Shazam! is a COOL movie!

[Mace Dolex]

I got a ticket for this Saturday, I'm not a big Shazam (or Captain Marvel) fan either but I remember the Filmation cartoon and always thought he was a dork, I got the Nu52 tpb bot for Gary Frank's art and haven't read it just yet but the movie looks promising, I'm hoping to be entertained at least after quite a few duds from DC.

[ConnorHawke]

I saw it a few days ago at an early screening here.
Truth be told, I wasn't expecting much. I had liked Aquaman and thought this might be a little worse than that. However, I loved Shazam. It was fun and endearing, and reminded me of the sense of wonder I had reading comics as a kid. I won't spoil it, but the final battle scene was just far too much silly fun.

Great work by everyone involved.

[krazijoe]

I liked it...As a fan I gave it a 9. As a movie goer, I gave it a 7.

[Nomads1]

Loved it. The dawm near perfect feel good film. It's fun for the whole family. The actors are fantastic, it's faithful to the source material without following it blindly, the villain was good, and I loved the twist to bond him to Capt... Shazam and it make him the hero's physical equal. Definitely the best Captain Marvel film of all.

Peace

[Flash Gordon]

Shazam! was absolutely fantastic. LOVED it.

I had a good feeling about it going in, but it still really wowed me.

[DCStu]

I saw it again yesterday morning. Took my youngest kid (she read the New 52 comic book last week). She absolutely ADORED it. She says that Shazam is her favourite superhero now, and that's her favourite movie of all time.

Expecting that to change when we watch Endgame.

[silly]

Saw it. Loved it. Hope WB d9es make a sequel soon.

[Jekyll]

This Shazam fan absolutely loved it! They did a great job!

[liwanag]

it was cool. i plan on seeing it again this weekend.

[JackBNimble]

I watched Shazam last night and found it enjoyable. I think they got several things right--most importantly the tone.

As a comics fan: 9 out of 10
As a movie fan: 7.5 out of 10

I think it ranks well in the DCEU, right behind Wonder Woman and Aquaman...and heads and padded shoulders above Man of Steel, Justice League, BvS and Suicide Squad. Unfortunately, I don't think it can compare with any of the Marvel Studio movies.

Some minor spoilers below...

Some minor spoilers below...

Some minor spoilers below...

Some minor spoilers below...

Some minor spoilers below...


What I liked:
--I think both Angel Asher and Levi Zachary were great choices. In particular, I think Levi Zachary got the childlike enthusiasm right for someone who just found out they had superpowers. Also, the lighter tone of the movie fit the character really well.
--However, I think that Jack Dylan Grazer really held the spotlight as Freddy Freeman. His fast-talking, wise -cracking, slightly snarky performance take on Freddy played off well against the two lead actors.
--The Easter Eggs of other heroes.
--I thought the new aspect about how and why Billy was orphaned was really good.
--The montage of testing out super powers was hilarious.
--Also, clearly shown that Shazam does not have super hearing. That was awesome.
--Darla (the actress who plays her) was adorable.
--The costumes were awesome.
--The "cameo" at the end.
--Overall, the movie had the great elements of a kid's adventure movie--Harry Potter, The Goonies, Percy Jackson, Journey 2--with the required leaps in logic.

What I thought was ok/could have been better:
--I felt Djimon Hounsou as the Wizard and Mark Strong as Dr. Sivana were both miscast. Their parts in the movie were also the weakest elements for me, especially some of the dialog.
--I would have liked it more if the movie spent extra time with Billy's foster family and home situation. If they had, I think the new aspect of Billy's being an orphan would have been more impactful. It would have also been great to know the kids more. It would have also made the final fight scene more rewarding.
--The 7 Sins could have been depicted differently and/or better CGI.

What I did not like:
--Nada.

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

I didn't say they're bad - but they did change quite a lot with the reboot, that's why I said the older material wasn't relevant.

Yeah. As much as I appreciate Zeeguy91's suggestion - I think the New 52 Shazam by Geoff Johns was the right place to start for me. And I'll be getting the new series when the trades come out.
That book really helped me get the measure of the character and if anyone wants to read some Shazam before seeing the film, I don't see how they need anything more than what's in that book to get up to speed.

The film is not an adaptation of that book - but I can see how it used it as a template and to be honest you couldn't ask for a better foundation on which to build.

I sort of like to move forward with comic characters anyway. I have no plans to re-read any old stuff any time soon (until the next Batman post crisis TPBs come out) - but I still raise a glass!

You don't have to read beyond the New 52. I mean, the New 52 run is even on the list of recommendations I gave. But, in all honesty, you don't have to read anything before going into the movie. If you want to really get to know the character, though, checking out some of the older comics is always a good idea, as it is with pretty much any character. They'll also pronbably be pulling from that stuff down the road. I've heard especially wonderful things about Jerry Ordway's run on Power of Shazam! from the 90s.

[Kurisu]

Shout out to Meagan Good for still collecting paychecks twenty years after Cousin Skeeter.

[Kingcrimsonprog]

I really loved this film. I like the DCEU, but this is way better than any other DCEU film. Its like a proper film, its a foster family film, an xmas film, a teen comedy and a super hero film all rolled in to one. Good diversity, good humour, nice DC easter eggs, and a just generally good plot. The best thing is you feel the childlike wonder, its got that fun 'wow' factor.

I really liked Aquaman too. I feel like DC are definitely getting better with films now. Its a bit of a shame that they didn't come up with the DCEU on Batman begins, as if you had the Dark Knight in your clubhouse, people would be a lot less sneary about the DCEU.

Anyone know if shazam is financially succesful ?

[Nomads1]

Anyone know if shazam is financially succesful ?

Considering the film had a budget of between 80 - 100 mil and that they had a worldwide opening weekend of about 150 mil (don't remember the exact number), I'd say yes. Captain Marvel is said to have done over a billion, however, so much was invested on the marketing and in the production of the film, that it is rumored that it had to earn at least 750 mil just to break even.
As they say:it's all relative.

Peace

[silly]

Considering the film had a budget of between 80 - 100 mil and that they had a worldwide opening weekend of about 150 mil (don't remember the exact number), I'd say yes. Captain Marvel is said to have done over a billion, however, so much was invested on the marketing and in the production of the film, that it is rumored that it had to earn at least 750 mil just to break even.
As they say:it's all relative.

Peace

I didn't notice that the film had a lower budget. I liked the CGI. I think the marketing was sufficient. I don't get Holywood expenses.