Look out Gomer Pile!  One of your catchphrases is now a big budget blockbuster!

After the box office success of Aquaman (which I rated as the worst of the DCCU so far), people have anticipated Shazam! to be even better, as DC bounces back from past harsh criticisms.  But, does it live up to its hype?  Let’s jump into this full geek!

1. The costumes are too silly.

This movie, like Aquaman, abandoned the low contrast darker hued filter of previous films in this U, and these costumes very much did shine in the vibrant colors they are.  I liked it, but some might take a star off because the cape does look like something that Elton John would wear in his 2nd act. This would bring the rating for some people down to 9 out of 10.

2. Zachary Levi didn’t act like Asher Angel did as Billy Batson.

It was an amazing acting job from both, but Asher’s characterization was more cool and low key, and Zachary’s interpretation was goofier.  I don’t think I could see Asher’s character doing Fortnite dances, but this can be chalked up to living up to expectations based on looks, which is a real thing.  He has powers, an adult body, good looks, a colorful costume, etc.  He might just be strutting what he was thinking his stuff is.  He feels he needs to be as flashy as his lightning and goes back to a subdued behavior when he changes to teenaged Billy.  Some might still take a star off for this, putting the rating at 8 out of 10.

3. The villain is a stereotypical megalomaniac.

Mark Strong is a fine actor, but some people found this to be a waste of a talented artist.  This is mentioned as a negative of the movie in Lamont Tyson’s review on YouTube. I have to agree with them.  I do get how the motivations of a child, who was told he is not good enough by his father and brother for years, only to be told by a powerful wizard that he isn’t good enough, either, would be the exploit that allows an ancient evil like the 7 Deadly Sins to entice him in with power.  But, the comedy takes over and even does a bit about a monologuing villain rambling on for no real reason.  I’m taking a star off for this, too.  Others would bring their rating down to 6 out of 10.

4. The level of artistry is down.

Yes, the theme of family is powerful, and it’s not always blood.  These are wonderful messages, but when comedy is at the forefront, we lose a little serious contemplation about the human condition, which is exactly the seriousness that got criticized about Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman.  I loved the artistry of the first 2 installments of this franchise and hope they still put in more on some of the movies coming up.  I, also, did love the comedy in this movie, but I have to take a star off for this myself.  However, they totally nailed the symbolism of the 7 Deadly Sins (The Vox goes into detail about that here.), so I’ll give half a star back.  Others might already be down to 7 out of 10 for their rating.

5.  The comedy is too forced.

Lamont Tyson’s review mentions this, and while I can see it a bit, the end result of the comedy still did its job in making me laugh, so much so that I would give another half star back for this.  I’m still walking around singing “Lightning With My Hands!”  Others still might take an entire star off, steering their review to a 5 out of 10.

6.  It’s too distractingly Christmas.

It’s very obvious that this was meant to be released at Christmas time.  Trees are being put up, Santa is around several times, Christmas decorations abound, etc.  I, however, wasn’t bothered by it when I was watching Sylvester Stalone in Cobra.  I wasn’t bothered this time, but for some people, their review might arrive at a 4 out of 10.

If you’ve been keeping track, my review ends at a 9 out of 10, which is the exact rating of the Rotten Tomatoes critics score as of right now and only 1 point higher than the audience score.