DC continues to rebound with 'Shazam!'

“Superheroes are fun” appears to be the new mantra for the DC Comics slate of theatrical films. After the dour “Batman vs. Superman” and the downright putrid “Suicide Squad,” the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) has lately leaned closer to the gee-whiz side of the comic book spectrum.

The strategy paid off for “Aquaman” this past December. It’s a movie where shiny armored sea people ride giant sharks and fight crab monsters. It made more than a billion dollars.

“Shazam!” is a much smaller-scale film, though it features its own share of pulp silliness. The film is pitched more as a high-concept comedy (think “Big” with capes) than superhero origin tale, and the strategy pays off, thanks especially to a charming performance by star Zachary Levi and a group of plucky young co-stars.

It does take some patience to get through the film’s exposition-heavy first act. The film introduces a world of magic, hidden temples, monstrous incarnations of the seven deadly sins, and the backstory of the eventual big bad (played by Mark Strong). It also follows a troublemaker pre-teen, Billy Batson (Asher Angel), as he enters into his latest foster home.

Skip about 20 minutes of wizard talk and Billy is eventually gifted with the powers of Shazam. He says the word and he transforms into a costumed adult superhero (Levi), cape and all.

Foster brother Freddy (an excellent Jack Dylan Grazer from the recent “It” adaptation) is the only person who knows of Billy’s powers, and in one of the best stretches of the movie, the pair test Billy’s powers by just goofing around. Kids will be kids, and “Shazam!” gets a lot of laughs out of Levi’s adult hero behaving like a giddy child.

Once it lumbers through those clunky opening scenes, “Shazam!” is pure fun, and it doesn’t try to force down an overblown world-ending conflict. The script, penned by Henry Gayden, keeps the rest of the movie focused on Billy’s lingering feelings of isolation and abandonment. His new foster family, which is comprised of four more terrific young performers, also play key roles in delivering a funny, exciting and heartfelt climax alongside the usual CGI shenanigans.

Director David F. Sandberg (“Lights Out”) doesn’t do anything too flashy with “Shazam!”, but it has enough pop to justify that exclamation point in the title. It’s a good time, and a good reminder before “Avengers: Endgame” that superhero movies can exist without mass genocide as a key plot point.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com