Movieman Madness: Cinema Spotlight V - David F. Sandberg (Part 3): "Shazam!"

Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) marveling at the new powers of Billy (Zachery Levi) in Shazam form.

James Wan and David F. Sandberg got their start with a popular horror short. They adapted it into a feature film, premiered with positive results, and commenced their frightening filmography. One of their films, included a creepy doll from a horror franchise that earned them more recognition. Their partnership with Warner Bros. added to that, and with the DC Extended Universe trying to recuperate, both were brought on board. James Wan's Aquaman became a success but could Sandberg deliver the same results?

Freddy showing Billy (Asher Angel) his prized possession:
a bullet damaged from rebounding on Superman.

Bouncing from one foster home to another, due to his reckless behavior, fourteen-year-old Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is taken in by new foster parents Victor and Rosa Vazquez (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans). Arriving in his new home, Billy meets his foster brothers and sisters: Darla Dudley (Faithe Herman) the youngest and cheerful of the group, Mary Bromfield (Grace Fulton) the oldest heading off to college, Eugene Choi (Ian Chen) the second youngest and video-game nerd, Pedro Peña (Jovan Armand), who is shy and mostly keeps to himself and Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) a disabled superhero nerd whom Billy befriends.

The Wizard choosing Billy

In another part of time and space, an aging wizard (Djimon Hounsou) is searching for a successor pure of heart. Out-of-options and out-of-time, Billy is randomly the lucky candidate. By shouting the name of the wizard, Billy inherits his powers from the wisdom of Solomon, strength of Hercules, stamina of Atlas, powers of Zeus, courage of Achilles and the speed of Mercury. What does that spell? SHAZAM!

Shazam chilling with Freddy.

In a flash, Billy becomes a full-grown super-human adult (Zachary Levi) who can transform back by shouting the name again; lightning bolt included. With the help of Freddy, Billy enjoys his newfound powers from its perks, privileges, and potential that any kid would dream of. The fun ends with the arrival of Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) who searches for Shazam's powers, with the help of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Sivana (Mark Strong) meets Shazam.

Horror filmmakers doing superhero movies is surprisingly a trend. Sam Raimi went from the Evil Dead trilogy to the Spider-Man trilogy starring Tobey Maguire and James Gunn worked on the Dawn of the Dead remake and Slither before directing the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. The list goes on with Guillermo Del Toro, John Watts, Scott Derrickson, James Wan and now David F. Sandberg joining in the club. So, it is no surprise that Shazam! resulted in a great superhero movie and giving new life to DC Comics. What began with Wonder Woman and Justice League, is now improving thanks to Aquaman and now Shazam! It has that fun element of Justice League Action, a DC animated show that is more cartoony and comedic than its revered predecessors but never loses sight of its superhero status. Like Die Hard and Gremlins, the movie is set during Christmas as we see Nativity sets out in the yard and Mr. Clause running for his life.

While the most lighthearted superhero movie, it's not family-friendly; one character is disintegrated to dust, among other thematic elements. PG-13 for a reason. What I didn't expect, is for it to be so heartfelt with Billy trying to find his biological mother. A theme frequently found in Sandberg's work of a lonely child longing for a family. Other Sandberg staples include a dark prologue, silver-eyed antagonist, involvement of the demonic, light-bulbs flickering then bursting apart and scenes shot in the dark whether inside or outside.

The only disappointment would be on the portrayal of the Seven Deadly Sins. I don't know how they are in the comics but in other iterations, I've seen them as sentient beings or reside in a living vessel who embody each sin: Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, Wrath, Lust, Envy and Pride. We do get a bit of the latter but the Sins are mostly reduced to generic monsters. Even with that detail, Shazam! is alot of fun and like Aquaman serves as a nice standalone movie without the need of watching any of the DC movies.

SHAZAM!!

Trademarks:

Lost Child in the Light

Linda in Anabelle: Creation (Left), Billy Batson in Shazam! (Top Right), and Martin in Lights Out (Bottom Right).
The kids in Sandberg's movies are orphans or on the brink of foster care who confront a monster in the dark.

Lost Child in the Dark/Silver Eye

Lights Out (Left), Annabelle: Creation (Top Right), Shazam! (Bottom Right).

The villains in Sandberg's movies originate from feeling unloved, whether the pain is intentional or not.

In Sivana's case, it doesn't help when your father is John Glover, just ask Lex Luthor.

Demonic Adversaries

Lotta Losten

Sandberg's wife/actress as Dr. Lynn Crosby, assistant to Mark Strong's Dr. Sivana.

Andi Osho

Reprising her role as CPS worker Emma Glover from Lights Out.
First the Conjuring-verse and now the Sandberg-Verse crossover with the DC Universe.

Grace Multon

Previously worked with Sandberg on Annabelle: Creation.
In Shazam!, she plays Mary Bromfield, the eldest of the foster children.

Lights Out

As long as a ghostly woman doesn't show up, you'll be fine.

In the Dark and then Light

Can't have a Sandberg movie without working in the dark and a touch of electrical light.

Vad tyst det blev...

An animated short done by Sandberg in his early years.
Can be found on YouTube in English or in its original Swedish dub.
(Viewer discretion: South Park level of humor )
A clip can be spotted playing on a monitor in a mall after Shazam's first brawl with Sivana.

Plot Paper

Spoilers! All I can say is that it's on more than one piece of paper.

Annabelle Cameo

Spotted when we first see Billy at a pawn shop.
This marks the second appearance of the Annabelle doll in a DC movie.
Can we expect the Warrens teaming up with Batman?

Director Cameo