Shazam!

(Let's Just Say It) Captain Marvel II
or
The Big Red Cheese-Fest

One is tempted to quote Gomer Pyle and say "Sha-zayam!" at this, but for the fear of being struck by lightning, let's just say "Holy Moley," this movie is a lot of fun.

It's the second flick within a period of weeks to feature a super-hero named "Captain Marvel" (although he's never actually called that in the movie and the various "noms suprême" given to him during the movie is one of the funny running gags zipping through the movie). Why the double-vision is a complicated story involving lawyers and trademarks, and far better explained by writer (including comics) Mark Evanier from his blog "Notes From ME" than I could ever manage, so go to this link:
https://www.newsfromme.com/2019/03/13/ask-me-59/ 
and you'll find out about THOSE Captains Marvel (and a couple more).

Shazam! follows the latest imagining of the Captain (who's been around since 1939), where, instead of being a radio personality on WHIZ radio, the Captain's alter ego Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel) is your random orphan-kid, living in a foster home run by the Vasquez's (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans) with a mix of kids, which fits in with the older iteration of the Captain that emphasized family and shared strengths.

And this one is so much fun, especially given the sturm and drang of so many super-hero movies (especially in the DC Movie Universe, but also in Marvel's movies, even the ones designed to be lighter), that one wishes everybody would be a bit more "larky" in their approach.

Now, having said that, be aware that the first twenty minutes of the movie are a bit tough to sit through, if you're expecting a good time. The beginning is very exposition-heavy, telling the story of young Thaddeus Sivana—smart, but mixed-up kid—growing up in a dysfunctional family (headed by John Glover, so you know there are problems) where he is the runt of the litter in a family of privileged jerks. After a traumatic event, he is tested by being offered powers by the aging wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) and is found wanting—and left wanting the power he is denied. As Shazam stands guard over the powers of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury as well as the Seven Deadly Sins, he's feeling a bit tired, but even if he's in a hurry to be let go of his burden, he can still see that Sivana is not good hero-material. Best to look somewhere else.

Cut to young Billy Batson—troubled, unruly kid—who has run away from the latest in a series of orphanages and foster homes to try and find his mother, who abandoned him after he became lost in an amusement park. Young Billy uses subterfuge to hijack a police car, so he can travel to the next Batson residence on his list to see if his Mom is there. She isn't, and in a way that recalls how Buster Keaton would make an obvious visual gag out of mistaken identity.

Billy goes back to the orphanage where his record of truancy is brought up again—as if he didn't already know—and told that his last chance—his only chance—is waiting out in the other room. It is the Vasquez's, Rosa and Victor, who run a blended and extraordinarily diverse foster home for kids. Billy is skeptical, but it's his only chance and he's run out of addresses on his "Batson" list. 

He meets his other foster siblings: Mary (Grace Fulton), Darla (Faithe Herman), Eugene (Ian Chen), and Pedro (Jovan Armand), and finally his room-mate Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), who is crippled, walks with a brace and is a Class-A nerd, collecting all sorts of superhero memorabilia (his proudest possession being a bullet that bounced off Superman). Billy is stand-offish to Freddy, as he is with everyone in the Vasquez household, and they view him as a potentially good addition if he was only accepting of the situation.

He attends Fawcett Middle School with the rest of the kids and is probably thinking about his first opportunity to ditch when fate steps in—or stomps—in the form of some stuck-up bullies who proceed to beat up Freddy for...well, just being Freddy. Billy sees this as he is walking away and he turns around, picks up Freddy's brace and proceeds to wallop the creeps with it. It is this act that changes Billy's life, and fortunately for us, the movie.

Billy takes the subway and it makes an unscheduled stop—the same Rock of Eternity, where Shazam makes Billy the same offer made to Sivana—"speak my name"—and Billy, in a flash of lightning, becomes Capta—well, much older and in a flashy red spandex outfit and cape (and portrayed by Zachary Levi). It is Shazam's last act, and Billy, panic-stricken, runs out of the cave...and into the real world.

But, not the real world he knows. He's taller, stronger, and there are lightning bolts coming out of his fingers...and he's in this weird suit! His first stop already shows the change in his attitude—he seeks out Freddy. Freddy will know what to do (he doesn't), but he's more than willing to experiment on his friend Billy to find out what his powers are—he can punch through concrete and he can throw lightning from his finger-tips...and...most importantly...he can buy beer!

The whole sequence inside a convenience store is just too much fun to spoil, but it sets up the way the film will go, with two kids with a sudden knowledge of what it's like to be 1) a grown-up and 2) a super-powered grown-up. Here, it takes a page from the late Penny Marshall's Big (there's even a momentary acknowledgment to it) and then flies with it. For Freddy, this is a dream come true, a wish-fulfillment for a smart kid with bad legs to have a super-pal; for Billy, it's a mixed blessing. 

Although he's supposed to have the wisdom of Solomon, he's still a kid and he has no idea how to do this "superhero" thing, but he's going to learn the advantages (he looks like an adult, and more importantly, treated like one, he's big, strong, and can fly) and the disadvantages—people want what he has or put him down in a big way. And he's going to have to grow up pretty fast.

Sometimes being a hero isn't all it's cracked up to be—it's not all rescuing kittens out of trees and getting keys to the city from the Mayor—and it attracts bad people who want to build themselves up by beating him and taking away some of his glory. But, Billy doesn't "get" that, at the beginning. He's content to just wandering around being a "superhero," doing super-tricks and getting himself in a lot of selfies. That should keep him out of trouble. although Freddy is disappointed that he won't be more...yaknow...super-heroic.

But, Billy can't run away from Sivana (grown up to be Mark Strong, who can now do villain roles in his sleep), who now possesses the avatars of the Seven Deadly Sin's—big deal: what do you do with the power of "Sloth?"—and wants Billy's god-like powers, too. It is only when the villain takes his foster-siblings hostage that Capt...uh, Billy must make a stand and become the hero Shazam intended and the world needs.

Forget about what the world needs, what about the movie-going public? The Marvel and DC movies have been so heavy—despite throwing in a humorous line or two—that they're more like watching Shakespeare tragedies than being any fun. It seems like the first movies are okay and then it's inevitable with the second movie that the hero is disenchanted with being a superhero and wants to quit. Quit? What kind of hero is THAT? Having abilities should be a joy, not a burden, and being able to do good for people should be aspirational, not treated like it's a dumb thing to do because you'll only get betrayed in the end.

Thank the Greek gods, Shazam! isn't so melodramatic. It can't be. It's from a kid's perspective and to a kid, having super-powers is totally cool, and the players are wonderfully geeky about expressing the delight and wonder of being able to be fast, and leap buildings in almost a single bound, and doing all those things that superheroes do...like having a "secret lair," or showing up bad guys. 
That puts a big burden on the actors to walk a fine line between "gee-whiz" and irritatingly cloying. And Angel, Grazer and particularly Levi manage to be genuinely energetic but also have a crack comic timing that makes every surprise pay off to its maximum. You enjoy the experience, rather than spending your time looking for "Easter Eggs"

It's a blast. So, go ahead, let Marvel take out half the Universe. Just means there's more room for guys like this. And for movies that actually remember when it was fun reading comics than merely collecting them, bagging them and locking them away for their value to go up (fat chance). This one makes you smile, rather than want to beat somebody up.

Shazam! actually soars.