By: Keaton Marcus

Remember the dingy, and well, failed endeavors at angst and darkness in "Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice", "Suicide Squad"--and 2017's "Justice League"--well the DCEU promptly has a couple of solid, consecutive superhero flicks in the barrel, including the very effortlessly entertaining "Wonder Woman" and last year's "Aquaman". While the comics franchise may have come too late for competing against the MCU for "good" movies, their newest films show so much promise; too bad "Justice League 2" is coming out. Anyway, their latest production is "Shazam!", helmed by horror filmmaker David F. Sandberg--the film has a load full of charm, hilarity and brought to life by well-rounded performances--making the first comical DCEU picture the best in their very muddled blockbuster franchise. Yes, it's silly, and a tad bit long--but those couple flaws rarely stop "Shazam!" from becoming the ultimate crowd-pleaser.

Remember, the original character is named Billy Batson. The boy is merely 14 years old--and played by Disney Channel's Asher Angel. Billy has been running from foster parents, getting into trouble with the police, and dropping out of school ever since his teenage mom abandoned him. Billy is ready to escape after he meets his new guardians Victor and Rosa--and the kids consisting of Mary, Eugene, and Darla--the only reason keeping him from bolting out the door is his fast-talking roommate Freddy (a scene-stealing Jack Dylan Grazer). Freddy is a boy Billy's age who is obsessed with superheroes and would kill to become one. However, soon later, Billy is abducted into a mysterious, mythical cave--which is the lair to an old wizard called Shazam (a hysterical Djimon Hounsou)--who asks Billy to "put your hands on my staff", of course kicking off the jokes of the movie, Batson replies with "Gross!" implying the private part. After Shazam's powers are transferred to Billy--it makes him a muscular, goofy "hero" in spandex. His actions, including fighting crime, make him look like an overgrown child--then, well, you have to think Tom Hanks-starring "Big" to get the joke.

Furthermore, even the most extremely demanding viewers cannot resist the pure power conveyed by Zachary Levi--who plays the title character. The middle-aged actor has made previous appearances in the "Alvin and the Chipmunks" franchise, not having enough lines to truly transfer the talent to audiences. In "Shazam!", its clearly Levi's first big break--and the actually extremely funny actor does not waste a bit. His chemistry with the surrounding cast works, and Levi's character will hopefully be used for possible sequels and other films in the interconnected superhero franchise.

Despite the over-serious beginning, depicting the origins of Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong)--the fun really starts when Billy is officially turned into Shazam, and when Zachary Levi can use his ultimate talent. While the hero's backstory is generic, and like every other one--the simple set-up works. When Freddy finds that Billy, well, is a superhero--the duo have a clever, and a very glad montage of them testing out Shazam's powers--I won't spoil them. This film really is the kid-friendly version of "Deadpool"--well, without breaking the fourth wall. Other notable things in the movie are the adorable wisecracks made by one of Billy's younger foster siblings, Darla--played by young actress Faithe Herman--who immediately outshines potentially unfavorable scenes.

Mentioned earlier, actor Mark Strong plays the iconic villain Dr. Sivana. Strong has made previous appearances in the likes of "Kingsman: The Secret Service", "Kick-Ass" and in Robert Downey Jr.-starring "Sherlock Holmes". Strong is just excellent as the antagonist to the newest installment of the DCEU--just brilliant--his voice is serious, never changing the tone and the workmanlike screenplay is so cleverly done, you forget the occasional generic role. In what could have been the worst villain in the DCEU, Mark Strong is experienced enough to save it completely.

Really, while "Shazam!" occasionally suffers from a fumble start and end--there are enough impressive visual effects, laughs and memorable performances to spare. The film not only provides a revolutionary kid-friendly film for the genre but also squeaks in a bit of horror and jokes for the older audiences--entertaining all ages. Zachary Levi and Mark Strong's performances are very well executed--the storytelling is faithful to the comics and simple enough to enjoy. "Shazam!" does not waste its precious time on a bland, dark and generic plot--and instead delivers something all audiences can enjoy.

The final verdict is: "Shazam!" has a running-time slightly too long, but the DCEU's newest comic-based film delivers consistent laughs, more than enough entertainment, and a star-turning performance by the criminally underrated Zachary Levi--the superhero-themed movie will put a smile on your face, no matter what...$PLURGE IT

By: Keaton Marcus