The real Captain Marvel

Whaddayaknow?  There are two ‘Captain Marvel’ movies in theatres right now.  Just three weeks after Bree Larson’s CM gave us the latest chapter of the MCU and lead-up to the most highly anticipated movie of all time, ‘Avengers: Endgame,’ DC’s “Big Red Cheese” (aka the “original” Captain Marvel) dropped in theatres to the tune of $53 million in the US and $162 million worldwide, easily toppling that other Captain Marvel movie.  Well, that movie already made like a gazillion dollars.  Yawn.

 

Starring Zachary Levi of ‘Chuck’ fame, ‘Shazam!’ is the first big screen appearance of this classic “golden age of comics” superhero who, though most remember him as a DC character, originated under Fawcett Comics waaaaaaaaaaaaay back in 1939, making him about as ancient, by which I mean venerable, as Superman and Batman.  Shazam! is also what alter ego 14-year old Billy Batson yells to transform into the superhero (and vice versa), as well as the acronym of six “immortals” who are mostly Greek deities: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury.  Okay, enough trivia for now.

 

‘Shazam!’ continues the DCEU’s cinematic resurgence which began with WW and last seen in ‘Aquaman,’  It is funny, entertaining and even heart-warming.  Taking a humorous approach is the right move here, because the last thing we want or need is another superhero movie that takes itself too seriously.  ‘Shazam!’ is the ‘Big’ (as in the charming 1988 movie starring Tom Hanks) of superhero movies in more ways than one (there’s even the piano keys reference), and that’s about as good a compliment as I can give to this enjoyable film.

Grade: A-