This production revives the primary-colored joy that drew many of us into comics when we were young. Such is not the case with SHAZAM!, I was relieved to discover. They have since published new stories based on these original characters.) The original comics were always squeaky-clean, clearly intended for younger comic readers, and I was afraid this film would make the same mistake as some other DC films, making it darker and grittier than the source material. Yes, this one rivals Wonder Woman for a DC film that’s as good as most Marvel movies! (DC secured the rights to the SHAZAM! franchise in the early 1970’s in order to re-release some of the original Fawcett stories. Was it something to do with Justice League, or Captain Marvel? Were there legal issues, which seem to be characteristic to this particular franchise? Or was it just not completed in post-production in time for the holidays? Who knows?Įven if you have never heard of young Billy Batson and the magic word that transforms him into the World’s Mightiest Mortal, if you enjoyed the recent Spider Man and Ant Man films, as well as Tom Hanks’ 1988 film Big, you will not be disappointed in SHAZAM! It has all the humor, heart, and action-packed thrills of any Marvel movie, although it clearly takes place in the DC comics universe. When you see the movie, look for the Easter egg name of the high school attended by the main teen characters.) It was obviously meant for a December holiday release, as the whole story occurs in that season, which makes one wonder why it was delayed until the following April. (Long story short, the hero of SHAZAM! was the first character to be called Captain Marvel, but through various lawsuits between DC and Marvel publishing houses with Fawcett Publishing, who created the popular comics in the 1940’s, the name “Captain Marvel” was ultimately trademarked by Marvel Comics. If you don’t know the convoluted history of these comics and their hero, I suggest you Google it so that you can appreciate the probably-intentional irony of this film being released right on the heels of Marvel’s Captain Marvel movie.
#Shazam early screening movie#
To be honest, I jumped at the chance to see this preview screening, because I have a long-standing interest in the comics that this movie was based on, as well as being a fan of the series Chuck, which brought SHAZAM! star Zach Levi into public recognition. As this is a very rare occurrence for me, I feel it’s my obligation to friends who might be interested to offer my review of the movie for your consideration. Thanks to a Fandango promotion, I had the fortunate opportunity to view an advance screening of SHAZAM!, due to open in theaters April 4.
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