Shazam! Story: Street-smart Billy Batson (Asher Angel) runs away from one foster home to the next, in search of his birth mother. Along the way, he encounters a mysterious wizard (Djimon Hounsou) who gives him the ability to transform into an adult with superpowers (Zachary Levi) by merely saying the word ‘Shazam’.
This is especially applicable to Zachary Levi, whose playfulness as the title character never gets old. He’s able to portray a sincere, yet immature adolescent trying to take on the big, bad world and yet, doesn’t know his own limits as a superhero. It also becomes obvious that Billy Batson (Asher Angel) isn’t familiar with how a powered individual works, and that allows superhero nerd Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) to show him the ropes. Some of the best scenes include Shazam discovering his abilities with Freddy, and they’re a joy to behold. Family is the narrative thread that binds the film. Even the villain Dr Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) is forged by how his father and brother treat him as a young boy. That, along with Billy’s search for his birth mother, and his inability to find a home he can fit into, is where the plot finds its footing.