Billy's identity and captures Freddy forcing him to reveal where Billy lives. Back at the foster family home, the other kids learn of Billy's secret alter ego, and also tell him that the have been able to locate his birth mother (something Billy has spent years trying to do unsuccessfully) who lives just two blocks away. Billy goes to meet his mother for the first time in ten years, but she tells him that she intentionally abandoned him, believing she was unable to care for him as a teenage single mother. A few minutes later, Billy leaves feeling dejected and rejected saying that he needs to return to his real family.

Sivana calls Billy from the Vazquez home. Once there, Shazam agrees to give Sivana his powers in exchange for sparing his family's lives. Sivana and Shazam travel to the temple through a temporary doorway portal in the house, but the other kids follow and attack Sivana, giving them all time to escape, before Shazam gave up his powers.

Sivana follows Shazam and the kids to a Christmas carnival, where Sivana unleashes the Seven Deadly Sins. Wrath does battle with Shazam, leaving the other Sins free to capture his family, so coaxing him to give up his powers. As Sivana recalls the Sins, Shazam uses that moment to pull the old wizards staff from out of his hands and stun Sivana. Shazam remembers the wizard's wise words and shares his powers with his foster brothers and sisters, transforming them into adult superheroes with powers equal to his own. Shazam snaps the staff in two and as the family of newly formed caped superheroes are kept occupied by the other Deadly Sins, Shazam resumes his battle with Sivana. On a rooftop Shazam baits out Envy, who had remained housed in Sivana's body as the smallest and ugliest of the Seven Deadly Sins, so leaving Sivana powerless. Shazam defeats Envy and saves a falling Sivana who has plummeted off the rooftop. Dropping him in the rubble of the broken Christmas carnival ground, Shazam removes the Eye of Sin from Sivana, which seals away the Sins back into their stone tombs. The family return the Eye of Sin to its rightful place within the temple and the Rock of Eternity, and realise that they can use the temple now as their secret lair.

I would have to say that I was just a little reluctant going in to see 'Shazam!' based on the experiences of the previous DCEU offerings, and yet I was pleasantly surprised. The film glides along on a steady stream of humour, fast paced action and emotion, intertwined with family values, a coming of age story, and good overcoming evil. Finally it seems that the DCEU has overcome its earlier challenges and is now hitting its straps with 'Wonder Woman', then 'Aquaman' and now 'Shazam' perhaps the least known character in the ensemble. That said, it's not up there with the Marvel competition, but on the strength of this offering, the critical response generated so far, the accumulating Box Office take and the fact that a sequel is already in the works, then this lighthearted yet still dark and emotional enough new character offering may be around for long enough for us to become truly invested in him. 

'Shazam!' warrants three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard out of a possible five. 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-