shazam movie review rotten tomatoes

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2019, Action/Adventure, 2h 12m

What to know

Critics Consensus

An effortlessly entertaining blend of humor and heart, Shazam! is a superhero movie that never forgets the genre's real power: joyous wish fulfillment. Read critic reviews

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Shazam videos, shazam   photos.

We all have a superhero inside of us -- it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In 14-year-old Billy Batson's case, all he needs to do is shout out one word to transform into the adult superhero Shazam. Still a kid at heart, Shazam revels in the new version of himself by doing what any other teen would do -- have fun while testing out his newfound powers. But he'll need to master them quickly before the evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana can get his hands on Shazam's magical abilities.

Rating: PG-13 (Language|Intense Sequences of Action|Suggestive Material)

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

Original Language: English

Director: David F. Sandberg

Producer: Peter Safran

Writer: Henry Gayden

Release Date (Theaters): Apr 5, 2019  wide

Release Date (Streaming): Jul 2, 2019

Box Office (Gross USA): $140.4M

Runtime: 2h 12m

Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures

Production Co: Mad Ghost Productions, DC Entertainment, Seven Bucks Productions, Safran Company

Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos

Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

View the collection: DC Universe

Cast & Crew

Zachary Levi

Mark Strong

Asher Angel

Billy Batson

Jack Dylan Grazer

Freddy Freeman

Djimon Hounsou

Grace Caroline Currey

Mary Bromfield

Eugene Choi

Jovan Armand

Faithe Herman

Darla Dudley

Cooper Andrews

Victor Vasquez

Marta Milans

Rosa Vasquez

Super Hero Freddy

Michelle Borth

Super Hero Mary

Ross Butler

Super Hero Eugene

D.J. Cotrona

Super Hero Pedro

Meagan Good

Super Hero Darla

David F. Sandberg

Henry Gayden

Screenwriter

Peter Safran

Jeffrey Chernov

Executive Producer

Christopher Godsick

Walter Hamada

Geoff Johns

Adam Schlagman

Richard Brener

Dave Neustadter

Dany Garcia

Hiram Garcia

Dwayne Johnson

Maxime Alexandre

Cinematographer

Michel Aller

Film Editing

Benjamin Wallfisch

Original Music

Jennifer Spence

Production Design

Leah Butler

Costume Design

News & Interviews for Shazam!

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People’s Choice 2019 Winners: Marvel, Stranger Things , Cole Sprouse, and Zendaya Dominate

Critic Reviews for Shazam!

Audience reviews for shazam.

The funny thing with Shamaz is it almost feels like half of it is an indie film about an orphan boy finding a family and the other half is this wacky superhero movie. The other funny this is, it kind of works! Kind of. Both parts I actually really like. I didn't think I'd like all the other orphan kids, his new family, but I really enjoyed their stories. The superhero comedy stuff all works too. Zachary Levi is absolutely fantastic as an adult superhero with a child's mind, and he's just damn funny. The villain is a bit standard, but still enjoyable enough, and the movie is just a great time. Where it doesn't quite work for me, and really my only nitpick, is the blending of the two elements. I don't quite buy Shazam and Billy Batson as the same character. Billy is this brooding sad character, and Shazam is fun and wacky. I guess it's supposed to be something like with Spider-Man where when he's in the suit, he lets loose and feels more free to get all his quips going, but with Spider-Man that works better because the character is still played by Tom Holland. With this, it's two different actors, and it really does feel like two different characters. Yeah Zachary Levi feels like a kid, but just not this kid. Other than that though, Shazam really is a ton of fun.

The dark DC Universe goes kiddie with the lighthearted, comedic superhero film Shazam! When 15-year old Billy Batson is given magical powers by a wizard he turns to his foster brother for help, and soon discovers that there's a super-villain who's trying to take his powers from him. Zachary Levi gives a pretty good performance, as does Mark Strong, but the material doesn't really let them do much. The characters are all broad, one-dimensional stereotypes (particularly the villains). And, none of the action scenes are all that impressive, and the character designs for the Seven Deadly Sins aren't scary. More Disney than any Marvel movie, Shazam! is a silly kid's film that doesn't fit the cinematic universe that DC has been building.

The titular Shazam and has alter-ego Billy Batson feel like completely different characters. This is not unheard of for a superhero by any stretch, but when accompanied by a change of actor, it's a pretty jarring situation. I also have a hard time figuring out who the target demographic is with this thing. Seems all over the place. But! at the end of the day, the most important question is "Did I enjoy Shazam!?" and to that the answer is still somehow yes. Probably the best that the DCIThoughSheWasWithUniverse has to offer, with the glaring exception of Wonder Woman.

Feels even more like the "odd man out" of the franchise than "Wonder Woman". It has a real sense of fun, which these movie's desperately need.

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Shazam! Review

Zachary levi was born to play the title role in dc's sweetest movie in years..

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Shazam! is a lot of fun and it further proves how, in the wake of the success of Wonder Woman and Aquaman, DC’s movie future is indeed bright. Zachary Levi was born to play this superpowered man-child, delivering lots of laughs alongside sarcastic but amiable co-star Jack Dylan Grazer. After an awkward and obligatory opening, the latter three quarters pack some big surprises for comics buffs and offer enough mainstream appeal to win over new fans. While Dr. Sivana ties in nicely with the themes of how adults can influence children, this villain is ultimately little more than a means to an end for the story of a boy who must learn what it takes to be a (super)man.

In This Article

More Reviews by Jim Vejvoda

Ign recommends.

Shazam! Earns An Electrifying Rotten Tomatoes Score

The Rotten Tomatoes score for Shazam! is in, and it sits as one of the best in the DC Extended Universe.

Reviews for Shazam! have started rolling in on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, earning an electrifying early score.

With 40 reviews counted,  Shazam! is currently holding court as the best-reviewed film in the DC Extended Universe with a Rotten Tomatoes  score of 95% with an average rating of 7.88/10. The critics' consensus states, "An effortlessly entertaining blend of humor and heart, Shazam! is a superhero movie that never forgets the genre's real power: joyous wish fulfillment."

RELATED: Shazam! Early Reviews Praise Effortless Blend of Humor and Heart

Shazam! has taken the top spot from Patty Jenkins' 2017 film,  Wonder Woman , which finished its run with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 93% on 422 reviews with an average rating of 7.65/10. With many more reviews still to come, it remains to be seen whether  Shazam!  will finish with the top spot in the DCEU.

Directed by David F. Sandberg, Shazam! stars Asher Angel as Billy Batson, Zachary Levi as Shazam, Mark Strong as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, Djimon Hounsou as the ancient wizard Shazam, Grace Fulton as Mary Bromfield, Jack Dylan Grazer as Frederick “Freddy” Freeman, Ian Chen as Eugene Choi, Jovan Armand as Pedro Peña, Faithe Herman as Darla Dudley, Cooper Andrews as Victor Vásquez and Marta Milans as Rosa Vásquez. The film hits theaters April 5.

‘Shazam!’ Review: A Fun and Sweet Delight When It’s Not Being Disturbingly Dark

For the most part, David F. Sandberg’s superhero movie hits the mark, but when it misses, it misses badly.

In David F. Sandberg ’s Shazam! , there’s a moment that tells you everything you need to know about the new direction of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). A kid is smashing his Batman and Superman action figures together, making them fight. Then, out his window, he sees Shazam ( Zachary Levi ), taking on a bad guy. He drops Batman and Superman and looks in awe of the shiny new superhero. He doesn’t know that Shazam is actually a kid just like him, but the boy is the target audience for this latest superhero adaptation. Shazam! hopes you’ll forget the dark days when Batman asked Superman, “Do you bleed?” and when Sandberg’s film works, it’s the kind of fun superhero joyride that should dazzle and delight audiences of all ages. But when Sandberg gets too dark, the movie gets away from him and Shazam! loses its joyous spark. Thankfully, these moments are few and far between in a superhero film that just wants to have a good time.

Billy Batson ( Asher Angel ) has been running from foster home to foster home since he was a child trying to find his birth mother. In his latest foster home, he’s still uncomfortable and eyeing the exit when he’s summoned to alternate dimension by The Wizard Shazam ( Djimon Hounsou ) to be a champion. A champion is needed now more than ever because of the presence of Dr. Thaddeus Sivana ( Mark Strong ), who has been looking for the power of Shazam his entire life, but now carries with him the power of the Seven Deadly Sins, literal manifestation of the Catholic sins who grant him superpowers. Billy, unaware of what he’s getting into, accepts the power the Wizard grants him, and when Billy says the word “Shazam!”, he transforms into an adult (Levi) with superpowers including lightning bolts, super strength, super speed, and more. However, as many a budding superhero has come to learn, with great power comes great responsibility, which is particularly daunting for a 14-year-old boy with abandonment issues.

When the movie focuses on Shazam training with his foster brother and superhero geek Freddy Freeman ( Jack Dylan Grazer ), the movie fires on all cylinders. Shazam! is in a perfect groove watching teenage boys goof off and one of those boys happens to have superpowers and look like an adult. Sandberg isn’t trying to lampoon the superhero genre as much as he’s just having fun with its conventions and letting the target audience engage in some wish fulfillment without the weight of well-worn origins like Superman’s planet being blown up or Batman’s parents being killed in an alleyway. Whereas other DC heroes are very much “Gods among us,” Shazam dials into the relatability of its hero and broad themes like the importance of family.

Where Shazam! goes astray is with the Sivana stuff. Sandberg seems eager to show his background as a horror director (his past credits include Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation ) so the villain material gets way too heavy. The film opens with Sivana’s backstory, which involves his dad ( John Glover ) getting seriously injured in a car wreck. Sivana’s later antics with the Seven Deadly Sins (gargoyle-lookling like monsters who vaguely evoke the sins, but function mostly as Monster Henchmen) involve ripping board members to shreds and even biting off a guy’s head. And it’s not like the guy was particularly mean to Sivana. He’s just a guy, and he gets decapitated in a movie where the hero pretends to be an adult so he can buy beer.

I assume these dark flourishes are to make Sivana more threatening and to add to the stakes, but they don’t fit with the rest of the movie which is bent on being sweet, charming, and funny. You can still have an antagonist in that environment, but Sivana’s machinations are simply too one-dimensional and grotesque to fit with the rest of the picture. The film also suffers from some pacing issues where the third act battle drags on for far too long and goes for spectacle when the film’s greatest strengths are its humor and heart.

When Shazam! plays to those strengths, it’s the kind of film where Warner Bros. can feel comfortable leaving the battles between Batman and Superman to yesteryear (“yesteryear” being three years ago) and stick to their new mandate of making sure their superhero movies aren’t afraid of warmth and positive human emotions. Some may cry that this is the “Marvel-izing” of DC movies, but Shazam! is content to exist in a world where Batman, Superman, and other DC heroes also exist, but don’t require connective narrative tissue. It’s a kid who gets big and gets superpowers. That’s more than enough to make Shazam take flight.