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Shazam |OT| ♪ Say My Name, Say My Name ♪
- Thread starter ReiGun
- Start date
OP
OP
Mr. Mind, a classic Shazam villain. He's an evil alien worm who is the head of a group called the Monster Society of Evil.
Yeah it could be very fun for a sequel, especially if they lean into it and go full Monster Society
Just got out. Thought it was really good. Tons of great comedy, the whole audience was laughing a lot. The family characters were all pretty good. Not reinventing the wheel or anything, but super fun and colorful while maintaining a good emotional core.
First WB CGIs away Superman's upper lip, and now they do the same to his head? Smh
I enjoyed the movie. Nothing earth shattering, but not every superhero movie needs to tie into a huge series of other superhero films. And based on the sequel tease, if there is another film it will likely be as self contained as this first one. And given that they
showed Mr. Mind, they shouldn't be afraid of putting Talky Tawny onscreen, though that could be strain the budget
Yeah I hope that DC handles Shazam the same way Fox handles Deadpool. They let you know that it is in the same universe as other film properties, but they resist the temptation to really have characters cross-over. I don't think the tone here really matches the rest of the DCEU and I would like that to stay somewhat consistent. If Shazam goes to hang out with the Justice League I think it would not play very well......he needs to be able to remain a kid.
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Really loved this, and also want to make a special shout-out for the kid actors, who were all great.
Ok, now let me be blunt with you for a second, Zach Levis in an inflated red superhero suit is about as cheesy as you would expect, and, yes, this is basically a superhero version of the 1988 film Big, but that is what makes Shazam! great. Shazam! is not afraid to be fun, and I don't mean fun in a Marvel Cinematic Universe type way with overbearing quips every two minutes, or fun in the "haha, no more over-the-top darkness in my DC Extended Universe" (DCEU) way. We are talking about genuine heartfelt family moments, clever jokes, and awesome action scenes that feel earned, rather than forced. Shazam! will truly make you grin like a child in a candy shop.
The best part about Shazam! is the sense of character development and overall family dynamic between Billy and the Vasquez family, but more specifically the bond between Billy and Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), his new foster brother. Freddy is a superhero enthusiast that could easily represent any DCEU fan in the way he obsesses over Batman and Superman. His vast knowledge of all things superhero is what starts his bond with Billy as he helps him figure out his powers in a comedic fashion. The more Billy bonds with his foster family, the more he realizes what being a hero is all about.
Being skeptical of any film released in the DCEU is more rational than insane in the year 2019. After all, we have all been down this road before, a hyper-stylish trailer appealing to our senses, despite a gut feeling telling us to approach with caution. First Batman vs. Superman, then Justice League, and finally Aquaman, all exceeding in certain aspects of joyful entertainment, but ultimately a letdown to a mixed bag at best. Luckily, Shazam! doesn't care about your skepticism or your viewpoints of the direction the DCEU is heading towards. Shazam! does something the other films in the DCEU fail to do, focus on providing a cohesive film experience for all ages.
★★★★
Good review. I mostly agree with the takeaways. Except this:
The movie bombards you with quips and jokes. I love the style so I enjoyed it, but it absolutely that style of thing.
The movie bombards you with quips and jokes. I love the style so I enjoyed it, but it absolutely that style of thing.
thank you so much!
it felt different in Shazam! because it was mostly coming from kids trying to be cool and say cliche superhero lines. where else in a mcu film, these are grown adults
I guess, but in essence it's the same style of storytelling. And it's gonna come mostly from kids when almost all of the main cast is kids. But even the two parent characters have their share of quips and jokes.
To be honest, most of the jokes felt flat to me. I enjoyed the interactions, but I wasn't really laughing. Shazam! had a lot more heart in its story apart from the constant jokes/quips. In Marvel movies it was more noticeable to me, but I was more focused on the story here.
That's surprising to me. Not because you didn't find the jokes landing, but because the film still worked for you in spite of that. While I loved the jokes, I think the film places a lot of weight on them to establish the family dynamic. I don't really think it would have worked for me if the humor fell flat.
It really did. I thought all the sincerity and heart originated from the foster parents to be honest. Those two did a tremendous job with their limited screen time.
When they were joking with each other, it felt natural to me so I guess that family dynamic was built from that. I just wasn't laughing much during those jokes.
There are other running gags I loved, but the jokes/quips within the family was something that helped build the dynamic even if the jokes weren't landing for me.
I agree. I loved the foster parents. They sold the foster home as something that felt like a family.
I liked this movie a lot, but I had some issues with it
Positives:
Negatives:
My list of positives is longer than the negatives, but the negatives were more specific so I fleshed my thoughts out more. In the end, I'd still recommend people go watch it. Definitely in the upper echelon of DC movies, to no surprise.
Positives:
+ Zach Levi is a joy to watch
+ Freddy was a lot of fun
+ Appreciated the foster family stuff, the parents seemed like really wholesome people and I appreciated that
+ A lot of the humour landed with me
+ I liked the villain's backstory
+ The team fight at the end was a lot of fun
+ Darla is adorable
+ Freddy was a lot of fun
+ Appreciated the foster family stuff, the parents seemed like really wholesome people and I appreciated that
+ A lot of the humour landed with me
+ I liked the villain's backstory
+ The team fight at the end was a lot of fun
+ Darla is adorable
Negatives:
- The tone switches frequently which I found jarring. So much of this movie is light, joyful fun. Then we have a literal demon biting someone's head off.
- I found the pacing too frenetic? The movie had to balance the storylines of Billy finding his mom, Billy and Freddy learning about Shazam's powers and the responsibility of being a superhero, Freddy trying to find acceptance instead of pity from other people, Billy not wanting to integrate into the foster family, the villain's story, and others. Some of these topics converged well, some of them didn't. Like, I feel like the intertwined storyline of search for mom and the struggle for connection with the foster family was underdeveloped, which is a shame, because all the emotion and soul was there.
- There was just something off about the final conflict for me, starting from when the foster family follows Sivana and Shazam into the castle. I can't quite place my finger on it. Sivana's threat level seemed to fluctuate, maybe? Goes with the tonal shifts - from threatening to kill a little girl to being mocked as a joke.
- Having worked in social services/education, the setup for Billy's abandonment by his mother was a little immersion-ruining. Like, that's not how that would've worked. But I understand that the story wouldn't happen without that
- I found the pacing too frenetic? The movie had to balance the storylines of Billy finding his mom, Billy and Freddy learning about Shazam's powers and the responsibility of being a superhero, Freddy trying to find acceptance instead of pity from other people, Billy not wanting to integrate into the foster family, the villain's story, and others. Some of these topics converged well, some of them didn't. Like, I feel like the intertwined storyline of search for mom and the struggle for connection with the foster family was underdeveloped, which is a shame, because all the emotion and soul was there.
- There was just something off about the final conflict for me, starting from when the foster family follows Sivana and Shazam into the castle. I can't quite place my finger on it. Sivana's threat level seemed to fluctuate, maybe? Goes with the tonal shifts - from threatening to kill a little girl to being mocked as a joke.
- Having worked in social services/education, the setup for Billy's abandonment by his mother was a little immersion-ruining. Like, that's not how that would've worked. But I understand that the story wouldn't happen without that
My list of positives is longer than the negatives, but the negatives were more specific so I fleshed my thoughts out more. In the end, I'd still recommend people go watch it. Definitely in the upper echelon of DC movies, to no surprise.
Dang, love Moviebob so if he loved it I'm super excited. Everyone seems to have really enjoyed it.
Edit:
Also this Shazam! vs. Shazam video was funny
This is really merely poking fun at the naming.
Zachary Levi has so much fun playing these :v
Also this Shazam! vs. Shazam video was funny
This is really merely poking fun at the naming.
Zachary Levi has so much fun playing these :v
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Loved everything about the movie, it even feels like this is the kind of movie that could redeem Superman for the whole audience with all the references.
I loved the hint about Black Adam, but I wanted to see Dwayne Johnson in the post credit scene! even if it was just his head.
I'm not super into the Shazam lore so the talking larva didn't ring a bell for me first.
And of course the better moment, maybe one of the best of the DCEU so far, is the Shazam Family, I was waiting for this since the movie was announced, it's an incredible moment in the comics and it's so great in the movie.
"Say my name!"
"BILLY !!"
Ahaha
I'm not super into the Shazam lore so the talking larva didn't ring a bell for me first.
And of course the better moment, maybe one of the best of the DCEU so far, is the Shazam Family, I was waiting for this since the movie was announced, it's an incredible moment in the comics and it's so great in the movie.
"Say my name!"
"BILLY !!"
Ahaha
This is what I kind of think of when Ezra Miller was talking about a "dark" flash
Just got back from watching it and I can only sum up my experience of this movie with this gif
An overall fun movie with great laughs and wonderful performance from Levi. Really interested in watching Chuck now.
While I DO have some nitpicks which I'll post about in the Spoiler thread soon, I strongly recommend watching this movie. It has a couple of scary scenes so younger kids might be put off by them, but they are bound to enjoy it a lot.
Kids at the theatre I was in would even start yelling SHAZAM :)
I don't know if there is a 2nd post credit scene, but def. watch the first credits because it's awesome and the post credit one got me excited ;P
An overall fun movie with great laughs and wonderful performance from Levi. Really interested in watching Chuck now.
While I DO have some nitpicks which I'll post about in the Spoiler thread soon, I strongly recommend watching this movie. It has a couple of scary scenes so younger kids might be put off by them, but they are bound to enjoy it a lot.
Kids at the theatre I was in would even start yelling SHAZAM :)
I don't know if there is a 2nd post credit scene, but def. watch the first credits because it's awesome and the post credit one got me excited ;P
Yeah
I sincerely hope she gets more focus in the next movie ;)
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I really enjoyed this. It seemed to be sold like a meta goof deadpool like experience in the trailers, but it worked splendidly like an action movie as well. The foster home family was full of adorable characters. Fun to see Chuck again. The cameo used for the transformed nerd sidekick in the end was hilarious.
I said here or somewhere else, it shocked me at how hard and dark it was, its like an 80s teen movie
Didn't click for me. Thought it was rather hammy and the humour didn't work. The kids were mostly terrible and I love mark best as an actor but he was wasted here. Jokes didn't land for most of this movie in
My screening and it felt tepid. Compare the performance of the teens from Spider-Man to this and it's night and day. All the adopted kids are pretty bad and the little black sister was the worst of the bunch.
5.5/10 for me. Enjoyed most of the DCEU movies more than this.
and
they... should have
totally should have.
My screening and it felt tepid. Compare the performance of the teens from Spider-Man to this and it's night and day. All the adopted kids are pretty bad and the little black sister was the worst of the bunch.
5.5/10 for me. Enjoyed most of the DCEU movies more than this.
I did like how there were other superheroes in the end. Didnt expect it. was dope but that was it.
and
they... should have
had henry cavill show up. He needs 1 more movie that isnt a zack snyder piece of shit
totally should have.
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Glen Weldon, who knows his comics, has a review up.
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/04/7094...ovies-bring-the-thunder-and-the-lightening-up
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/04/7094...ovies-bring-the-thunder-and-the-lightening-up
The scene in
certainly was something.
Thinking back it stands out compared to the rest of the film due to the insane tone change.
the board room
Thinking back it stands out compared to the rest of the film due to the insane tone change.
I don't think this is a particularly GOOD review, but I think the person has best articulated the whole DC Dark, Marvel light conversation. Especially with the note about how folks say that going into Endgame.
Got a ticket for tonight. Been looking forward to this since the 1st trailer.
I think the movie looks great, but none of my friends want to see it. So I'm going alone. :(
My wife would go with me, but she's out of town.
I think the movie looks great, but none of my friends want to see it. So I'm going alone. :(
My wife would go with me, but she's out of town.
Its curious how most of the reviews I've seen online does not talk about the performances for the kids which I thought was really bad (especially the adopted siblings)
Took me right out of the movie.
The cgi is also really bad. Shazam looks like a cartoon when he's flying around (especially the early stuff)
The two scenes that really struck me where their acting took me out of the movie:
FIRST: the couch scene when mark strong had them held hostage and they were surrounded by these monstrous sins. NON of them convincingly displayed fear. These are some fucking scary monsters. Generally, the way they deal with this is they don't even seem overtly panicked.
SECOND: the tent scene where they're being held hostage by the sins once they're all captured. Of course they're standing around and there's probably men in tights with tracking dots on them, but non of them act convincingly.
FIRST: the couch scene when mark strong had them held hostage and they were surrounded by these monstrous sins. NON of them convincingly displayed fear. These are some fucking scary monsters. Generally, the way they deal with this is they don't even seem overtly panicked.
SECOND: the tent scene where they're being held hostage by the sins once they're all captured. Of course they're standing around and there's probably men in tights with tracking dots on them, but non of them act convincingly.
Took me right out of the movie.
The cgi is also really bad. Shazam looks like a cartoon when he's flying around (especially the early stuff)