Shazam!

Shazam! is the seventh film in the DC Extended Universe, but it feels like a joyful reset. Director David F. Sandberg, known for horror films like Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation, pivots hard into family-friendly comedy. The result is a superhero movie that owes more to Tom Hanks in Big than to the grim tone of earlier DCEU entries.

The film follows 14-year-old Billy Batson, a foster kid in Philadelphia who has spent years running away from homes and searching for his birth mother. After being placed with the Vazquez family, Billy is summoned by an ancient wizard who grants him the power to transform into an adult superhero by shouting the word Shazam. Zachary Levi plays the adult version with infectious glee, while Asher Angel brings vulnerability to the teen Billy.

Critics praised the film for its humor, heart, and understanding of its source material. With a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score and $367 million worldwide against an $80 million budget, Shazam! proved that a lesser-known DC character could anchor a hit. The film's core message about found family resonated widely, making it a standout in the superhero landscape.[edit]

Billy Batson is a 14-year-old foster child with a single-minded obsession: finding his biological mother, from whom he was separated at a carnival when he was a toddler. After running away from his latest placement, he is placed in the home of Victor and Rosa Vazquez, a warm couple who run a group home for five other kids. Billy is immediately resistant, viewing this as just another stop on his quest.

At school, Billy meets Freddy Freeman, a sarcastic, superhero-obsessed kid with a leg brace who uses crutches. Freddy is one of the Vazquez foster children and becomes Billy's first real friend. The two bond over Freddy's extensive knowledge of DC superheroes, which he tracks through newspaper clippings and YouTube videos.

One day, Billy is mysteriously transported to a magical cavern where he meets an ancient wizard named Shazam. The wizard explains that he has spent centuries searching for a pure-hearted champion to inherit his powers and defend the world against the Seven Deadly Sins, monstrous embodiments of greed, envy, and other vices. After his previous champions were corrupted, the wizard is desperate. Despite Billy's flaws, the wizard deems him worthy and bestows his power upon him. By speaking the wizard's name, Billy transforms into an adult superhero with super strength, speed, flight, and the ability to shoot lightning.

Billy returns to the foster home confused. He confides in Freddy, who is thrilled. The two boys spend the next few days testing Billy's powers in a series of comedic experiments. They try to fly, shoot lightning, and survive falls from buildings, filming everything for Freddy's YouTube channel. They also use the powers for petty gains, like buying beer and charging phones. They even try out various superhero names before settling on Shazam.

Meanwhile, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, a brilliant but bitter scientist, has been obsessed with magic since he was rejected by the wizard as a child. Sivana manages to free the Seven Deadly Sins from their imprisonment in the wizard's lair. The Sins possess him, granting him immense power in exchange for his servitude. Sivana uses his new abilities to track down Billy, seeking to destroy the new champion and claim the wizard's power for himself.

Sivana attacks the Vazquez home, threatening Billy's foster family. Billy realizes that his powers have put the people he is beginning to care about in danger. He must learn to master his abilities and accept his new family, understanding that true strength comes not from his powers but from the people who support him.[edit]