Shazam!

As a superhero fan it would be downright wrong to say that there’s too many superhero films, you can never have too much of a good thing right?!

All any of us ask though, especially now when we’re trekking to the cinema 5/6 times a year to see the latest caped crusader, is a smidge of originality, a fresh spin on a now well-worn and over-saturated genre.

Gun to head, I’ve always preferred DC's characters mainly down to a certain Dark Knight but the fact that the MCU has obliterated this preconception in recent times is to be applauded.

Much has been said and written about the current DCEU’s failings but let it be known that, more than anything, I would love to see them turn the slump around.

Shazam! looked, to all the world, like the film that could do it. A largely unknown quantity and the chance to play with the formula and mock their other characters.

The reality? Another derivative, lazy film. There’s some improvements, which we’ll get to, but it’s another disappointment.

DC deciding to skew younger in their target audience is not necessarily a bad thing, it ventures away from their ‘dark’ and ‘serious’ reputation but grounds them away from Marvel’s current ‘big issue, high stakes’ output. Making a family friendly, early noughties-esque blockbuster (which this certainly is) was a good way to go. But when there’s such blatant SIGN POSTING and pandering to supposed audience idiocy (which is just plain offensive) it brings the concept to a screeching halt. We’re watching the film, we can put two and two together, we don’t need everything explained with script exposition or constant flashbacks.

DC have also inherited Marvel’s early villain problem, it would seem. As good a casting choice as Mark Strong is (despite him looking nothing like the child actor we see first) not even his charisma and menace can do anything with this character. Again we’re left with a blurry motive, an indeterminate power and, worst of all, dreadful, have-we-gone-back-to-the-90’s CGI (Gee Whiz it’s terrible.)

What’s good? Ok, so, finally, DC deliver the funnies. Wonder Woman suggested they could do it and this delivers in spades. Shazam! is almost family-friendly Deadpool, he’s a child so the juxtaposition of his powers and mental age deliver some fresh jokes. Zachary Levi is fantastic and if, somehow, they get him face to face with the rest of the Justice League more of him will not be a bad thing.

There’s lots of great Easter Eggs, particularly for Batman fans (those penguins in the funfair sequence look a little familiar, amiright?) and a bad Santa who is a bit of a film-stealer.

It’s a fun experience but another old fashioned, unoriginal one. The family vibe should see good box office takings but more risk will equal more reward. Once again, throwing everything at the wall will only see a few things stick.

Similar to Hancock. And Hancock is s*it.

3 stars ***