SHAZAM! The World's Mightiest Movie!

[ciscostudent561]

really lookin fwd to this one prolly more than Endgame

[Tony]

really lookin fwd to this one prolly more than Endgame

I agree with this, Avengers 3 was bad. Splitting a movie in two never works. I'm sure I'll go to Avengers 4 but Shazam is more exciting to me.

[Killerbee911]

Have all the review embargoes for Shazam been lifted? If not, which ones have so far? I'm wondering why we haven't seen Shazam reviews on CBR or Newsarama?

Probably will be released the week of the movie for more traffic.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

Just came out of a press screening for Shazam and absolutely loved it. Easily the best DCEU movie besides Wonder Woman. It's great to see that DC/ Warners can still do something with this fun, lighthearted and funny tone. It's pretty cheesy at times but, when dealing with a character like Captain Marvel, that's a good thing. Even with all the CGI, it also has the feel of those '80s family adventure comedies, which fits this character to a tee. I must say, when I first heard about Johns' new, "more realistic" take on these characters, I rolled my eyes and avoided the book like the plague but if it works half as well in the comics as it does here, I need to get that trade ASAP. And to catch up with the current Shazam too, while I'm at it.

My biggest issues with this were mostly "this isn't like the comic" related (spoilers:

Savannah is very different on every level, I'm still annoyed that they can't use the name Captain Marvel, and I may be misremembering but because she doesn't actually transform into an adult, Mary Marvel should be played by the same actress as regular Mary, right?

end of spoilers) but the feel of it was so on point that my nitpicks were never more than just that: nitpicks. Levy was fantastic as Captain Marvel and Mark Strong is always fun as a villain but special props to the kids who played Billy and Freddy, in particular, who have to do a lot of the heavy lifting with both the comedy and the emotional stuff (the film has tons of heart, in case I didn't mention it) and do so brilliantly.

I hope to have a full review on my blog in the coming days but Shazam is a total delight from start to finish and I couldn't recommend it more for those who want what is ultimately the polar opposite of Zack Snyder's inane take on the DCEU.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

Probably will be released the week of the movie for more traffic.

Yeah, but that's THIS WEEK! The movie opens Thursday night.

I hope to have a full review on my blog in the coming days but Shazam is a total delight from start to finish and I couldn't recommend it more for those who want what is ultimately the polar opposite of Zack Snyder's inane take on the DCEU.

I'm glad everyone who has seen Shazam seems to love it, but can we just praise Shazam without using it as an opportunity to bash Zack Snyder?

There are many of us out there who really liked his movies, so not every thread discussing a DC movie needs to take a shot at Snyder. Snyder is gone, so let's all move on.

[titanfan]

I'm not sure RT has any power. Just a lot of notoriety. And that's just because it's an easy reference point for a broad understanding of what professional critics think about any given movie.

RT sort of shot itself in the foot, though, by including the reviews of non-professionals, and giving bloggers and fans-with-YouTube resources like Grace Randolph more or less equal recognition with people like Roger Ebert, people who really understand film and story and editing and acting at a different level.

There's been studies and RT doesn't has little to no effect on movies.

If bloggers and YT people make money off their hits/reviews of movies--then aren't they professionals as well? I don't know, as a standard not-cinema educated movie fan, I know I'm more likely to listen to a reviewer who has the same taste as me than a haughty taughty film expert who will judge the movie on different criteria than whether it was just an enjoyable film.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

Yeah, but that's THIS WEEK! The movie opens Thursday night.



I'm glad everyone who has seen Shazam seems to love it, but can we just praise Shazam without using it as an opportunity to bash Zack Snyder?

There are many of us out there who really liked his movies, so not every thread discussing a DC movie needs to take a shot at Snyder. Snyder is gone, so let's all move on.

Except that this film is a rejection of everything that Snyder did with his movies. It's really not an irrelevant point. His films sunk the DCEU from the start and all of those that have come since seem to be doing their best to counter what he did. Frankly, when I first heard that there was to be a Shazam film set in the DCEU, I was worried that it be another dour suckfest like any of Snyder's DCEU films (I think it was around BvS). After all, he completely butchered Superman, I could only imagine what he would do to Captain Marvel. Fortunately, Warners has clearly set down a path to course correct from Snyder's vision with Wonder Woman and Aquaman and they have taken it to the next level with Shazam.

I'm glad you liked Snyder's films (even if I genuinely don't understand how that's possible) but the newer DCEU films are clearly a reaction to and a rejection of the aesthetic of those opening films. This, despite the fact that Man of Steel and BvS did extremely well at the box office. Justice League didn't, of course, but it would be easy to write it off as the result of behind the scenes problems that resulted in a film apparently quite different from what Snyder wanted. It's also telling that while Warners seem to have little issue making films out of two of their most potentially goofy superheroes (Aquaman and Shazam, of course) but Snyder's take on Superman was so toxic that they've apparently benched the character for the forseeable future. Shazam, in fact, feels much more like a Superman film than any of Snyder's ever did.

Also, it's all very nice saying that we should move on from Snyder's Superman movies but he hasn't moved on himself, what with those moronic comments he has made recently that are proof positive of just how little he gets this universe and the genre in general. I'm sure he's a nice guy and he has made some decent movies but he shouldn't have been let within a thousand miles of Superman and with each passing film it's becoming clear that DC/ Warners have decided as much themselves.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

Except that this film is a rejection of everything that Snyder did with his movies. It's really not an irrelevant point. His films sunk the DCEU from the start and all of those that have come since seem to be doing their best to counter what he did. Frankly, when I first heard that there was to be a Shazam film set in the DCEU, I was worried that it be another dour suckfest like any of Snyder's DCEU films (I think it was around BvS). After all, he completely butchered Superman, I could only imagine what he would do to Captain Marvel. Fortunately, Warners has clearly set down a path to course correct from Snyder's vision with Wonder Woman and Aquaman and they have taken it to the next level with Shazam.

I'm glad you liked Snyder's films (even if I genuinely don't understand how that's possible) but the newer DCEU films are clearly a reaction to and a rejection of the aesthetic of those opening films. This, despite the fact that Man of Steel and BvS did extremely well at the box office. Justice League didn't, of course, but it would be easy to write it off as the result of behind the scenes problems that resulted in a film apparently quite different from what Snyder wanted. It's also telling that while Warners seem to have little issue making films out of two of their most potentially goofy superheroes (Aquaman and Shazam, of course) but Snyder's take on Superman was so toxic that they've apparently benched the character for the forseeable future. Shazam, in fact, feels much more like a Superman film than any of Snyder's ever did.

Also, it's all very nice saying that we should move on from Snyder's Superman movies but he hasn't moved on himself, what with those moronic comments he has made recently that are proof positive of just how little he gets this universe and the genre in general. I'm sure he's a nice guy and he has made some decent movies but he shouldn't have been let within a thousand miles of Superman and with each passing film it's becoming clear that DC/ Warners have decided as much themselves.

I agree that it's clear that Warners is moving on from Snyder's vision, but they also allow directors to chart their own visions. Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman was already in production when BvS opened to polarizing reaction, so I don't think Warners was hitting a reset button there. It's just that they let Jenkins do her own thing and she herself decided to make a different kind of movie -- one more inspired by Donner than Snyder.

I think the same is true for Shazam. It was set up at New Line Cinema, not Warner Bros. Films, for a reason. They wanted to position Shazam as a lower budgeted family friendly film, so I don't think DC for a minute was going to make a dark, Snyderesque Shazam movie. There was no course correction with Shazam. It was never planned to adhere to the Snyder template in the first place.

The only reason I said we should move on from Snyder is because he's gone from DCEU. Plus, he has nothing to do with Shazam and never did. There are other threads where it might be appropriate to bash Snyder if one desires, but he really has nothing to do with this.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

I agree that it's clear that Warners is moving on from Snyder's vision, but they also allow directors to chart their own visions. Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman was already in production when BvS opened to polarizing reaction, so I don't think Warners was hitting a reset button there. It's just that they let Jenkins do her own thing and she herself decided to make a different kind of movie -- one more inspired by Donner than Snyder.

I think the same is true for Shazam. It was set up at New Line Cinema, not Warner Bros. Films, for a reason. They wanted to position Shazam as a lower budgeted family friendly film, so I don't think DC for a minute was going to make a dark, Snyderesque Shazam movie. There was no course correction with Shazam. It was never planned to adhere to the Snyder template in the first place.

The only reason I said we should move on from Snyder is because he's gone from DCEU. Plus, he has nothing to do with Shazam and never did. There are other threads where it might be appropriate to bash Snyder if one desires, but he really has nothing to do with this.

OK, I take your points. And not just because you have Paul McCartney reading a comic book as your avatar. As I recall, DC did have Snyder in an overseer role with all of their films for at least a little while, but fair points on both Wonder Woman and Shazam. Actually, I knew the latter was in the works for years, I just thought it only started gaining momentum a couple of years ago. My biggest fears came not from that Warners were making a Shazam film but that they were setting it in the DCEU - which they did announce only relatively recently but, I think, before Aquaman proved that Wonder Woman wasn't just a fluke.

[Cyke]

Just saw it. Loved it. Probably the most fun DCEU movie ever.

Warning: there are two post-credit scenes.

[Wildling]

I don't know, we'll see. I don't think I'm seeing this Hellboy in theaters as I personally would've preferred they finished a trilogy with Perlman and Del Toro and then rebooted in a few years. But, I'm already seeing Shazam!, Endgame, Godzilla, and probably Detective Pikachu through May so I'm needing to be a little picky for time and money's sake.

I already set my month around Shazam, with Pet Sematary (novel shocked me after watching the 2 movies years ago, I hope this movie will be a good countdown to It Chapter 2) and Hellboy (Hellboy looks nice and I still have a soft spot for Jojovich) and like a couple more movies hopefully rounding things up.

Endgame doesn't matter to me, haven't been much excited for their movies since Winter Soldier and Malleficent.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

So, STILL no reviews of Shazam from either CBR or Newarama.

Given that the movie opens tomorrow night for previews, I would assume that neither website got invited to a press screening.

[Osiris-Rex]

There's been studies and RT doesn't has little to no effect on movies.

Yet oddly enough when a movie gets a Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes the studios start using that in their advertising for a movie. I wonder why the studios think RT can have a positive effect on a movie
if studies show otherwise. And there have been claims that a low score can have a negative effect. Maybe the studies are flawed?

[Cyke]

I just want to point out that Faithe Herman, who plays Darla, is unbelievably precocious in the film.

Sure, kids in movies are meant to be extra cute. But man, I really wanted to adopt her.

[Somecrazyaussie]

Just saw it and I very much enjoyed it. This film is the antithesis of all the stuff Snyder did with MoS, BvS, and Justice League. This film definitely has its eye on setting up further entries and it does so extremely well. As has been said elsewhere, this is pure wish fulfillment. It is also the most family-friendly film in the larger DCU. Yet, it doesn't speak down to its audience. It perfectly captures what made so many films like this work in the 80s.

In saying that, it isn't without flaws. Sivana was cast/acted well (its Mark Strong after all) but he did come across as very one dimensional at times. Plus certain nods will go over the heads of most audience members. A person sitting behind me said, upon seeing the first after credits scene, "Umm, what was the point of that?" To which i felt like saying "It is Mister Mind. There is very much a point to it."

But yeah, gets a thumbs up from me. It absolutely entertains.