“Shazam!” said Gomer Pyle countless times in reference to the catchphrase of one of comics’ greatest curiosities: Captain Marvel. No, not the one that looks like Brie Larson, the original Captain Marvel, now known as Shazam.
Shazam derives as an acronym from a revolving door of legendary figures, but from the trailer it doesn’t look like they’ll go that route. This trailer does promise the trademark levity of the Shazam franchise, which should be a welcome relief from the doom and gloom associated with Justice League and the utter darkness of the Suicide Squad movies.
Best of all, Shazam! stars Zachary Levi as the title superhero and Mark Strong as his evil bald nemesis, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana. Fans of NBC’s Chuck and those who recall his role as Fandral in the last two Thor movies, know that action-comedy roles are where Levi lives. On a similar note, I think the only movies where I’ve seen where Mark Strong play good guys are Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Kingsmen. With veteran actors at the helm, Shazam! should deliver everything fans of the comic are looking for: humor, action, and a load of fun. Here’s the trailer from DC’s YouTube account:
Shazam/Captain Marvel has long been the subject of comic book lore. First, DC sued Shazam’s creator Fawcett Comics because in the 1950s the-superhero-formerly-known-as-Captain Marvel resembled Superman a lot. DC wanted Fawcett to stop beating them at their own game, and it became a protracted legal battle which DC eventually won and why they’re making this film. In the ‘70s, Marvel introduced their own Captain Marvel and DC informally adopted the much radder, “Shazam!” When DC ushered in the New 52, they made Shazam official.
Photo source: IMDb.com
Maybe I should check it out, though I’d have to catch up on DC movies.