Shazam Shazam User Review Thread (Tag Spoilers)

[Web-Head]

With early screenings tomorrow, it'll be nice to get some user reviews going

 

[kguillou]

Just finished. Loved this movie. DC’s got a big ol crowd pleasing hit on their hands. Such a good time and my audience was in love with it. Lots of fun surprises, especially at the end

9/10.

 

[samsnee]

This was so much fun and a great origin movie. Zachary Levi was perfect casting. They need to make a sequel fast before all the kids get too old.

I was very surprised how much screen time and development Sivana got. Based on the previews I thought he would just be a boring villain.

Two things that gave me chills

Spoiler

The first shot of the Shazam family after they say the word and the Superman cameo at the end. It’s a shame it wasn’t really Henry Cavill though.

Also loved the little nod to the movie Big.

 

[Gamma Goliath]

Just got out of shazam and it's actually kinda great. Super fun movie. 7/10 easy.

 

[Gee]

How's Wallfisch's score?

 

[samsnee]

It’s ok. There are some decent cues but nothing memorable.

 

[Karelia]

I loved it! I would give it an 8/10. I do like Aquaman a bit more. But this movie has some hilarious moments, and it does have heart. And a little bit of spookyness. Nothing a kid couldn't handle. Zachary Levi and the kid who plays Freddy have great chemistry. The whole foster family was great!

 

[Web-Head]

Going in, I was incredibly excited for this. Ever since it was announced I was anticipating it and everything I'd seen had me looking forward to Shazam!

I had fun with this and it's a definite crowd pleaser but something about it just fell..flat.

Levi and Strong both do a great job and Strong was a little bit better of a villain than I expected and Billy was a pretty big d*** for a good portion as well.

They really doubled down on the corniness and not a lot of it worked for me and I think that's a big reason why I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected.

The score isn't anything great and I definitely don't want to hear anything about MCU movies looking "ugly" after Shazam!

7-7.5/10

 

[Nardz937]

It's really good - I liked it a lot. As expected, really funny and charming but also has good emotional pulls, performances are solid all around and the pacing is smooth. Some nice horror elements at times, too.

Another big notch under DC's belt. Steering their way into the right direction. I hope this makes a billion.

Spoiler

Cavill messed up by not appearing in this. Superman's cameo got one of the biggest reactions from the crowd and it would have had him appearing as the character in finally a really well received movie

Spoiler

I'm glad they didn't spoil that Freddy and the rest of the fosters kids become superheros too in the trailers

 

[Nvmyprixgt]

Just got back. Loved it! Better then Captain Marvel for sure. Liked it as much as Aquaman. Perfect casting. 8.5/10

 

[heatvision38]

It’s ok. There are some decent cues but nothing memorable.

I agree. Saw a number of tweets about how great the score was, but I thought it was mostly just there.

 

[samsnee]

Just got back. Loved it! Better then Captain Marvel for sure. Liked it as much as Aquaman. Perfect casting. 8.5/10

I definitely think this was a much better experience than Captain Marvel.

 

[mclay18]

I really enjoyed this. Good pacing, enough backstory on Sivana & Billy Batson, most good scenes unspoiled in the trailers, and a fun vibe throughout. 9/10

WB did a savvy move doing the early preview screenings two weeks out and the WOM will really make the opening weekend pop. I think a $100 million opening is in the cards here or a leggy run before Avengers Endgame comes up.

 

[writer0327]

This was the DCEU film I have been waiting for.

A straight up crowd pleasing joy ride reminiscent of so many great family adventure films of the past with tons of surprises and warmth. From every characterization, from every plot point and every beat, from the hero to the villain, to the wit and charm, to the heart as big as a movie like E.T., this film landed on every conceivable level. This movie is INCREDIBLY joyful and heartfelt, perfectly cast with the kids and adults, and I can attest that everyone in the theater left with a big grin on their face.

The best part about this film was the characters of Billy and Freddy, and I wish they had spent a little more time establishing their relationship. Not that it wasn't established or that the work they do to establish their relationship is bad because it isn't at all, but it could have been a lot stronger in my mind and would have made certain scenes in the movie feel even more powerful.

Zack Levi felt exactly like a kid in an adult body should feel and it wasn't cliched or goofy at all. His performance just felt natural and animated and personable and perfect for this film. The kid from IT was amazing and he had the best performance in the film. And the rest of the family was excellent. Mark Strong was phenomenal and easily the best villain in the DCEU so far...(okay maybe that's not saying much, but still, he did a great job.) The only MINOR problem was there was a little shakiness in the special effects from time to time, but that's an extremely minor point because never took me out of the film

9.5/10

 

[SomeOldGuy]

Just got back. It’s fantastic. Funny, scary (in parts maybe a little too scary for young children!) and heartwarming in equal measure. I’ve seen some reviews say the cgi is dodgy in spots but if so I didn’t notice; seemed like a much bigger budget film. All the acting is solid and the writing is for the most part as well. If I had to say something bad, I’d say that there’s a bit of tonal whiplash. It’s trying to be about four movies at once, a family friendly superhero film, a family drama, a comedy and a horror film. It pulls that off surprisingly well but can still be a bit jarring at points. 8/10

 

[Kane52630]

Shazam!

The Shazam movie I've been waiting for since forever. This is without question, the best DCEU film and it's all thanks to David F. Sandberg who really knows how to do a pulp superhero story right. This was an incredible balancing act where he manages to go between comedy, drama, action, and yes... horror and make it flow seamlessly. It's very much the superhero version of Big (among other films) and they knew it going in. The comedy was fantastic and there's some great easter eggs that were a lot of fun.

Zachary Levi and Asher Angel did great job as Billy... they were in sync the whole time as they switch. Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy was also a big highlight, they both had a great comedic chemistry. A big surprise I had was Mark Strong as Sivana, they flesh his character arch to where he's not just a cardborard villain. A big thing they have been strategically leaving out from the trailers and promotion is the rest of Billy's family. I thought they were all great even if a couple of them didn't get a lot of screen time. The movie was shot beautifully and having the Christmas backdrop added a lot to the aesthetic. I will say I do have a couple of minor nitpicks, but they don't really hurt the film.

Overall, it's a fully realized superhero origin movie and the payoff at the end was worth it. The 3rd act is everything I could ever ask for. It's a superhero movie that, while is totally aimed for the younger crowd, isn't shying away from something gruesome or scary... or even something too real and down to earth like family dynamics. Shazam! is the very definition of superhero entertainment. It's got something for everyone. For my money (and this is no hyperbole), this is the best DC film I've seen since The Dark Knight. I can't wait to see it again and I hope they are working on a sequel with Black Adam as soon as possible.
9.5/10

 

[Mysteryman]

Going in, I was incredibly excited for this. Ever since it was announced I was anticipating it and everything I'd seen had me looking forward to Shazam!

I had fun with this and it's a definite crowd pleaser but something about it just fell..flat.

Levi and Strong both do a great job and Strong was a little bit better of a villain than I expected and Billy was a pretty big d*** for a good portion as well.

They really doubled down on the corniness and not a lot of it worked for me and I think that's a big reason why I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected.

The score isn't anything great and I definitely don't want to hear anything about MCU movies looking "ugly" after Shazam!

7-7.5/10

You thought this film looked ugly?

 

[Mysteryman]

Shazam!

The Shazam movie I've been waiting for since forever. This is without question, the best DCEU film and it's all thanks to David F. Sandberg who really knows how to do a pulp superhero story right. This was an incredible balancing act where he manages to go between comedy, drama, action, and yes... horror and make it flow seamlessly. It's very much the superhero version of Big (among other films) and they knew it going in. The comedy was fantastic and there's some great easter eggs that were a lot of fun.

Zachary Levi and Asher Angel did great job as Billy... they were in sync the whole time as they switch. Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy was also a big highlight, they both had a great comedic chemistry. A big surprise I had was Mark Strong as Sivana, they flesh his character arch to where he's not just a cardborard villain. A big thing they have been strategically leaving out from the trailers and promotion is the rest of Billy's family. I thought they were all great even if a couple of them didn't get a lot of screen time. The movie was shot beautifully and having the Christmas backdrop added a lot to the aesthetic. I will say I do have a couple of minor nitpicks, but they don't really hurt the film.

Overall, it's a fully realized superhero origin movie and the payoff at the end was worth it. The 3rd act is everything I could ever ask for. It's a superhero movie that, while is totally aimed for the younger crowd, isn't shying away from something gruesome or scary... or even something too real and down to earth like family dynamics. Shazam! is the very definition of superhero entertainment. It's got something for everyone. For my money (and this is no hyperbole), this is the best DC film I've seen since The Dark Knight. I can't wait to see it again and I hope they are working on a sequel with Black Adam as soon as possible.
9.5/10
Interesting.

 

[Web-Head]

You thought this film looked ugly?

No but compared to Aquaman and Wonder Woman, this was a huge step down visually. You could tell the budget wasn't there in that regard

 

[samsnee]

To be fair, the other two took place in fantastical settings whereas Shazam was in a more real world contemporary setting. It felt smaller scale for sure, but I think that was the intent.

 

[SomeOldGuy]

I though the fx were fine. Would have been nice if they’d had a bit more money to punch up the Rock of Eternity, it seemed a little cramped when it ought to have been epic, and the sins were basically just gray demon critters that were well done but you’ve seen them before.

 

[Mysteryman]

Aren't the sins multicolored in the comics?

 

[TWayneP]

Man this was... not great... I KNOW I KNOW I will be in the minority. Don't write me off yet. But for those of you who do not dig modern comedy, you will likely have trouble loving this one. Wow, the comedy is like the worst jokes of the MCU shoved at your face for 2 hours. Most of it just doesn't work.

Some of the most heavy handed, ham fisted, stuff I've seen in many many years. Nearly everyone over acted, but I guess I can accept that given the source material and the children characters. It was just too cheesy for me, and the jokes that did work, which there were some genuinely funny moments, were driven into the ground by letting them go on and on... or letting them be brought back up. You know, like War Machine's "boom" joke essentially. Shazam! has nearly no subtlety or sophistication at all, and more of just a "goofy romp" vibe.

It's a pretty unspectacular film visually, but that would be fine if the story and comedy were there. The CG is at times SyFy channel level, so much so, those moments became the funniest moments of the movie for me, unintentionally of course.

Though I genuinely do not understand the ridiculously high praise this movie is getting, as if it's the very best DC movie of all time, it's not BAD, but it's one of the lowest on the DCEU rank for me. Certainly better than Suicide Squad of course, even just on a technical level. I have no desire to see Shazam! again, because I know for a fact those jokes won't age well, and it already felt a bit too long. Once it actually found it's footing with it's heavy handed message, it ended.

No blatant spoilers in this next paragraph, but my thoughts that may elude to an idea of whats at the end of the movie...

As a DC fan, I absolutely HATED

Spoiler

the final frame before the credits. It honestly felt like sand getting kicked in my face, so it didn't leave me very happy. The credit roll just enforces that feeling. But honestly, that's mostly the fault of WB and treating some prior characters poorly... so I'm not faulting Shazam for it, because it would have fit nicely otherwise, if we'd have gotten much more with certain character before it. I just felt robbed of a certain superheroic meeting I've been wanting to see on screen for a long time with that ending. It felt cheap. in more ways than one haha.

My final verdict is that it's a GREAT kids movie. Especially for foster children. There are a few dark moments but there are great messages in here for specifically the younger audience. I don't care about kids movies all that much, so this one did not work for me, and I just don't need or enjoy family messages beaten over my head. It's not better than the average Aquaman, but essentially, right below it, since it's visuals are nothing exciting, like Aquaman's were. I'm seeing DC leaning into the goofiness and comedy way more post Wonder Woman... so I hope Joker hits HARD with deadly serious, dark comedy, and DC can have a nice balance. I'm overjoyed that DC is finally getting praise from the public, and anything that lets more DC movies get made, I'm down for, even if this one is absolutely not for me.

If you hate modern or juvenile comedies, Just know going in it may not be for you, and try to shut off your brain. If you're a huge fan of DC's Captain Marvel(Shazam) you will likely eat most of this up as it's pretty true to the character. Let this review lower your expectations a good bit, because mine were far too high. I'm trying my hardest to be fair and look at it as objectively as I can. Thank you for reading and understanding my point of view, because I know I am in the minority.

5.5/10

p.s. If you're into that whole Captain Marvel debate, try and not be, lol. They are both valid. That's it. There was a man last night at my screening, after the movie ended who said "THAT'S THE REAL CAPTAIN MARVEL RIGHT THERE". This infuriated me to no end. Don't be one of those people, PLEASE.

 

[Web-Head]

Man this was... not great... I KNOW I KNOW I will be in the minority. Don't write me off yet. But for those of you who do not dig modern comedy, you will likely have trouble loving this one. Wow, the comedy is like the worst jokes of the MCU shoved at your face for 2 hours. Most of it just doesn't work.

Some of the most heavy handed, ham fisted, stuff I've seen in many many years. Nearly everyone over acted, but I guess I can accept that given the source material and the children characters. It was just too cheesy for me, and the jokes that did work, which there were some genuinely funny moments, were driven into the ground by letting them go on and on... or letting them be brought back up. You know, like War Machine's "boom" joke essentially. Shazam! has nearly no subtlety or sophistication at all, and more of just a "goofy romp" vibe.

It's a pretty unspectacular film visually, but that would be fine if the story and comedy were there. The CG is at times SyFy channel level, so much so, those moments became the funniest moments of the movie for me, unintentionally of course.

Though I genuinely do not understand the ridiculously high praise this movie is getting, as if it's the very best DC movie of all time, it's not BAD, but it's one of the lowest on the DCEU rank for me. Certainly better than Suicide Squad of course, even just on a technical level. I have no desire to see Shazam! again, because I know for a fact those jokes won't age well, and it already felt a bit too long. Once it actually found it's footing with it's heavy handed message, it ended.

No blatant spoilers in this next paragraph, but my thoughts that may elude to an idea of whats at the end of the movie...

As a DC fan, I absolutely HATED

Spoiler

the final frame before the credits. It honestly felt like sand getting kicked in my face, so it didn't leave me very happy. The credit roll just enforces that feeling. But honestly, that's mostly the fault of WB and treating some prior characters poorly... so I'm not faulting Shazam for it, because it would have fit nicely otherwise, if we'd have gotten much more with certain character before it. I just felt robbed of a certain superheroic meeting I've been wanting to see on screen for a long time with that ending. It felt cheap. in more ways than one haha.

My final verdict is that it's a GREAT kids movie. Especially for foster children. There are a few dark moments but there are great messages in here for specifically the younger audience. I don't care about kids movies all that much, so this one did not work for me, and I just don't need or enjoy family messages beaten over my head. It's not better than the average Aquaman, but essentially, right below it, since it's visuals are nothing exciting, like Aquaman's were. I'm seeing DC leaning into the goofiness and comedy way more post Wonder Woman... so I hope Joker hits HARD with deadly serious, dark comedy, and DC can have a nice balance. I'm overjoyed that DC is finally getting praise from the public, and anything that lets more DC movies get made, I'm down for, even if this one is absolutely not for me.

If you hate modern or juvenile comedies, Just know going in it may not be for you, and try to shut off your brain. If you're a huge fan of DC's Captain Marvel(Shazam) you will likely eat most of this up as it's pretty true to the character. Let this review lower your expectations a good bit, because mine were far too high. I'm trying my hardest to be fair and look at it as objectively as I can. Thank you for reading and understanding my point of view, because I know I am in the minority.

5.5/10

p.s. If you're into that whole Captain Marvel debate, try and not be, lol. They are both valid. That's it. There was a man last night at my screening, after the movie ended who said "THAT'S THE REAL CAPTAIN MARVEL RIGHT THERE". This infuriated me to no end. Don't be one of those people, PLEASE.

While I enjoyed the movie more than you did - I agree with a lot of your points.

- The humor didn't really work for me and I felt a good chunk of the jokes fell flat.

- Completely agree about the visuals. Those who complain about the look of Marvel movies can't say anything after what Shazam looked like. It didn't factor into me being a little disappointed in the movie, but it didn't help.

- I liked it more than all but Wonder Woman and Aquaman. I went in fully expecting to completely love this movie and it being my favorite of the DCEU. Maybe my expectations were too high after hearing how "great" this was and my anticipation was sky high.

- If someone made that comment at my screening it would have pissed me off to no end.

- I still enjoyed Shazam, but I don't think it lived up to the praise it's been getting and as I think about the movie more, the less I like it.

 

[TWayneP]

While I enjoyed the movie more than you did - I agree with a lot of your points.

- The humor didn't really work for me and I felt a good chunk of the jokes fell flat.

- Completely agree about the visuals. Those who complain about the look of Marvel movies can't say anything after what Shazam looked like. It didn't factor into me being a little disappointed in the movie, but it didn't help.

- I liked it more than all but Wonder Woman and Aquaman. I went in fully expecting to completely love this movie and it being my favorite of the DCEU. Maybe my expectations were too high after hearing how "great" this was and my anticipation was sky high.

- If someone made that comment at my screening it would have pissed me off to no end.

- I still enjoyed Shazam, but I don't think it lived up to the praise it's been getting and as I think about the movie more, the less I like it.

Yeah, leaving, I thought, well I will give it time, I will likely warm up to it, but I haven't yet. I just want to distance myself further from it, and I just realize it's not for me. Maybe, MAYBE once it's out on blu ray, I'll watch it again and feel slightly different, and be less critical of it.

It's middle of the pack for me. I'd rank modern DC...

1.Wonder Woman by far - Near perfect IMO. This movie is another that fills me with rich emotion every time, and succeeds at it's message while being visually arresting. Well oiled machine with all pistons firing. Music, effects, acting, writing, it all just works.

2.Man of Steel - My favorite live action Superman, despite many flaws, I prefer a Sci fi lean to my Supes. Plus Cavill is so awesome. Not every piston firing, but the music is phenomenal, and has great comic book elements.

3.Aquaman - Flawed but a genuine fun adventure with some awesome visuals.
4.Justice League - Huge disappointment, but awesome visuals remain to make it watchable at times.
5.Shazam - Nothing visually awesome, average at best, and comedy mostly falls flat robbing it of the fun it wants to have. Was there even a musical score? I didn't notice one bit.
6.BvS - Mostly offensive garbage to me, but I never bag on anyone who loves this movie.
7.Suicide Squad - Innocent garbage, but so bad on a technical level I have to rank it lowest.

I tend to favor DC more than Marvel, but Marvel has really won me over lately with Panther, Infinity War and Captain Marvel. Just, wow! I'm so happy to love both as much as I do, even with all of the stinkers!