DC has another hit on its hands with the release of the movie “Shazam.” Based on the comic DC superhero, the movie was produced by New Line Cinema and is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the seventh movie released in the DC Extended Universe.
Following on the trend of Wonder Woman and Aquaman, Shazam is a fun-filled family movie. Unlike the dark stories presented in prior DC films, this story highlights the origin of this beloved DC character. And thanks to skills of Asher Angel (Bill Batson) and Zachary Levi (Adult superhero Shazam), Director David Sandberg properly captures the essence of the DC hero.
I would recommend this movie to anyone (not just Shazam fans) as my family and I found it quite enjoyable. In this writer’s opinion, these are the kind of movies that DC should be producing to promote their extended universe…
ATTN: SPOILER ALERT – This article contains information about the movie.
The story begins with a young Thaddeus Sivana on a car trip with this father and older brother. Young Sivana is transported to the Rock of Eternity to face the Wizard Shazam, last of the Council of Seven Wizards. Found to be unworthy to receive the power of the Old Wizard, young Thaddeus is returned to his father and brother and is blamed for the car accident that follows.
The movie then does a time jump forward several years to our present-day. Foster kid Billy Batson searches for his birth mother after tricking two police squad officers. He is later captured and placed in a group home run by Victor and Rosa Vasquez. The Vasquez have five other foster kids beside Billy: Mary Bromfield, Pedro Peña, Eugene Choi, Darla Dudley and Freddy Freeman. Freddy becomes Batson’s roommate and later his super-hero mentor.
Meanwhile, an adult Thaddeus Sivana obsessed with returning to the Rock of Eternity finally discovers a way back. He steals the Eye of Sin unleashing the seven deadly sins and defeats the Old Wizard Shazam. As a reward for releasing the seven deadly sins, Sivana becomes a vessel for the demons. He uses this new found power to get revenge upon his father and brother.
Later at school, Billy Batson saves his foster brother Freddy from a bunch of bullies. While escaping he is transported to the Rock of Eternity. It is there that the dying Old Wizard Shazam names Billy Batson his new Champion transferring his powers to the youth. Transformed into an adult, young Billy returns home and enlists the aid of his roommate Freddy. Freddy guides Batson in the use of his powers (several of which are quite comedic), filming it and posting it on social media.
The result is that Billy’s alter-ego is a star with the citizens of Philadephia wherein they embrace him as their city’s hero. This newfound fame affects Billy negatively as he begins to skip school and neglect his siblings embracing money and fame. It is when Batson saves a falling bus (which was caused by his misuse of his lightning bolts) that Sivana confronts Billy. A battle ensues and Batson realizes that he is NO match for Thaddeus.
Sivana pursues Billy, kidnapping his siblings and demanding Batson give up his powers to him. Billy agrees and both Thaddeus and Batson travel to the Rock of Eternity. It is there that Billy realizes that Sivana draws his powers from the Seven Deadly Sins and when they leave him, Thaddeus is powerless. Thanks to his foster siblings intervention, Billy and his family escape only to be pursued by Sivana. They escape to the Winter Carnival where Thaddeus unleashes the seven deadly sins. In the end Billy is once again captured alongside his foster brothers and sisters.
Once again Sivana demands Billy transfer his power to him holding the staff of the Old Wizard Shazam. When Thaddeus recalls the seven deadly sins into him, Batson uses the opportunity to snatch the staff and stun Sivana. Remembering the advice of the Old Wizard Shazam, Billy shares his power with his foster siblings transforming them all into adult superheroes before destroying the Old Wizard’s staff.
Billy and his foster brothers and sisters battle Sivana and the seven deadly sins. They defeat them by Batson taking back the Eye of Sin from Thaddeus which recaptures all the seven deadly sins. Billy and his family are hailed as heroes at the Winter Carnival, and Billy realizes that his foster family is his true family. Traveling back to the Rock of Eternity, the heroes return the Eye of Sin which reimprisons the seven deadly sins. The group decides that they can use the vacant location as their base of operations aka “lair.”
The end of the movie was Billy (as an adult super-hero) and his family having lunch with Freddy at school. Batson had also invited Superman to join them.