Just because your movie is primarily made for kids, doesn't mean you get a pass for dumbing everything down. Take a page out of Pixar's playbook next time, and ditch the Illumination approach, Warner Brothers.

Pro's:
- The first 20-25 minutes are okay, and do a good job at setting up Billy's character
- The family dynamic is great, they actually feel like a family
- Asher Angel is good
- It's darker and scarier than your average 2019 family film

Con's:
- Zachary Levi is, like his costume, unbearably hokey in this, and not in a good way
- At no point does it feel like Asher Angel and Zachary Levi are playing the same character
--> [spoiler] Unike when the Shazam family shows up. Those characters actually felt like older versions of the characters we've come to know during the film [/spoiler]
- It made me groan a lot more than it made me laugh. Not only is most of the humour juvenile and just really unfunny, the few jokes where they're actually trying to be subversive or clever have already been done in other films, and in a much better way
--> for example: [spoiler] Do you remember the scene in which they're trying to make fun of the big villain monologue? That has been done countless of times at this point, and in a much better way in for example: The Incredibles (2004). [/spoiler]
- For a film that thinks it's subversive, it falls into a lot of predictable cliches
- The way the story between Billy and his mom wraps up is not satisfying whatsoever
- There's supposed to be a bonding moment between Billy and the family somewhere during the film, but this moment doesn't ever happen. There's a really weird disconnect between the first and third acts in that regard
- The CGI in this is pretty laughable, especially during big battle scenes
- This movie has very questionable morality in one regard
--> Mild spoiler: [spoiler] Do you remember that scene in Spiderman Homecoming in which Ned uses Spider-man to increase his own popularity? And that he actually gets called out for doing that? This movie has a very similar scene, but actually sides with the character that is Ned in this regard. [/spoiler]
- The climax is too long, and I think part of the reason for that is because we as the audience aren't really engaged with the villain. Don't get me wrong, Mark Strong is fine in this, but in the end he's just a punching bag like Orm or Steppenwolf. He's not a great character like Zod in Man of Steel, for example.

3/10

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.
3.5 stars out of 5

The titular Shazam and has alter-ego Billy Batson feel like completely different characters. This is not unheard of for a superhero by any stretch, but when accompanied by a change of actor, it's a pretty jarring situation. I also have a hard time figuring out who the target demographic is with this thing. Seems all over the place.

But! at the end of the day, the most important question is "Did I enjoy _Shazam!_?" and to that the answer is still somehow yes. Probably the best that the DCIThoughSheWasWithUniverse has to offer (with the glaring exception of _Wonder Woman_).

_Final rating:★★★ - I liked it. Would personally recommend you give it a go._

Second viewing and my feelings pretty much remain the same. Fun moments and Zachary Levi was very good in the leading role and although not terribly memorable, Mark Strong made for a fine villain, that said, some of the humor wasn't for me, although I did enjoy some of director David F. Sandberg's more horror-centric style shined through with the Seven Deadly Sins.

Definitely has its moments, bit in total the movie feels inconsistent which kills most of the buzz. It switches from rather serious scenes where people actually get hurt to PG-6 compatible simple humor back and forth a few times.
With ever transformation the whole character changes, Shazam acting more like a 5 Year old than the 15 Year old Teenager he's supposed to be.
Freddy sometimes acts downright malicious, which is not a problem per se except that everyone else doesn't really seem to be bothered much by it.

Still not a bad take on the comic, but it feels inconsistent and left me wondering what age the target audience is supposed to be ...