Shazam!
for intense sequences of action, language, and suggestive material.
Reviewed by: Samiatu Dosunmu
CONTRIBUTOR
| Moral Rating: | Very Offensive |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
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| Primary Audience: | • Adults • Young-Adults (NOT appropriate for kids) |
| Genre: | Superhero Fantasy Action Adventure Comedy |
| Length: | 2 hr. 12 min. |
| Year of Release: | 2019 |
| USA Release: |
April 5, 2019 (wide—4,217 theaters) DVD: July 16 2019 |
What is the Occult? Answer
THE OCCULT—What does the Bible say about it? Answer
About magic and magicians mentioned in the Bible
What are DEMONS? Answer
Who is SATAN, the enemy of God and all people? Answer
Is Satan a real person that influences our world today? Is he affecting you? Answer
What does it mean to be a true HERO?
Learn about true goodness and righteousness
About ORPHANS and the Bible
| Featuring |
Zachary Levi … Shazam / William “Billy” Batson Michelle Borth … Mary Shazam Djimon Hounsou … The Wizard Shazam Mark Strong … Dr. Thaddeus Sivana Jack Dylan Grazer … Freddy Freeman Asher Angel … Billy Batson Marta Milans … Rosa Vasquez Meagan Good … Darla Dudley (Adult) Grace Fulton … Mary Bromfield Adam Brody … Frederick “Freddy” Freeman Ross Butler … Eugene Choi John Glover … Caroline Palmer … Billy’s Mom Faithe Herman … Darla Dudley See all » |
| Director | David F. Sandberg — “Annabelle: Creation” (2017), “Lights Out” (2016) |
| Producer |
Warner Bros. DC Entertainment DC Comics See all » |
| Distributor |
Sequel: “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” (2023)
- Solomon - Wisdom
- Hercules - Strength
- Atlas - Stamina
- Zeus - Power
- Achilles - Courage
- Mercury - Speed
In 1974 New York, young Thaddeus Sivana (Ethan Pugiotto) is magically transported to the Rock of Eternity, a magical temple hidden in another dimension, by the ancient wizard Shazam. Shazam explains that he has spent centuries searching for a new champion who is “pure of heart,” after his first one turned evil and unleashed the SEVEN DEADLY SINS upon the ancient world. The Sins, now trapped in statues within the Rock, and their powers, contained in an orb called the EYE OF SIN, tempt Thaddeus with promises of power.
Unable to resist the demon’s beaconing, Thaddeus nearly touches the orb. The ancient wizard, deeming him an unworthy champion, banishes Thaddeus back to Earth.
In the present, a Philadelphian foster kid named Billy Batson (Asher Angel) purposefully breaks the law in an attempt to gain access to a police database to locate the address of his biological mother (Caroline Palmer). Years earlier, he got lost in the crowd at a carnival; his mother never came to find him. Billy is placed in a group home run by Victor and Rosa Vazquez, who have five other foster kids: Mary Bromfield (Grace Fulton), Pedro Peña (Jovan Armand), Eugene Choi (Ian Chen), Darla Dudley (Faithe Herman), and Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer).
Billy does not warm up to his new family, as he is still intent on looking for his biological mother.
Elsewhere, a now adult and doctor Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) pieces together the testimonies of other people who were abducted and rejected by the wizard Shazam and returns to the Rock of Eternity. Filled with vengeance, he absorbs the energy of the EYE OF SIN, allowing the seven deadly sins to possess and control his body.
When the now frail wizard Shazam tries to stop him, he overpowers and nearly kills him. Using his new powers, Dr. Sivana exacts revenge on his father (John Glover) and brother Sid (Wayne Ward) by unleashing the SEVEN DEADLY SINS during a board meeting and commands them to murder everyone, including his father and brother.
While running into a subway to escape bullies, Billy is abducted and summoned by the now dying wizard Shazam. Chosen by the dying wizard as the champion, Billy is transformed into an adult with super-strength, speed, stamina, durability and lightning powers. Before turning to dust, the wizard Shazam warns him that the only way to defeat the SEVEN DEADLY SINS is by unlocking his greatest power. By saying “Shazam!” Billy can change back and forth between teenager and adult superhero.
Billy sets out to discover his powers with the help of Freddy; he becomes reckless and nearly kills passengers on a bus. While bringing the bus to safety, he catches the attention of Dr. Sivana, whose appetite for power increases after seeing what Shazam can do. Through a series of violent confrontations, Billy/Shazam (Asher Angel / Zachary Levi) learn that the power and strength that lies in family may be the only way to defeat Dr. Sivana and the seven deadly sins.
Spiritual Issues
The major spiritual issue is the repeated reference to and worship of the occult, involving the seven deadly sins. The origin of this ideology derives from Catholicism. According to Catholic theology, the seven deadly sins are seven vices (or negative character qualities) that, left unchecked, result in a host of other sins and, eventually, the death of a person’s soul. For those unfamiliar, the seven deadly sins are:
Pride—An inflated, unrealistic sense of your self-worth.
Envy—The feeling that you deserve the possessions, success, virtues, or talents of another person.
Gluttony—An excessive desire for the pleasure of eating and drinking.
Lust—A selfish focus on sex or a desire to have sexual pleasure with someone other than your spouse.
Anger—An excessive, improper desire to exact revenge.
Greed—A strong desire for possessions, especially for possessions belonging to another.
Sloth—Lack of effort in the face of a necessary task, causing it to go undone (or done badly).
The Sins have consumed Dr. Sivana, so that he has total disregard for human life and exhibits psychopathic behavior in his wrath. This is evident when he allows anger to fuel his contempt for his father and brother during their confrontation in the boardroom. Dr. Sivana throws his brother out the window of a tall building before unleashing the demonic forms of the sins to murder the remaining people in the room. In his confrontations with Shazam (Asher Angel / Zachary Levi) he unleashes the seven deadly sins on innocent bystanders as a form of exercising control. However, after Shazam uncovers his greatest power, he fights Sivana.
The Bible never refers to certain sins that are dishonoring to God as the deadly sins. Rather, it is stated in Proverbs 6:16-19,
“There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”
This list can be used to categorize the many sins that exist. Romans 6:23 suggests that no sin is more deadly than another:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” —NASB
Moviemaking quality
The movie quality is average. But I found the heavy presence and emphasis of the occult to be a major distraction in finding the positive in this film. The demonic form of the SEVEN DEADLY SINS is too disturbing and, as such, I do not recommend this film.
Aside from the heavy references to the occult, the movie lacks sufficient content.
- Occult: Very Heavy to Extreme
- Violence: Heavy
- Profane language: Moderately Heavy— • J*sus Chr*st • “Oh my G*d” (10) • G*d • H*ll (3)
- Vulgar/Crude language: Moderately Heavy— • f-words (4—bleeped) • sh*t-hole • other s-words (4) • pervy • “s*cks b*lls” • s*cks • d*ck • “Lay your hand on my staff” (In context, this phrase insinuates a sexual reference. The real meaning was that the ailing wizard Shazam asked Billy to lay his hand on his rod or walking stick which housed his power.) • Scr*w • b**bies • a** (4) • cr*p • d*uche-bags • p**
- Sex: • strip club scenes • suggestive material
- Nudity: None
See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.
While not as good as “Wonder Woman” or any of the blockbusters from the rival MCU, “Shazam!” carries itself well without being too predictable. It was also refreshing to see Zachary Levi… in a leading role (in a very long time).
Unfortunately, while the film has strong themes of loyalty, family, and heroism, there are negatively spiritual elements in the sense of dark themes and some inappropriate content.
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Pretty true to comics, though where initially Billy Batson started with a heart of gold in comics, this one didn’t, more like a typical angsty movie teen. He does learn, though, and change to become a better person, as he discovers the importance of family. Family is one of the key themes of the movie, which did it fairly well. Just, predictable and with a “haven’t I seen this before?” aire.See all »
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 3½
The demons represent the seven deadly sins. Although not specifically biblical, the concept of the sins are no less Christian. The villain, Sivana, played by Mark Strong has allowed himself to be consumed by bitterness and resentment, due to constantly being mocked and belittled by his father and brother. Rather than rising above his negative feelings, he allows darkness and vengeance to consume him, thus letting himself be possessed by the demons. Isn’t that exactly what happens when we allow unforgiveness into our hearts? We might not be possessed by literal demons, but we do get filled with sin, turning us away from God.
Also I haven’t seen much mention of the foster family, who display a lot of Christian values. Though not explicitly stated, I do believe that they are Christians—don’t they say Grace before meals?
So yeah, overall, I enjoyed the film, and it is definitely one of the DC Cinematic Universe’s stronger films.
Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Cute movie, entertaining, although there are a few crude remarks such as “Eat B***s” and several swearwords. But overall, other than that, it was a good movie! Showed a kind wholesome Christian family who adopted a foster kid and are all there for each other no matter what. It made sin look ugly, not at all attractive. After watching this movie I realized how many people who don’t recognize sin who after would ask themselves that these “things” that we call normal, fun, are in reality sin.
If it wasn’t for the language I’d let my kids watch it, but other that that it was awesome!
Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4
I had seen the trailers and enjoy Zachary Levi as an actor and thought it would be some light-hearted fun superhero movie—something like “13 Going on 30” in a superhero format. Instead there was heavy violence, demon manifestations, themes of rejection and abandonment.
I saw after the fact that the director of the movie, David Sandberg, has also directed “Annabelle Creation” and “Lights Out”—both of which are supernatural horrors. I wish I had checked that first! We had to have a family discussion after the fact about the movie and why it wasn’t great, despite there being a few redeeming features and funny moments.
Please do not take your family to see this movie! It is scary and evil. I am very disappointed that Zachary Levi would act in a movie of this nature as I understood him to be a Christian. We clearly need to pray for him as he has wandered far by associating with this type of movie and director.
I will be much more cautious in future and ensure I double check reviews before booking a movie based on the trailer and cast members. It’s sad that there are so few movies out there that are truly family friendly.
Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4
I have to repent for watching this garbage. If you count on the credibility of the testimonies found on this website, trust me and go watch PureFlix for your entertainment. This movie should NOT be watched by any age viewer. I challenge you to disagree. Movie trailers are deceptive tempters.
Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 3
My first mistake was allowing my review of the film to come from secular sources. This was foolishness on my part. I had saw the animated version some years back and do not recall it being anywhere near this Dark!! I was of the world, so I could just be mis-remembering, but I doubt it. This thing was Dark!!!…
One demon bit someone’s head and then tossed them out the window. The demon possessed villain, tossed his brother out a high rise window. Why did he do this? Anger he felt at what his brother did to him when they were kids decades ago while they were in the car with their father.
Way before this scene, the villain got his power by being possessed of all 7 “Deadly Sins.” The normal game of these comic book movies is to use things out of the Greek gods mythology, in this case they used the names of Greek gods, but the demons had a purely Satanic look to them. They did not think it was enough to support worship of multiple gods in the movie; they had to add in Satanic worship, as well. I do not know who wrote or imagined this garbage, but it’s hard to imagine how one comes up with such filth and not be under full possession. To my shame, I did not do enough pre homework. I trusted Hollysatanica to put out a wholesome move every now and then. And this was my fault. I should have done what I usually do and vet the movie fully. I failed myself, my friend, and the Lord.
You should not support the hand of the evil doer, and you should also make sure anyone in your circle is aware of this dark, Satanic garbage that pushes itself off as a PG-13 flick. We walked out in the middle of this cr** greatly troubled by what we were seeing. I even asked for a refund and got two vouchers instead. When will a movie worth using those vouchers on hit theaters again? Who knows.
Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: no opinion
First, the positives: the characters were great, Zachary Levi is a joy to watch, and all the child actors were wonderful and endearing. The foster family felt real and loving. The comedy was genuinely hilarious. Overall, the good parts were extremely good… which is why I am so disappointed that DC decided to juxtapose their lightest fare with such a dark, evil, slimy-feeling plot.
We ended up walking out of the theater about an hour into the movie, when (spoiler) the villain of the story summons the “7 deadly sins” (basically demons) that have possessed him, bidding them to murder his family and a roomful of presumably innocent corporate executives. This was shown messily and at length, and it honestly wasn’t worth the very funny moments that came earlier in the film, and presumably continued after.
That was the breaking point, but I do have to say that I started feeling uneasy at the very beginning of the movie, when the villain’s childhood origin story is initially shown set to “Do You Hear What I Hear?” in the background. It seemed blasphemous to use that song’s lyrics to foreshadow the plot of this movie, which is, of course, about a child being given great power to save people.
And the villain’s backstory, itself, is horrifying. A young boy, apparently constantly abused by his father and older brother, is briefly plucked out of his world and told by a wizard that he can be a hero and do great things, IF he’s only pure enough of heart to deserve the powers of the seven Greek gods, blah blah blah, insert offensive comic book pseudo-religion with occultic-looking symbols here.
The boy is then tempted by demons—sorry, the seven deadly sins—who tell him that they can give him great power if he ignores the wizard and sets them free… and because this abused, powerless child is tempted, the wizard tells him he isn’t good enough and hurls him back into his own world, where he promptly undergoes a traumatizing car crash and is BLAMED FOR IT by his family.
This whole mess is not framed in a moral way—we’re supposed to be on the side of the wizard, and we’re only supposed to sympathize with the villain insofar as to be somewhat satisfied when he later murders his horrid father and brother. (People were laughing at that in the theater as we walked out.) Obviously verbal abuse doesn’t justify cold-blooded murder; I found this setup deeply disturbing, beyond what the film acknowledges or wants you to feel.
I obviously didn’t see this entire movie, but, based on what I did see, I would strongly advise parents NOT to take their children to see it, at least without screening it first. I’m sure there were a lot more funny scenes and heartwarming family moments after we left, but nothing in the last half of the film could have redeemed what was shown in the first. I have not been this surprised and disappointed by a film in a long time.
Moral rating: Very Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4
PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.
There are some caveats of course. There is some language, pagan Greek influences, magic, and violence, but overall Shazam! (the original Captain Marvel) is a refreshing change from the current crop of Superhero films. It harkens back to the Superheroes of old.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4