Charge my phone? No thanks

★★★ out of ★★★★

Shazam! (2019)

Runtime: 132 minutes

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action, language, and suggestive material.

Perhaps we've got to think again about the word kid-friendly.

Demons chomping on human heads, people thrown out of forty-something story high buildings, loud sudden sounds and ghoulish design on the seven sins is not my idea of a kids movie. Don't say that I haven't warned you, but parents should probably close their children's eyes during that office conference scene where Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) unleashes his power and massacres about ten people there.

Other than that, "Shazam!" is a consistently fun superhero origin movie, that dispels most of its formulaic superhero narrative tendencies, by providing a different and unique take on how Billy Batson gains and learns of his superpowers, while it sometimes also pokes fun on its genre clichés, resulting in sporadically roaringly funny sequences. There's also real emotional stakes and conflicts, and the sensitive themes it explores are not to be missed.

Shazam! starts in winter 1974, introducing us to a young Thaddeus Sivana (Ethan Pugiotto). Early scenes already establish his motives and his compelling backstory, being looked down on by family members, and being ridiculed or called a nuisance. Thaddeus is subsequently transported to the Rock of Eternity while playing his magic 8 ball, where he meets a wizard (Djimon Hounsou), who tells Thaddeus about his magic and intends to pass it to him, but fails the test after attempting to touch the eye of envy. He is transported back to the car, makes a fuss and causes the car to crash.

Not long after, we're also introduced to our protagonist Billy Batson (Asher Angel), and his backstory involves being separated from his mother in a carnival when he was 3 years old, and is picked up by police to be placed foster homes. Billy, now 14 and having ran away from foster homes multiple times, steals a police car and attempts to search for his mother, by looking for the surname "Batson" in the database. He visits the supposed house only to find a black woman answering the door, a hilarious scene and disappointing event for him.

He is then transferred to a social service worker who puts him with the Vasquez family, where he meets fellow members Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), Eugene Choi (Ian Chen), Pedro Peña (Jovan Armand), Darla Dudley (Faithe Herman), Mary Bromfield (Grace Caroline Currey), and the foster parents Victor and Rosa Vasquez (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans respectively). It's also about Billy coping with school life, and how the family works with each other to defend Freddy against bullies Brett and Burke Breyer (Carson MacCormac and Evan Marsh).

Meanwhile, Sivana, having cracked the code to unlock the Rock of Eternity, retrieves the eye of envy and exacts revenge on his family and board members, killing them in a violent but bloodless scene one can chillingly observe in the background. Billy also outruns bullies while defending Freddy one day, and reaches the Rock of Eternity, where he is given the powers by the wizard, turning him into his superhero form (Zachary Levi). With his newfound powers, he also awaits his enemy as the sins urge Dr. Sivana to destroy the champion.

Like mentioned, most of the fun in "Shazam!" is the dynamic relationship between Billy and Freddy, as Billy experiments with his superpowers by skipping class. There is an exhilarating montage of him learning about what power he possesses, discovering himself and having fun goofing around in the superhero suit. While some people might criticise that Zachary Levi's performance doesn't exactly match the often sad and dismayed state of Billy, I found it hardly noticeable, and plus, doesn't it make perfect sense that a scarred orphan kid who finally gets a sense of freedom get to enjoy himself for a little while?

In addition, "Shazam!" is also quite frequently funny, in which the characters are aware of the superhero-versus-villain tendencies, especially during a pre-final fight moment where Billy is unable to hear Dr. Sivana's evil speech from a mile away.

What's even more satisfying is that "Shazam!" dives a little into the complex topics of what superheroes become and how it affects their character. The conflict between Billy's foster parents and him after learning about him skipping classes is believable. I also particularly enjoyed how Billy occasionally abuses his power to obtain items, and how there's always a messy and uncomfortable bump to their friendship. The film suggests that the corruption of power is always damaging to the people around them, and how Freddy remarks in the middle act that Billy is just like another bully.

Another riveting sequence shows Billy visiting his birth mother and being rejected by her. We understand how both sides feel, from the mother, who abandoned Billy because of her incapability and possibly financial issues, to Billy, who learns that the mother saw him on the police car but deliberately left, making him feel hurt and betrayed. With his foster family always supporting and protecting him, perhaps family does not necessarily need to be by blood?

Even though the film manages to pull off this trick of Billy struggling with life and battling villains in his superhero form, "Shazam!" would have had a greater impact if it spent a beat longer diving into the uncomfortable moments between the characters' conflict, and making the foster members Darla, Eugene and Pedro more well defined. The result is a slight finale which simplifies the stakes the film has brought us to, while also squandering the brief roles of the adult-version of the members Eugene (Ross Butler), Pedro (D.J. Cotrona), Darla (Faithe Herman) and Mary (Michelle Borth). Superhero Freddy (Adam Brody) is an exception; his mannerisms and way of speech just perfectly match Grazer's portrayal.

Still, it's a minor miracle how "Shazam!" is always interesting and rarely lags. Many recent DC films have been going for the dark, gritty, bleak tone and setting, with their monochromatic colour display and darkly lit sequences. It's a breath of fresh air to have something like "Shazam!" once in a while, a self-aware superhero origin story that rejects adhering to formula, mocks its clichés in comical moments, and also presents an imperfect, vulnerable character. In one scene before Freddy throws a "batarang" at the villain, Billy relates to Dr. Sivana's rage and anger, about proving one-self's worth to people, and finally being looked up on. Now that's something I want to see more often in upcoming superhero projects.