Shazam! (2019)

[Some Android]

...or SHAZAM! because the title is in all caps on the youtube page:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oD7B7oiBtw

Thoughts?

I don't know. Obviously kind of cheesy but still looks like fun. I'm not that familiar with the character. I don't know if this is a proper representation of the character from the comics. Their obviously going for kid's mindset in an adult's body. I thought some of the dialogue was delightful.

I don't know. Am I crazy? At least no one asked Billy as Shazam if he bleeds.

[LaZodiac]

DC finally found the one super hero they can't make a bad movie for. Other than Wonder Woman anyway.

[Legato Endless]

Shazam is supposed to be cheesy. It's a series about the wonders and whimsy of being a child. Well, except for New 52...

I'm cautiously optimistic. Zach Levi looks capable of pulling off that innocent charisma. Looks a lot better than the Aquaman trailer we got today.

[Some Android]

Shazam is supposed to be cheesy. It's a series about the wonders and whimsy of being a child. Well, except for New 52...

I guess that's cool. I'd still probably enjoy the film giving the tone and what I've seen. I was just wondering if it betrayed the source material. Sometimes content can butcher the source material and be great though. This sort of has a Deadpool vib but you know less 4th wall breaks and obviously something you could show to children.

Can anyone tell me who the villain is? The guy that stopped the punch?


I'm cautiously optimistic. Zach Levi looks capable of pulling off that innocent charisma. Looks a lot better than the Aquaman trailer we got today.

Haven't seen that. Is he still Bro-siedon?

[Kitten Champion]

Looks fine.

They aren't trying to sell it as something more than it is, making it a more low-key family film rather than Kingdom Come or whatever. Child acquires superpowers, hijinx ensue, lessons about responsibility will be learned at the end -- that's all they needed to do and they appear to be doing that, so, bravo.

Really though, I didn't actually think even WB/DC would go the full Snyder route with Shazam!, but my last experience with the character was Justice League: War where he was just this shockingly awful, completely unlikable character for reasons beyond my ken, and I really could see that happening.

A less ambitious Spider-Man: Homecoming is cool with me.

[Zevox]

DC finally found the one super hero they can't make a bad movie for. Other than Wonder Woman anyway.
After the Titans trailer, I don't see any reason to believe they can't screw up anything they put their minds to.

Fortunately, at least from this trailer, it actually looks like they might not have screwed this one up. It actually doesn't look like they've turned into a darker-and-edgier fest, and heck, there was even a joke poking fun at that in there! That's surprising, but I'll take it and allow myself a very cautious and small amount of optimism on this one. If the trailer is actually representative of the film, it may be their first non-Wonder Woman film that I'll go see.

(Well, I also went to see Green Lantern... and the disappointment of that is one of the reasons I haven't gone to see anything else except Wonder Woman.)

[Aotrs Commander]

Well, that... doesn't look dreadful.



Still cautious, is IS DC, but...

[BannedInSchool]

Still cautious, is IS DC, but...

The middle of the third act is Billy deciding all of humanity can eat his ass. :smallwink:

[Some Android]

The middle of the third act is Billy deciding all of humanity can eat his ass. :smallwink:

Literally of figuratively?

Also..ass? Donkey or buttocks?

[Legato Endless]

Can anyone tell me who the villain is? The guy that stopped the punch?

That's Dr. Sivana, Billy's first nemesis. Think golden age mad scientist bent on universal domination and you've got the gist. The villainous catchphrase "Curses! Foiled Again!" This is the guy who popularized it.


Haven't seen that. Is he still Bro-siedon?

Yep.


https://youtu.be/WDkg3h8PCVU

[Kitten Champion]

Yep.


https://youtu.be/WDkg3h8PCVU

Oh. That CGI is unfortunate.

[Psyren]

@ Shazam: Yes, this looks much more like the tone DC should be adopting. I have high hopes for this one. Best of all, there is no sign of Black Adam in the trailer, showing that DC is learning how to bloody pace themselves outside of Batman.

@ Aquaman: ...Case in point... Why would you go to Black Manta already, especially when Orm is also in the film? There is no reason for both of them to show up.

[Cheesegear]

I love Zack Levi. Unfortunately, his shoulders and traps look all wrong. I can't not see it. :smallmad:

[Legato Endless]

@ Aquaman: ...Case in point... Why would you go to Black Manta already, especially when Orm is also in the film? There is no reason for both of them to show up.

Obnoxious Symbolism. Aquaman, child of two worlds, is our last best hope for peace. So we get a villain of the waters...and a villain of the land. Yeah.

[Zevox]

That's Dr. Sivana, Billy's first nemesis. Think golden age mad scientist bent on universal domination and you've got the gist. The villainous catchphrase "Curses! Foiled Again!" This is the guy who popularized it.
Seriously? Damn, that makes me really hope they work that into the film somewhere. Hell, that almost makes me wish it could be the DC equivalent of Guardians of the Galaxy or Thor: Ragnarok in reveling in silliness, even though it obviously won't be because, well, DC.


@ Aquaman: ...Case in point... Why would you go to Black Manta already, especially when Orm is also in the film? There is no reason for both of them to show up.
Yeah, I had that thought too. Seems like it should be one or the other, not both, and Orm as a reason to head to Atlantis does seem like the logical choice.

I'll say this much for Aquaman though: Mera being in the movie gives me some small amount of interest in it. Always liked her in the few comics I read that featured them. If it turns out she has a large role and gets a fight scene or two where she gets to do some cool waterbending, maybe they could convince me to check the film out for that... depending on what word of mouth about the film's overall quality ends up being, anyway.

[Lemmy]

This one actually looks good!

Yet more evidence that less Zack Snyder means higher quality! :smallcool:

[BWR]

Am I the only one who thinks it looks bad?
Bad choice of actor, crappy costume, and terrible humor. Like a bad Jimmy Fallon sketch. Innocent and whimsical doesn't need to be ****ty.

And I was really hoping for this to be good.

[LaZodiac]

Am I the only one who thinks it looks bad?
Bad choice of actor, crappy costume, and terrible humor. Like a bad Jimmy Fallon sketch. Innocent and whimsical doesn't need to be ****ty.

And I was really hoping for this to be good.

Probably, yeah.

I think it'll be good, but the important thing to keep in mind is that I'm speaking comparative to how DCCU films.

[Telonius]

Good afternoon. I often use a shazam. Shazam is a very useful program. When I sit in a new place and hear new music, I turn on the shazes and find out what kind of music it is. Then I download this music.

::Gasp!:: You can't fool me. This is clearly Mister Banjo (http://shazam.wikia.com/wiki/Mister_Banjo)'s latest plot, updated for modern times!

[Wraith]

Am I the only one who thinks it looks bad?
Bad choice of actor, crappy costume, and terrible humor. Like a bad Jimmy Fallon sketch. Innocent and whimsical doesn't need to be ****ty.

While I wouldn't say it necessarily looks bad. It's clearly aiming for a different tone and audience than, say, Batman Begins or Man of Steel, and that's fine - I don't think that it's aimed at me, though.

The humour reminds me of Power Rangers, or the Flash from Justice League; Contemporary and very 'meta', where the joke is that there is no joke, or that the characters themselves know it's also something stupid and react accordingly. I appreciate that some people love that sort of humour, but it's a big turn off for me.
If you like that, I suspect that it will be great and appealing to a younger (or just less pedantic?) audience is a very good step for DC.

I actively dislike Shazam's costume, though. It looks like a grotesquely swole guy squeezed into a wetsuit - I thought the same about Ben Affleck as Batman, and I thought it looked very cheap and tacky when more subtle might have been better.

[Kitten Champion]

While I wouldn't say it necessarily looks bad. It's clearly aiming for a different tone and audience than, say, Batman Begins or Man of Steel, and that's fine - I don't think that it's aimed at me, though.

The humour reminds me of Power Rangers, or the Flash from Justice League; Contemporary and very 'meta', where the joke is that there is no joke, or that the characters themselves know it's also something stupid and react accordingly. I appreciate that some people love that sort of humour, but it's a big turn off for me.
If you like that, I suspect that it will be great and appealing to a younger (or just less pedantic?) audience is a very good step for DC.

It looks like a Superhero version of a Percy Jackson and the Whatever kind of movie. That's what they're going for right?



I actively dislike Shazam's costume, though. It looks like a grotesquely swole guy squeezed into a wetsuit - I thought the same about Ben Affleck as Batman, and I thought it looked very cheap and tacky when more subtle might have been better.

Levy does look like Michael Cera in the muscle suit from that episode of Arrested Development, and the glowing lightning bolt is a little too tacky even from a cheesy standpoint. Actually, he kind of looks like he belongs in Lazytown (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYrkQL1bX4A&ab_channel=TroyParry).

My thought would be to cast some other wrestler-turning-actor with an over-the-top physique. That, or just say f'it and go the Donner Superman route and let Captain Marvel have a normal bod but be super-good at the cheesy sincerity part.

[Dragonus45]

DC finally found the one super hero they can't make a bad movie for. Other than Wonder Woman anyway.

My personal theory is that DC just didn't care about this movie, and the makers to sliped a good movie past DC when it wasn't looking.

[Reddish Mage]

Did someone just allow a little levity to get into the DCU? If DC doesn't start getting careful their movies might actually start becoming popular. :smalltongue:

[Wraith]

It looks like a Superhero version of a Percy Jackson and the Whatever kind of movie. That's what they're going for right?

Seems like a good analogy, to me. And while I know that film was generally okay, I personally didn't care for it.


Actually, he kind of looks like he belongs in Lazytown (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYrkQL1bX4A&ab_channel=TroyParry).

I can see that. The colour balance in the trailer is very vibrant compared to other DC movies, it gives the picture a warmer but also slightly surreal appearence, which is appropriate for a character like Shazam.

I will give it to them though; I admire their use of practical effects over excessive CGI. They're obviously using some animation and I'm not inherently against it, but the car being dropped onto the street and Billy's costume (minus the lightning) for example are all solid objects, and it looks way better for it. :smallsmile:

[Lemmy]

So... I haven't really followed the character in comics...

Now that his name is Shazam instead of Captain Marvel, how does he introduce himself without transforming? :smallbiggrin:

[Rogar Demonblud]

He has to will it. It's a magical incantation, after all.

[Telonius]

Yeah, kind of like how in the Harry Potter world, magic didn't just spontaneously happen when two Ancient Romans started talking with each other.

[The Glyphstone]

Yeah, kind of like how in the Harry Potter world, magic didn't just spontaneously happen when two Ancient Romans started talking with each other.

That's more because Harry Potter incantations are closer to Pig Latin than real Latin.:smallcool:

[Lemmy]

He has to will it. It's a magical incantation, after all.
So... No more of those dumb scenes where he transforms after accidentally saying the word (or being tricked/forced to do it)?

[Wraith]

So... No more of those dumb scenes where he transforms after accidentally saying the word (or being tricked/forced to do it)?

In theory, yes. In practice? Comics are weird, and film makers don't always remember little details like that. :smalltongue:

[brionl]

That's more because Harry Potter incantations are closer to Pig Latin than real Latin.:smallcool:

ITYM Dog Latin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_Latin), not igpay atinlay. So what language did ancient romans use when they wanted to do magic?

Anyway, total cheezeballs is a good look for Shazam! After all, one of his major villains is literally a worm with glasses.

[Wraith]

So what language did ancient romans use when they wanted to do magic?

Greek, quite often and occasionally a sprinkling of Egyptian depending on how well travelled they were. Magic and Religion were a lot more closely tied back in those days, so what we would consider mystic mumbo-jumbo was to them just afternoon prayer. :smalltongue: