In a world filled with dark superhero movies like Avengers: Infinity War and Glass it is refreshing to see one that is lighthearted and fun. Shazam! is Warner Bros.’ and DC Film’s most recent entry into their cinematic universe and is a delight to watch. In Shazam! we follow Billy Batson, played by actor Asher Angel, as he searches for his mom by going from foster home to foster home all across Philadelphia.

One day, after escaping a fight with bullies and sticking up for his foster brother, he meets a wizard who grants him the power of Shazam! turning him into the “perfect adult,” played by actor Zachary Levi. Then, an adventure of stopping bad guys and hilarious hijinks ensues. This movie is so much fun and is filled with great performances.

The movie shines in the comedic writing; there were very few moments where the jokes didn’t land. The best part of the movie, however, was Levi’s portrayal of Shazam!. He perfectly portrays the whole idea of a kid in an adult’s body. There is not a single scene where he does not nail the comedic timing delivering many great lines like “I’ll have some of your finest beer, please.” Then proceeding to spit it out after it “tastes like vomit”. Not only can he be humorous but also delivers the expected superhero moments when fighting against enemy Dr. Zavana, portrayed by actor Mark Strong.

Where the movie is flawed would be the runtime. The film is just over two hours but it feels like some scenes can just drag on when they already got the point across. Another weak area of the movie was the subpar computer-generated imagery when compared to what we would expect from a modern day superhero movie.

Once you peel back the layers of heroic comedy, you end up with a completely different genre of movie. At its core, Shazam! is a movie about finding family in the most unlikely people and places. For these reasons, the movie is a solid 8.5/10.