The Flickering Myth writing team discuss the new Shazam! trailer…
After giving us our first look at the film back during the San Diego Comic-Con last summer, Warner Bros. and DC Films waited until a month out from its release to unveil more of their superhero comedy adventure Shazam!, with a brand new trailer arriving online this week.
Warner and DC will certainly be hoping that the Zachary Levi-headlined blockbuster will be able to continue riding the wave of success that the DC Extended Universe is experiencing following December’s mega-hit Aquaman. So, does the trailer instil confidence that the DCEU remains on course? Are we excited about the prospect of DC going down the lighter, comedic path? Here’s what our writers made of it…
Martin Carr: Looks like lots of fun and the skyscraper gag at the end had me laughing out loud. My family were unimpressed – by the laughing – they haven’t seen the new trailer…
SEE ALSO: Zachary Levi calls out trolls for pitting Shazam! against Captain Marvel
EJ Moreno: While I hate the direction of the DCEU now, the trailer for Shazam! still got a few laughs from me. Happy to see Zachary Levi having so much fun in the role and he will make the character more likeable than his comic/animated counterpart. Visual effects look strong as well, with some great homages to Man of Steel. So my only real negative is the overly comedic tone, but it suits the character so this one just might not be for me.
Eammon Jacobs: I’m glad the trailer doesn’t show too much of the main plot, instead relying on the comedy of Billy Batson discovering all his powers. While it might not have heaps of substance to it – it’s equally hard to deny that this looks like a lot of fun. Zachary Levi looks like he’s having the time of his life, and I’m really interested to see what else is in store for Shazam.
George Chrysostomou: Got to admit, that last joke caught me by surprise. This looks really fun and like a breath of fresh air for the genre and for DC films. I think the tone is spot and the costume is really starting to grow on me. Perhaps the most hyped I’ve been for a DC film in a while (outside of LEGO Batman of course…)
Andrew Newton: Shazam! looks to be a much lighter side to the DC universe. It looks lots of fun and will certainly be a superhero film I’ll go and see.
Tai Freligh: It looks to be a lot of fun and I’m really looking forward to seeing it, but I was not very impressed with the overall theme of the second trailer. I get the kid in an adult body joke…the first trailer did a great job with that. I wanted to see something different in the second trailer- more about the villain this time. It’s going to be a fun movie and fits perfectly with the whole character. I just hope it doesn’t get Whedonized.
EJ Moreno: Oh I shudder at the thought of more Whedon superhero films.
Villordsutch: Two things are swaying me to watch this. 1) Zachary Levi – I personally think he’s rather ace. So when I discovered he was in this I thought I’d give it a shot. Chuck forever! 2) The entire feel of this trailer. Don’t get me wrong, I’m Watchmen all the way, but there was something about this that reminded me of watching Tom Hank’s Big at the cinema and I felt that this possibly could be quite brilliant. Though where this would fit into the dark DCEU I’m unsure. Perhaps they’re lining up for a reboot and it all starts here.
SEE ALSO: Shazam! promo art features the Marvel Family and the Seven Deadly Sins
Ricky Church: I thought this was a good trailer. Perhaps a little too similar in tone to the first trailer as Tai mentioned, but I like the look of the film and think it will appeal to a bit more of a wider audience than it typically would. The fact they’re leaning so heavily into “little boy has superpowers” is setting it nicely apart from the gloom and doom of the other DC and Marvel movies. I also like the trailer’s restraint not to show more of the bigger scenes. After a trailer like Dark Phoenix which spoils the big death and other moments, this is a breath of fresh air. Zachary Levi looks great as Shazam and may go down as one of the perfectly cast superheroes in the genre.
Gary Collinson: I can only really echo what everyone else has said about this looking like a lot of fun. It definitely stands out from the other DC movies, and variety is a good thing. However, as Villordsutch states, I’m not sure how well this fits with the DCEU (I can accept the Batman merchandising, but it’s odd when you see a DC logo on the box) and I’m kind of hoping it at this point that it will turn out to be a standalone film, a la Joker.
So, our writers seem pretty enthusiastic for Shazam!, but what are your thoughts on the the trailer? Are you looking forward to the movie? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @FlickeringMyth…
We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Asher Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Zachary Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he’ll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong).”
Shazam will see Zachary Levi starring as the titular superhero, with Asher Angel as his young alter-ego Billy Batson, Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman, Ian Chen as Eugene Choi, Jovan Armand as Pedro Peña, Grace Fulton as Mary Marvel, Cooper Andrews as Victor Vasquez, Faithe Herman as Darla Dudley, Mark Strong as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, Djimon Hounsou as the Wizard, Adam Brody as Freddie Freeman, Ross Butler as Eugene Choi, D. J. Cotrona as Pedro Pena, Meagan Good as Darla Dudley, and Michelle Borth as Mary Bromfield. The film is set for release on April 5th 2019.
