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Post by Hauntedknight87 on Apr 5, 2019 11:20:40 GMT
Just seen Shazam and wanted to discuss it with others on this board and don't want to spoil the film for the ones who haven't seen it yet? Then this is the thread for you!
Feel free to discuss the film plot or anything else that would be spoilerish.
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Post by sostie on Apr 5, 2019 14:41:27 GMT
Best bit was easily the moment Billy gave his mother the compass and her reaction.
One thing that puzzles me...how did Shazam destroy the bullies' truck if he had not yet discovered he could fly?
I also thought that it was odd that Billy was chosen for being "pure of heart" and the antithesis of the 7 Deadly Sins, yet when he gets his powers he gives in to lust, gluttony and greed (as well as just plain theft)
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Post by politicidal on Apr 5, 2019 15:20:29 GMT
Best bit was easily the moment Billy gave his mother the compass and her reaction. One thing that puzzles me...how did Shazam destroy the bullies' truck if he had not yet discovered he could fly? I also thought that it was odd that Billy was chosen for being "pure of heart" and the antithesis of the 7 Deadly Sins, yet when he gets his powers he gives in to lust, gluttony and greed (as well as just plain theft) Puberty? Going through a phase?
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Post by sostie on Apr 5, 2019 15:26:08 GMT
Best bit was easily the moment Billy gave his mother the compass and her reaction. One thing that puzzles me...how did Shazam destroy the bullies' truck if he had not yet discovered he could fly? I also thought that it was odd that Billy was chosen for being "pure of heart" and the antithesis of the 7 Deadly Sins, yet when he gets his powers he gives in to lust, gluttony and greed (as well as just plain theft) Puberty? Going through a phase? Yeah we all went through it. Not sure if you have seen the film...it's odd because the bad guy is basically possessed by 7 monsters each of which represent one of the 7 Deadly Sins. The empahasis is that Shazam should be someone pure of heart and not susceptible to these, yet he commits some of them almost instantly and it seems are just brushed off for gags
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Post by Rey Kahuka on Apr 6, 2019 15:37:02 GMT
Best bit was easily the moment Billy gave his mother the compass and her reaction. One thing that puzzles me...how did Shazam destroy the bullies' truck if he had not yet discovered he could fly? I also thought that it was odd that Billy was chosen for being "pure of heart" and the antithesis of the 7 Deadly Sins, yet when he gets his powers he gives in to lust, gluttony and greed (as well as just plain theft) Your commentary actually ties into how I thought the film could've been better. I'll come back to that in a minute.
Overall I thought it was fun, I liked the lead and the chemistry with the kids as well as Zach Levi felt genuine. The young Billy actor also had excellent comedic timing. The story was hammy, but for the most part it embraced it so for what it was, job well done. The creatures did seem a bit out of place. Like they were a little too creepy for younger kids but too goofy for mature audiences. They were walking a tightrope with the tone of the film and it wasn't a total disaster, so points for that.
I could've done with less bully scenes. We get it, those kids were dicks. They could've been more general douchebags though, it was a bit over the top for 16 year olds to almost run someone over with their Ford F-150 and then beat the shit out of a cripple. I don't know. Also the villain's family at the beginning were laying it on too thick. They were so mean it was comical, which takes you out of the film completely. Mark Strong took it so far over the top it's ridiculous-- but they still had fun with that. The scene of him monologuing when Billy couldn't even hear him was priceless.
Back to what sostie said. I thought they should've ditched the reunion scene with the mother and left it up to us to conclude his mother ran off. The dichotomy between Billy's relationship with his mother and his relationship with the wizard could've made for fantastic character moments, better than what we got with that forced scene with his mother. Billy should be left wondering why his mother chose to leave him; why he wasn't good enough for her. Just as he should be left wondering why the wizard chose him when he feels he isn't worthy. That's life. The good, the bad; what you have vs. what you want; self-confidence vs. self-doubt, etc. It would've added nuance to his character in a more interesting way than just confirming his mother was a loser (and having him shrug it off, never to give it another thought in the film).
In the end, he'd realize it doesn't matter why or how he got to where he was, it only matters where he goes from there. It also adds to the dichotomy with the villain. Two characters driven by self-loathing and a lack of purpose, struggling to find their way. Which path do you take? I see a lot of wasted potential with that story arc.
One thing that makes me curious. The other superheroes exist in this world; but as outlaw vigilantes. And whatever public sentiment is at this particular moment, they're still anonymous. So how are their likenesses and logos being reproduced for all of that merchandise, like they're brand names as they are in our world? That seemed strange to me. Not so much a nitpick as an observation. Doesn't affect my view of the film.
As an aside, you just knew another superhero would make a cameo at the end. Going into the theater I was 100% certain one of them would show up. I thought it would be Wonder Woman, but Supes is just as good.
Overall I think it accomplished what it set out to, even if it was heavy handed at times with the overly contrived drama. The humor hit more often than not, and when it did it was fantastic (though some of the best jokes were in the trailers). Not the kind of movie I'd watch again and again and I don't know that I'd say to anyone, "Dude, you have to see Shazam." But again, I was smiling walking out of the theater and that's the whole point with this kind of film. Job well done, I'd say.
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Post by miike80 on Apr 6, 2019 19:44:00 GMT
It was alright considering my expectations, but disappointing considering the critics' reviews
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Post by scabab on Apr 6, 2019 22:50:09 GMT
I don't want to know too much but is Superman actually in it? And is it Henry Cavill?
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Post by sostie on Apr 6, 2019 22:57:35 GMT
I don't want to know too much but is Superman actually in it? And is it Henry Cavill? Yes and I doubt it
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Post by charzhino on Apr 6, 2019 23:44:50 GMT
I don't want to know too much but is Superman actually in it? And is it Henry Cavill? Hes in it for 4 seconds. And no its not Cavill |
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Post by thisguy4000 on Apr 6, 2019 23:44:51 GMT
The people who wanted Mark Strong to play Lex Luthor hopefully got their fix with this movie.
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Post by taylorfirst1 on Apr 7, 2019 0:01:36 GMT
I liked it. It seems like it wanted to be a superhero movie for the family and it succeeded. The plot was basic but don't most family films have basic plots? It was a traditional superhero movie with a little self awareness and a good amount of humor thrown in. Also, almost all of the humor hit home. It had enough action. It also had enough emotion to give it some weight without making it totally sappy.
This is not a comment on the quality of this movie or the others I will mention but I got some familiar vibes from the movie. Vibes like;
TMNT
Percy Jackson and the lightning thief
Big (of course)
Bumblebee
It's sort of funny that when the DCEU tries to make a "kiddie" movie, they do a pretty good job.
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Post by merh on Apr 7, 2019 21:59:46 GMT
Best bit was easily the moment Billy gave his mother the compass and her reaction. Yeah. He needed to see she wasn't coming. I worked with a gal who's husband died when her daughter was 5 & he became a saint to the girl. He became a hero who would give her everything. So even though Billy was told she didn't look for him, he had to see for himself. I figured tossed in the air. Way up. Yeah, long wait for the drop which was why at first I though it was he hyper-speeded it somewhere. Harpo chased girls & was a klepto, but he was also a very pure character. They were doing what kids do. They want beer because it's adult, but they bought it with the $73 or were rewarded. What did they do with the beer? "Tastes like vomit" The strip joint? Didn't seem all that impresssed. More checking off adult stuff. Gluttony? Where? You mean snack city? We had to come back by bus for a funeral to California. Dad couldn't get out of work. He was sick as a dog when we returned 3 days later. All the ice cream & cake/snacks were gone. None of the decent stuff mon left for him to eat was touched. A man in his mid-40s. My husband would make himself sick eating oreos, m&ms, etc. "Nothing in the house to eat". There was LOTS of stuff to eat Too lazy to make it. I liked the movie, but not like Marvel. MCU is made by fanboys. This one still feels like outsiders trying to sell to us. MCU feels like sincerely telling the stories while this felt like a decided effort to make a superhero movie & decidedly by people of the opinion superhero movies are for children. Fandral was a better fit for Levi, but they killed him. Levi said on Colbert it was a good thing because it left him open to do this.
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Post by merh on Apr 7, 2019 22:49:57 GMT
The story was hammy, but for the most part it embraced it so for what it was, job well done. The creatures did seem a bit out of place. Like they were a little too creepy for younger kids but too goofy for mature audiences We watched the Wizard of Oz every year. The Wicked Witch was terrifying when I was 7 yrs old. I remember watching Addams Family on daddy's lap, covering my ears & closing my eyes when Lurch appeared & spoke because he scared my 5 yr old self. People over-protect kids nowadays. Road rage? Seen plenty of stories where the guy cuts another driver off & attacks. Hell, there was a Wonderful World of Disney that discussed crazy drivers, how mild mannered people (Goofy, wasn't it?) turn into monsters behind the wheel. I was so glad to see John Glover. He seemed more it was a bad night for driving & the boy should have known better. The older brother was a giant dick, but that's more than a few older siblings. It wasn't Billy felt unworthy to be a superhero. 23 times he left families he could have been happy at, but until he knew she didn't want him, he couldn't accept forming a new family. It's not that hard to see this. He was told by the social worker he should give up looking so hard for someone who never looked for him. Until he accepted that truth, he couldn't move on & stay with his created family. It was like Thor. I saw lots of people bitching how he learned humility in 3 days. No, he was reminded of it in 3 days. Billy had to see what he had likely been told many times was true. That isn't the story. The story is doing the right thing & family isn't necessarily blood. I thought it was more I mean, the news seemed pretty happy to interview a superhero I thought he has history with Supes. Like they actually fought. superman-vs-captain-marvelThe whole dusting was amusing. Couldn't use a different effect?
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Post by Rey Kahuka on Apr 7, 2019 23:34:27 GMT
I know what the story is, I was saying it could've been better if they focused on other things. Also, road rage? Don't feel like it's necessary to defend every aspect of the film at all costs just because you enjoyed it. I enjoyed it, too. I just thought that part was dumb.
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Post by CrepedCrusader on Apr 8, 2019 1:14:38 GMT
I really liked it. The CGI for the Deadly Sins could have been better, but it didn't ruin the movie or anything.
Not sure if it's official that Cavill is out as Superman, but that mid-credit scene confirms it for me. If they couldn't get him to come to set for a day for a cameo, then that tells me he's really not a part of this stuff anymore.
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Post by Skaathar on Apr 8, 2019 2:09:43 GMT
Best bit was easily the moment Billy gave his mother the compass and her reaction. One thing that puzzles me...how did Shazam destroy the bullies' truck if he had not yet discovered he could fly? I also thought that it was odd that Billy was chosen for being "pure of heart" and the antithesis of the 7 Deadly Sins, yet when he gets his powers he gives in to lust, gluttony and greed (as well as just plain theft) I figured that he probably wouldn't have passed the test for Shazam either had he gone through it. As it was, he was the last candidate and the old wizard was desperate, so he got the powers despite not being worthy. |
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Post by merh on Apr 8, 2019 4:15:48 GMT
I know what the story is, I was saying it could've been better if they focused on other things. Also, road rage? Don't feel like it's necessary to defend every aspect of the film at all costs just because you enjoyed it. I enjoyed it, too. I just thought that part was dumb. I hate very few films. I work hard for my money so I look for things to like rather than hate in stuff l buy like 2 seats in a movie theater ($14). That said, I rated this an 8 over on IMDb only because I rated Aquaman a 7 & I did like this more. I might still drop this to a 7. I expect Avengers will be 10. I gave Captain Marvel a 9. I knew before I went to IMDb to do the rating it was a solid 9. Yeah, road rage. Look what people do. Get a gun to shoot up a school. Call cops out to people's houses claiming to be victims so the cops go there all guns blazing. Could we do with less school/more heroing? Yeah. We didn't need all the Santa stuff. Like I said. MCU is made by fanboys making the sort of movies they want to see. DC is still one step removed. They are outside looking in to make films market research says geeks want. Marvel films are full of the mythology. This film felt like it was saying superhero films are for kids so we might as well use that perspective
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Post by merh on Apr 8, 2019 4:24:45 GMT
Don't feel like it's necessary to defend every aspect of the film at all costs just because you enjoyed it. I enjoyed it, too. I just thought that part was dumb. I work with convicted felons. I have worked with officers who did foster placements. It's rough. When a kid runs s/he tends to steal from the other kids-clothes, etc-to sell to survive on the streets. They get a clothing allowance once a year so when the clothes get stolen... Too many of the foster parents don't care. Often when the kid runs they are there the next day to get a new placement to keep the money coming in because, yeah, the state pays for the kids. The second they turn 18, they are screwed. They are usually out of the system & on their own. So the message that family born into isnt as important as the family one makes is a valud point
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Post by taylorfirst1 on Apr 9, 2019 17:03:29 GMT
What do you all think about the idea of having all of Billy's foster siblings turn into superheroes at the end? Was it a good idea? Did it work well as executed? Was it too much for the first Shazam! movie? Do you want ot see more of this in the sequels?
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Post by Skaathar on Apr 9, 2019 17:06:37 GMT
What do you all think about the idea of having all of Billy's foster siblings turn into superheroes at the end? Was it a good idea? Did it work well as executed? Was it too much for the first Shazam! movie? Do you want ot see more of this in the sequels? I thought it was cool, but I also think they should probably have saved it for a future Captain Marvel movie. It would have been a better story arc if he defeated this threat on his own, kept his identity secret from most of his family longer, and only explored this side of Shazam in later movies.
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