Dear DC,        

You got this… almost.  The folks at Warner Bros. are so close to nailing what Marvel has started and continued to expand on that, they’ve almost pulled an open-minded comic nerd into their realm. But not only have they gotten my hopes up once again, but they’ve also, yet again(!), disappointed me.  I say this because they tried to keep a movie in the same universe as Man of Steel/Batman V. Superman etc.. but HOW can I expect any logistical continuity when you give me the worst cameo/Easter egg a comic book movie lover would come to expect??? Do they know where they are going?  I don’t think so.        

Shazam did an honorable job of giving us a likable superhero learning his ropes. It also gave us a superhero who I felt should be on late night TV, pulling an acoustic guitar out and laughing at his own jokes. Yes, that’s a reference to Jimmy Fallon.  No matter how hard I tried to throw that feeling aside, Zachary Levi couldn’t shake the similarities to the Saturday Night Live actor. Mark Strong, on the other hand, was one of the better super villains I’ve seen in a while. I do feel that the character was kind of wasted.  He could have been the Lex Luthor that saved Batman V. Superman. I can’t help but feel a little ripped off from the darkness Zack Snyder has created in the DC Universe to being left with the best children’s movie I’ve seen since Home Alone, but instead of John Hughes at the helm,  I’m left with remnants that could only be created by someone trying to recreate his craft.       

Don’t get me wrong, other than more than a few eye rolling moments – and there were more than that – Shazam proved that Warner Bros. is sort of moving in the right direction, they’re just too scared to commit. That’s why we’ve gotten three fairly decent standalone comic book movies (Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Shazam) that would be more comfortable as that: stand-alone movies.  Instead, I’m left with the memories of what could have blossomed into something cool, and I’m stuck pondering where the hell everything is going to end up.  Figure your shit out Warner Bros., you have some of the best comic book movies ever created in your corner and true fans will never forget your potential.

Am I Glad I watched It? Of course, it was a fair bit of fun and it was a fairly wholesome feel-good movie. Also, props on the Seven Deadly Sins villainy, that shit was super cool. Would I watch it again? Only for the hope I might catch a few more Easter eggs that probably don’t exist. Should you watch it? Yes, if you want to see that beyond all the darkness and vigilante nonsense we’ve come to expect from DC, you finally get to watch a true honest to goodness superhero be just that… 100% good.

2/5. Rated Kane