10 High-Profile 2019 Movies You Should Be Worried About
7. Shazam! (April 5)
The Movie:
The seventh installment in the DC Extended Universe, Shazam! tells the story of Billy Batson, a teenage boy granted powers by an ancient wizard that allows him to transform into the title character just by speaking the name.
Why You Should Be Worried:
Shazam! may have silenced many of its doubters thanks the recent debut of the first trailer, which won many people over, but there are still many question marks surrounding the project.
Although it seems as though the two young leads have great chemistry, and Zachary Levi seems to be having an absolute blast as the titular superhero, managing the right tone is crucial in whether or not the movie turns out to be a success.
The bright costumes and vein of humor running through the Comic-Con footage seems to signal a definitive shift away from the DCEU's preferred 'dark and gritty' aesthetic, but leaning too heavily into the comedy could turn out to be detrimental to the final product, especially as many of the jokes don't really seem to be as funny as the trailer thinks they are.
Labeling itself as 'Big with superheroes' puts a lot of expectations on the shoulders of Shazam!, as the classic comedy deftly balanced its humor with its more serious dramatic moments. If director David F. Sandberg manages to pull it off, then Shazam! could be a wholly unique comic book movie that brings genuine optimism to the DCEU. If not, it could turn out a tonally-confused mess that fails to bring its disparate genre inspirations into a cohesive whole.