Film Preview: Shazam! (2019)

Page Revisions:

(July 29, 2018) Original
(March 10, 2019) New Trailer (#2) / New Posters (#2-#3)
(March 17, 2019) Added Image Gallery
(March 31, 2019) New Posters (#4-#6)

Release Date:

April 5, 2019

Synopsis:

From IMDb: “A boy is given the ability to become an adult superhero in times of need with a single magic word.”

Poster Rating: F / C+ / B- / C / B- / C+

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Review: (#1) For fans of the character, this will be exciting news. For everyone else it will be shrug-inducing.

(#2) Billy Batson and his alter ego make for a cool design if this were a comic book. Though, trying to draw the comic book crowd with this might work. (#3) The nonchalant way that Shazam leans against the wall blowing bubbles and playing on his phone adequately conveys the childlike quality of the kid trapped in this form. The background isn’t very exciting, but that’s not surprising.

(#4) This is probably one of the better designs for an IMAX poster. For some reason, these always have too much vacant space and while that makes the foreground notable, it’s not particularly engaging. (#5) A lot of solid elements here, though it somehow feels incomplete. That said, that Shazam lightning symbol activating our hero in the background is the best part of this design. (#6) A bit cheesy, but also fitting. This design definitely tells the audience what they are getting even if there’s not enough of it to go around.

Trailer Rating: C+ / B

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Review: (#1) There’s a juvenile appeal to this trailer that befits the character, but it also feels formulaic beyond all necessity.

(#2) Focused less on the origin and more on the stakes, this second trailer does a far better job putting the film out there as a not-that-serious entry into the DC universe.