The new superhero movie Shazam! will go down as one the most fun movies of 2019.

 Starring Zachary Levi as the titular hero, Shazam! is a movie you don’t want to miss. Even if you aren’t a fan of superhero movies, this one packs a punch in many categories.

 First, the movie has a ton of heart. The main character, a 14-year old named Billy Batson, a troubled kid who is sent to a foster home. He is chosen to become Shazam and during the film he learns what it takes to be a hero.

 A big aspect of the movie is its humor. Levi’s character is basically a teenager in an adult’s body and he nails it. Almost every scene involving him brought loads of laughs and was the driving force of the whole adventure.

 The action was there as well, as it is in every superhero film. With the combination of Levi’s humor, the fight scenes were even more enjoyable. The big battle is intense too with a surprising twist mixed in.

 The villain was great as well, with his scary charisma and interesting backstory. He was definitely a high point throughout the movie and gives the viewers chills, something every villain should do.

 Finally, one of the main themes of Shazam! is family as Billy learns to live with his new foster home. This theme of family makes the movie what it is and is the best aspect of DC’s newest film.

 Shazam! is a great edition to the DCEU and I’m excited to see the franchise progress.

The DC cinematic universe has had its ups and downs. From incredible villains, like Heath Ledger’s Joker, to questionable heroes like the justice league’s attempt at the Flash, it’s always been a hit or miss for the franchise. Unfortunately, Shazam was a miss.

    The film, like the latest justice league, attempted comedic undertones and an adolescent-friendly vibe, rather than the darker style DC is known for, and that did so well in The Dark Knight.

    On top of that, it tries to take place in Philadelphia. Views of the skyline were familiar to south jersey natives that frequent the city of brotherly love. Filming took place there too. However, a substantial portion of the film shines a bad light on the city. It showed a mugging and robbery within two minutes of each other.

     The villain was predictable. Inspired by jealousy and greed, he seeked out Shazam’s magical powers. Many parts of the film were predictable, the plot fit the same structure as any other. Villain is traumatized, goes out for revenge. Hero gets powers, doesn’t understand them. Hero struggles internally. Hero overcomes villain.

     Comedy in the film was poorly written. It felt like writers just thought, “what would an eleven year old think?” and follow that. But butt jokes and puberty only go so far. Yes, the main character is a teenager, but the audience is a lot wider than teenage boys. Comic lovers saw it fall short in action, story, and plain old connections to the series.

     At the end of the day, it wasn’t a waste of money to buy a ticket. It had  entertaining factors, and the acting wasn’t bad. Shazam was fun, but predictable. Maybe they will make a sequel with richer content, something that will make viewers want to hero up and say, “Shazam”!