‘Shazam!’ Trailer

By Reggie's Take on July 22, 2018

Saturday at Comic Con, Warner Brothers and New Line Cinema revealed the first trailer for Shazam that’s clearly set in the DCEU.

Shazam tells the story of a 14-year-old boy named Billy Batson who, when he shouts the word “Shazam” can turn into an adult superhero.

After watching the trailer and by the way I enjoyed it, has a “Greatest American Hero” meets “Big” kind of vibe to it with Billy Batson not knowing how to use his abilities and thus this is where the humor of the movie obviously comes in. The contrast of Shazam! compared to that of Batman v Superman or Man of Steel could be what the DC movie Universe needs.

Some have complained the DCEU has been to dark in its tone, but I argue the tone Warner Brothers took with its early movies weren’t their issue. Putting humor in a comic book movies can work when done properly, just look at Marvel’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Thor: Ragnarok’.

Some have wanted Warner Brothers and DC to completely reboot the DCEU after the disappointing results of Justice League, but when you watch the trailer they subtly let you know that Shazam will not be used as a soft reboot.

Even though this trailer will have fans of Shazam and the DCEU excited for the movie, Suicide Squad looked amazing and then I saw the movie, so while I look forward to seeing Shazam my excitement will be tempered.

Cast: Asher Angel, Zachary Levi, Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou, Mark Strong,

Official Synopsis for Shazam!:
We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he’ll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong).