Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Wednesday 27 March 2019
DC superhero pic 'Shazam!' is a joy...seriously

By LINDSEY BAHR sluggish beginning and the
Associated Press random, ridiculous villains,
Holy superhero fatigue, fade away under a haze of
Batman, "Shazam!" is actu- goodwill because unlike so
ally good. many big spectacle action
OK, so it's basically "Big" pics with sequels in mind,
with superheroes and vil- "Shazam!" actually sticks
lains instead of business- the landing.
people and girlfriends, but But perhaps I'm getting
director David F. Sandberg ahead of myself. Don't
has infused his film with so worry if you don't happen
much heart and charm to know anything about
that it hardly matters. Even "Shazam!" or are con-
the deficiencies, like the vinced that you won't care.

This image released by Warner Bros. shows Zachary Levi, left, and Jack Dylan Grazer in a scene
from "Shazam!"
Associated Press

I certainly didn't. Plus, there the adorable youngest; derwritten, too, although
are a lot of superheroes to Mary (Grace Fulton) and Strong does his best being
keep track of these days Pedro (Jovan Armand). The the straight, serious guy.
and someone who needs young actors assembled For the most part it comes
an exclamation point is here are astounding, and across as less of a threat
and should be immediately immediately captivating, and more of a buzzkill that
suspect. especially Grazer as Fred- gets in the way all the fun
The movie isn't here to dy and Herman as Darla we were having with Fred-
judge any lack of knowl- who nearly steal the show. dy and Shazam.
edge though. It's an ori- It's why when the film asks Also, as if Dr. Sivana wasn't
gin story about a jaded you to believe that it's re- enough, the script gives
14-year-old Philadelphia ally about family, and not him Seven Deadly Sins as
foster kid, Billy Batson (Ash- merchandising, you're on henchmen. These sins take
er Angel), who's bestowed board. the form of unimaginative
with superpowers by Dji- Freddy, with his wealth and indistinguishable CG
mon Hounsou (naturally). of superhero knowledge, gargoyles. I'm not exactly
As Shazam, he's physically helps Billy/Shazam figure sure what lust or greed
altered into an adult and out what to do with these would look like in gargoyle
takes the form of Zachary new, strange talents. The form, but I'm pretty certain
Levi. But of course, even training montages have a this isn't it. They're also giv-
with his height, his muscles, terrific comedic sensibility en dubbed voices that feel
his voice and even his pow- and Grazer and Levi are about as authentic as the
ers, he's still very much a kid perfectly matched for the voices of the monsters The
and has a lot to learn. job. Levi in particular pulls Power Rangers battled on
Those are the basics, but off the tricky feat of play- Saturday mornings.
the spirit really comes from ing a disaffected, but still There's also a running gag
the smart writing, the pitch- fairly innocent young teen- about a strip club that
perfect casting and the ager while wearing span- seemed a little retrograde
supporting world around dex and a cape, no less. for a current film. But, nit-
Billy and Shazam. Right Grazer, meanwhile, who picks aside, "Shazam!" is
before he gets his powers, we've seen before in "It," is just a lightning bolt of un-
he's placed in a new group beyond his years with his expected joy that is cer-
foster home led by Rosa ability to draw a laugh. tainly worth your time and
(Marta Milans) and Victor That's not to say the movie money. "Shazam!," a War-
Vasquez (Cooper Andrews) is perfect. The beginning ner Bros. release, is rated by
that's full of quirky charac- gives an extended origin the Motion Picture Associa-
ters: Freddy (Jack Dylan story for both Billy and the tion of America for "for in-
Grazer), a disabled super- little boy who will grow up tense sequences of action,
hero obsessive with a biting to become the megalo- language, and suggestive
wit; Eugene (Ian Chen), a maniac villain, Dr. Thad- material." Running time:
violent video game obses- deus Sivana (Mark Strong). 132 minutes. Three and a
sive; Darla (Faithe Herman), Dr. Sivana is woefully un- half stars out of four.q