‘Shazam!’ Has Changed Everything For The DC Extended Universe, Finally
DC have finally worked out how to have fun.
Shazam! is a hit.
Who would have thought, out of all heroes on the DC Comics roster, the one about a wizard who gives a teenager (Asher Angel) powers to yell “shazam” and turn into a buff super-powered adult (Zachy Levy) with a perfect haircut, would set an agenda better than Superman or Batman?!?
Currently, Shazam! sits at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes with a box office haul of $159 million worldwide. Shazam! is still short of Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Man of Steel at the box office, but you must factor in the status of those characters in pop culture.
They are titans, whereas Shazam, who was originally called Captain Marvel — changed for obvious legal reasons — has never quite been in the same league as the others, despite a rich history of comic book appearances.
#SHAZAM! is the #1 Movie in the WORLD! Don’t miss it now playing in theaters. Get tickets now: https://t.co/R8BvIT13BW pic.twitter.com/3wVjgbqgbP
— Shazam! Movie (@ShazamMovie) April 10, 2019
Warner Brothers are so thrilled with the success of Shazam! that they’ve already given the sequel a go-ahead; it took them weeks to make a call about Aquaman 2 even when it made $1 billion.
There’s a good reason to celebrate, the DCEU has found its mojo and between Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Shazam!, the best of the bunch, and they’re building a mythology around these heroes for future films to use as a springboard.
The Curse of Bruce Wayne’s Parents
The Waynes have died on our screens, roughly, nine times.
When people talk about superhero fatigue, they’re referring to the repetitive bad habits of stories based on comic books and DC Comics does it the worst.
Combined, we have 16 films with Batman and Superman in them, before even a single Wonder Woman solo film.
Sure, its been a thrill at times thanks to Christopher Nolan but we’ve been slowly worn down by the golden boys of DC on the big screen. But it’s no surprise these have been the go-to heroes for so long. Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie and Tim Burton’s Batman were blockbuster hits that defined the pathway of comic book films for decades until the second wave arrived with Blade and X-Men.
Quick Review: #Shazam is like a fun 80's kids movie with great young characters in a story mixed with a lot of adult humor but has lots of good heart. The villain and basic story are cliche, but the direction and the kid actors definitely are incredibly entertaining! pic.twitter.com/ayUNc0baNM
— Retro Review (@RetroReview1) April 5, 2019
Yet, the complacency of relying on these characters helped lesser known heroes succeed.
Look on the other side of the comic book spectrum — when Marvel Studios showed up, they had a plan to launch with a hero who was considered second tier: Iron Man. Once they had established their core group of heroes, who would form The Avengers. They knew it would be a risk to run them into the ground with too many sequels: the reaction to Iron Man 2 (personal note: extremely underrated) was an early indicator of their greatest fear.
As the MCU expanded they begun to elevate lower tier characters by giving them the Iron Man treatment: Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Black Panther and Captain Marvel. Marvel’s solo heroes of today are the Avengers of tomorrow.
After the failure to launch of Man of Steel through to Justice League, the DCEU is at a point where they’re having their Iron Man moment.
Just wow, @jimmyfallon. You killed it in Shazam!
— SMii7Y (@SMii7Y) April 10, 2019
Dude, Do You Even Superhero?
The DCEU has done a rough job of establishing what each of its heroes stand for: Superman is a reckless grump and Batman is an ice-cold killer who can only grunt the word ‘justice’ but appears to stand for nothing.
Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Shazam! all properly question what it means to be a superhero — it’s what DC does best, they place beings with god-like powers in our world and have them address their humanity.
Of the three, Shazam! does it the best by taking the central premise and applying teenage logic: Shazam tries to buy beer before thinking about rescuing anyone. Over the course of the film Shazam realises his powers are bigger than scoring booze easily. These narratives are vital in establishing these characters so you can build out their stories in future films and crossovers. Origin stories are easy to scoff at — but they matter.
Just saw #Shazam . It is everything I picture a superhero movie should be. 😀
— MechaRandomYouTubeHarpy (@RandomMnky) April 5, 2019
The plan with most of these extended universes is to have characters appear without lengthy explanations or flashbacks to dying parents.
That’s why Shazam! represents a shift in the DCEU — it’s taking a character we’re not familiar with and building out the mythology. Aquaman and Wonder Woman did it in similar ways with the introduction to underwater empires and Amazonian culture. The DCEU actually feels epic for once.
Shazam! works a lot like Thor by introducing alternate dimensions full of wizards, magic and diabolical talking caterpillars. Shazam’s problems can easily become a headache for the Justice League and it baffles the mind it was never considered as a starting point for the DCEU.
In the credits for Shazam! you’ll notice The Rock is a producer, and it’s because he has been rumoured to be playing a major villain, Black Adam, who is referenced in the film as a wizard gone rogue.
Considering The Rock hasn’t played a bad guy for a long time, these plans may still be up in the air, but the credits confirm he’s still involved and there’s a chance he may appear in a sequel. The Rock would be a huge get for the DCEU and it would be cool to see him play against the heroic type for a bit — people forget how great he was breaking bad in his pro wrestling days.
SHAZAM is hands down the best DC Superhero Movie so far⚡️ pic.twitter.com/q8sSfq84mv
— Alex Wassabi (@AlexWassabi) April 5, 2019
You Should Smile More
Shazam! is also fun, and I hate to use ‘fun’ because it’s often code for loud and boring.
But comic books are ludicrous and as gritty as the films get, you still must acknowledge the lightness that comes with telling these stories because they often have roots in science fiction and fantasy from the 1930s and 1940s.
There’s always room for different interpretations of these characters, they’ve been around long enough as testaments to reinvention, but you can never forget their roots. The reminder is always in plain sight: Superman wears his underpants on the outside.
my theatre during the ending scene of shazam pic.twitter.com/5OozamkFUv
— thomas saw shazam !! (@brucewhynes) April 11, 2019
For once, the DCEU feels exciting, with Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman 1984 and The Flash in the future.
They’re even going to make an Aquaman spinoff about that gnarly trench full of fish monsters — sign us up. And yes, they are going to reboot Batman in 2021, and director, James Gunn, will give Suicide Squad a makeover (before returning to Disney after getting re-hired to make Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) so old, repetitive habits are still in effect.
But, for now, Shazam! is the bolt of lightning the DCEU needs.
Cameron Williams is a writer and film critic based in Melbourne who occasionally blabs about movies on ABC radio. He has a slight Twitter addiction: @MrCamW.