No matter how many times I’ve tried yelling at the sky, lightning has yet to strike me and turn me into a 6-foot-3, human lightning bolt of a superhero. The things an awesome movie will make you believe you can do still never fails to amuse me. Well, there’s no shame in trying again… “SHAZAM!”

Directed by David F. Sandberg, Shazam! stars Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Djimon Hounsou. The film follows the story of the renegade orphaned teenager Billy Batson as he’s given a new foster family which interrupts him from looking for his long lost mother. By “chance,” he happens upon an aging wizard who needs to pass on his power to a new champion to fight the dark forces of magic that threaten our world.    

Quite simply said, Shazam! is one of the most fun DC movies in years. If the Tom Hanks’s movie Big had a love child with Christopher Reeve’s first Superman movie, the result would be Shazam!. The movie oozes out plenty of hope and fun for DC movies. Aquaman may have been a rollercoaster, but Shazam! has a lot more heart than Aquaman or any of the other movies in the DC Extended Universe. I had a smile across my face for most of the movie and that was due to Zachary Levi’s stellar performance as Shazam. It was a nice breath of fresh air to finally see a DC character in the movies actually enjoy being a superhero. Zachary Levi owns this role and kills it as Shazam, the Red Cyclone defender of Philadelphia. His chemistry with Freddy Freeman, played brilliantly by Grazer, is not only great but also something that hasn’t been seen in a comic book movie in a long time; a funny kid sidekick who has no powers and is disabled. What makes their relationship so interesting is the fact that Freddy knows exactly how to be a superhero because he is a superhero guru, whereas Billy knows nothing on the subject and he’s a superhero. The irony in film is displayed fantastically and the filmmakers know just how to use it perfectly for jokes, even during dramatic beats of the film.

Unfortunately, the character of Billy Batson, portrayed by Angel, doesn’t transcend through the lightning and thunder as he turns into his superhero alter ego. As bright and funny as Levi was as his character, Angel’s Billy Batson didn’t feel the same. Personally, I thought the performance wasn’t all that great, especially compared to the likes of the very charming Zachary Levi. Although Billy is given the superpowers of a god, he should still be Billy Batson, not just Levi being extremely goofy.

Another one of my main gripes with the film is that the CGI wasn’t the best and it especially didn’t look good when Levi’s face was on what’s clearly a CGI body. The CGI had a rubber look to it, and it wasn’t pleasant when it was on a person or face. It looked more like a video game than it did a huge Hollywood blockbuster movie, which is supposed to have all kinds of funding in the visual effects department. It’s not the biggest problem, but it can be distracting and it took me out of the movie at times.   

Luckily, the CGI issue was minimal because this movie kept me very entertained from start to finish. The bright tone and overall factor of joy this movie gives off will satisfy hardcore and casual fans alike. Levi and Grazer’s performances make the heart of this movie and by the time the credits roll, many people will be shouting “SHAZAM!” Shazam! brings the thunder, it brings the lightning, and it sure does bring the next great movie to the DC pantheon of cinema.