With my first IMAX at the Manchester Printworks (second biggest screen in Europe) viewing having been the pretty poor Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018-also reviewed),I kept an eye on what was coming out,in the hope it would be a big improvement. Getting set to go Manchester again to get Easter presents, the comedic ads caught my eye,and led to my second IMAX viewing being a call of Shazam!
View on the film:
Following James Wan in going from the world of The Conjuring to the world of the DCEU, director David F. Sandberg's horror sensibility shines through,from Sandberg and Alexandre Aja's regular cinematographer Maxime Alexandre giving the opening a dark and stormy night appearance, snarling, demonic gargoyles and baddie Sivana dressed in black with an eye on unleashing Seven Deadly Sins. Conjuring the villains from Horror, Sandberg wonderfully contrasts the look of the baddies with the bright, animated sparks of Shazam igniting a bubbly mood.
Whilst blue bolts and floating things do appear, Sandberg zaps them aside by giving the slick action scenes off-beating settings, such as the thunderous final battle in a Christmas market. The first Shazam flick since 1941, the screenplay by Henry Gayden & Darren Lemke flies over the DCEU mythology and lands on zig-zag gags snapping pics at the fun of having superpowers. Matching the more serious Horror edge from Sandberg, the writers make the gags land by smartly making Shazam's search to be part of a family be the sincere spine of the tale. Backed by deadly sins, Mark Strong gives a delicious turn as Sivana,with Strong cutting thick slices of ham as Sivana pounds Shazam into the ground. Two sides of the same hero, Asher Angel brings a warmth to Batson being a loner, whilst Zachary Levi captures the excitement that grips Batson when he says Shazam.
View on the film:
Following James Wan in going from the world of The Conjuring to the world of the DCEU, director David F. Sandberg's horror sensibility shines through,from Sandberg and Alexandre Aja's regular cinematographer Maxime Alexandre giving the opening a dark and stormy night appearance, snarling, demonic gargoyles and baddie Sivana dressed in black with an eye on unleashing Seven Deadly Sins. Conjuring the villains from Horror, Sandberg wonderfully contrasts the look of the baddies with the bright, animated sparks of Shazam igniting a bubbly mood.
Whilst blue bolts and floating things do appear, Sandberg zaps them aside by giving the slick action scenes off-beating settings, such as the thunderous final battle in a Christmas market. The first Shazam flick since 1941, the screenplay by Henry Gayden & Darren Lemke flies over the DCEU mythology and lands on zig-zag gags snapping pics at the fun of having superpowers. Matching the more serious Horror edge from Sandberg, the writers make the gags land by smartly making Shazam's search to be part of a family be the sincere spine of the tale. Backed by deadly sins, Mark Strong gives a delicious turn as Sivana,with Strong cutting thick slices of ham as Sivana pounds Shazam into the ground. Two sides of the same hero, Asher Angel brings a warmth to Batson being a loner, whilst Zachary Levi captures the excitement that grips Batson when he says Shazam.