Shazam!

Director - David F. Sandbert

Cast - Zachary Levi, Mark Strong

Country Of Origin - U.S.


Distributor - Warner Brothers

Number of discs –  2

Reviewed by - Scott MacDonald

Date- 08/06/2019

    Billy Batson is a young orphan boy, who has spent the majority of his childhood as a troublemaker. He runs away from all the homes he has been fostered with, and does whatever he needs to do to get his way, or to hopefully find his birth Mother, legality be damned.   Soon after being placed with his latest foster family, which offer an eclectic mix of family members, he befriends his roommate Freddy, who is obsessed with superheroes. One day at random, a wizard named Shazam appears to Freddy and offers the young boy his powers. He soon finds himself as an over the top superhero with all the strength, power, and all the strangeness that comes with the role.

   When Billy says Shazam! he becomes a cliche looking superhero played quite well by Zachary Levi balancing the tone of being a superhero, but also being a teenager. Billy finds himself with an arch rival almost from the start in Dr. Thaddeus Sirvana played by Mark Strong. Sirvana experienced the wizard's cave where Billy's powers came from, and went back without invitation only to integrate himself with the evil gargoyles who dwell there. When he finds out about Shazam! he goes out of his way to take him out.

     I haven't loved a lot of the DC Superhero cinema slate as of late. I enjoyed Batman Vs. Superman on an almost camp level, while Wonder Woman was a solid film in its own right. Aquaman was lovingly over the top, and thus a bunch of fun.  The trailers for Shazam made it seem like this would also be the case here, and they were. Shazam feels like a teenage coming of age film blended with superhero elements, action, and comedy. Some viewers might not find the mix successful, but I loved it. The film felt tonally different then a lot of the superhoer cinema out today, and managed to carve its own distinct niche.

    Warner Brothers presents Shazam on Blu-ray in 2:40:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer. This is a new film, and everything here looks quite solid with detail being excellent, black levels being inky, and deep, and colors truly popping. Audio is preented in True HD and Atmos track in English. Everything here is well balanced and comes through nice and clear. Extras include a motion comic, alternate opening and ending, deleted scenes, gag reel, and more. Shazam was a silly blast of a superhero film, and this Blu-ray comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.