«Shazam!», the superhero for teenagers

Cinema Wednesdays - Loris S. Musumeci

Thaddeus is a good-for-nothing. A bespectacled, introverted kid, he is mocked by his father and brother on a road trip for playing with a little magic ball. When he suddenly has a vision that transports him to another dimension: a magician has chosen him to pass on his powers to fight the forces of evil. But the young boy turns out to be impure and doesn't get his powers. Back to reality; a violent car accident and a cut. That was about forty years ago. 

In the present day, we find Billy, a resourceful teenager who's up to no good. Presumed orphaned, he runs away from his foster families, until he finds a very special one he seems to like. Far from being an angel, the youngster is in turn transported into the magical world, and given surprising powers. He is metamorphosed into a superhero, in the form of a very muscular adult, and all he has to do is pronounce «Shazam», his new name, to become the normal Billy again and vice-versa. In addition to saving people, Billy embarks on a quest to find himself, and gradually learns how precious family is. Especially when a certain Thaddeus, now invested by the forces of evil, comes after Billy and his new siblings. 

The list of the film's shortcomings would be long enough. Ridiculous, highly electric special effects, a moral that's always ready to show its face, stereotypes galore, endless repetition and a screenplay that's not always very clever. But the subtlety is that Shazam! assumes itself as such, wants to be as such. Yes, there are the stereotypes of superhero movies, but for laughs; yes, there's the usual moral of altruism and family, but it goes further. Because her aim isn't to reach the philosopher or the informed cinephile, she wants to speak to the teenager. Family is a gift to be cherished; the message can be conveyed in one way in an auteur film, and in another, more simplistic yet no less effective way, in a film for teenagers. 

The choice of placing the hero in theteenagers- We know he's fourteen years old - so the film is aimed at a very specific age group, roughly ten to eighteen. It's important that the young audience can identify with the film. And it does! The girls probably think he's very cute, and the boys want to be just like him: a bad boystill a bit of a child, dreamy and impervious to authority. 

As for the humor, even if it's a little overdone, it comes through. Frankly, at times the film is funny even for an adult. Even if the aforementioned jokes clearly refer to the culture of today's teenagers - the title already says a lot. This doesn't stop the film from having a spirit to which it remains faithful: derision. So much so that the villainous Thaddeus is ridiculed by Billy, who calms down a little when he takes a good beating. Nothing is really taken seriously, except the question of family in its deepest dimensions. In conclusion, Shazam! isn't a masterpiece, as you'd expect, but it does have a few superpowers that will keep teenagers entertained in theaters. 

Write to the author: loris.musumeci@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © DC Comics and Warner Bors