There was once a time when superhero movies weren’t about interplanetary battles against space titans, but were about much smaller stakes surrounding the life of one character. Can Peter Parker stop this robbery and still be on time for his date? Can the Hulk control his emotions in his everyday life so he doesn’t “go green?” Twenty years ago, these genre films were concerned with the hero protecting his identity, saving the girl, stopping petty crime and balancing his private life with his much more public superhero life.
Then in 2008, Iron Man broke the chain. Most of the movie’s story fit genre convention with Tony Stark battling a traditional villain, falling in love and protecting his identity as a superhero, but one scene changed all of that forever. In the final scene, during a press conference for his company, Stark throws down his speech notes and says, “The truth is… I am Iron Man.” End movie.
With that line, genre convention was shattered forever. We now had an on-screen superhero that didn’t care about keeping his identity a secret and that could be open about his hero work. A new precedent was set for the genre, and from then on, the idea of the regular everyman leading the secret life of a hero slowly died out. At first, it was a refreshing development, but as the years wore on, many formed a newfound nostalgia for the simplicity of those older movies and the normal, everyday struggles they portrayed.
Shazam! not only proves itself as the first truly great movie in the DCEU (though Wonder Woman and Aquaman were notable efforts), but it also takes us back to the time when superheroes were simpler. This movie chooses not to wow you with huge out-of-this-world stakes, but takes you back to the time when seeing Superman fly on-screen was an amazing sight. The reason this tactic works is because its titular hero is a child who has miraculously been granted with the ability to turn into a full grown man with superhuman abilities.
We’ve seen abilities like flying, super speed, lightning hands and invulnerability before, but when framed in the mind of a simple child, these powers suddenly become the most amazing feats ever. This is best shown when Shazam (real name Billy Batson) and his childhood friend attempt to stop a robbery. The thugs shoot Batson, and to his surprise, the bullet bounces right off. Batson laughs with amazement, and his friend quickly pulls out his phone to record. “Shoot me again!” Batson says to the thugs with a huge smile on his face.
Scenes like this are reminiscent of earlier superhero films such as Spider-Man when Peter Parker has the time of his life learning that he can crawl up walls and leap from rooftop to rooftop. It’s the kind of genuine wonder and amazement for the base elements of a superhero that we haven’t seen portrayed in a long time.
Also like Spider-Man, Shazam! focuses on the character’s public perception, his goodwill towards everyday people and the consequences of revealing his secret identity. For the sake of the ones he cares about, the hero cannot let his enemies know who he really is. It seems like a dated notion now, but Shazam! makes it work by initially giving the character selfish reasons for keeping his secret.
You’re a kid who can now suddenly look like an adult, why would you ever tell anyone but your closest friends about this? Now you can pick yourself up from school, buy beer and visit places off limits to kids. But when Batson has to face the consequences of his actions in the form of a power-hungry (and really well-written) villain, Batson has to learn what it really means to be a hero, both when he’s wearing a cape and when he’s not.
Shazam! is a joyful, magical experience because it wears its heart on its sleeve and shows its passion for the corny nature of old superhero movies. It taps into the inner child of its audience and has us marvel at spectacles we thought we had become bored of. Like superhero movies of old, it focuses on the personal, everyday struggles of its hero and his journey to overcome his own flaws.
Grade: A-
