Shazam!: 7 Reveals From The New Teaser

With only a few months left to go before release, David F. Sanberg's Shazam! is cranking up the marketing machine with new posters, new tie-ins, and best of all, a brand new teaser.

After the incredible success, both financially and critically, of Aquaman, DC looks to be stretching their wings even further this April with the upcoming film. Whereas characters like Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and even Aquaman were all household names even prior to their films, Shazam is a much deeper cut. In terms of popularity, he's kind of like DC's Ant-Man, a niche character that general audiences know next-to-nothing about.

Which means that perhaps more than ever before for the DCEU, the marketing here really counts. These trailers and teasers have to sell audiences on the character, first and foremost. The good news is, this teaser is an excellent example of precisely how to do that.

In putting emphasis on the character and tone, while also peppering in fun nods to the comics and some unexpected changes, the teaser does a stellar job of making the film look like a can't-miss come April.

While the first trailer for Shazam! that dropped months ago was understandably light on finished effects shots, considering that it was nearly a year before the film's theatrical release date, this new teaser shows a plethora of fully finished effects shots that look absolutely stunning. Which is all the more impressive, considering that the teaser only runs for less than a minute.

The teaser makes its intentions clear from the get-go, with an opening salvo most full-length trailers would kill for. As we hear Djimon Hounsou's Shazam reminding Billy Batson and audiences how saying "shazam!" will give imbue him with super-powers, we get a glorious shot of Billy running towards the edge of a rooftop, leaping off of it, shouting "shazam!" and him turning into Shazam mid-fall and flying away. Everything about this shot is gorgeous, and it is remarkable how fluid and the live-action blends with the effects work to create this moment ripped straight from the comic book pages.

Elsewhere in the trailer, we get glimpses of what looks to be some very climactic CGI-heavy carnage and all of it looks great. Any and all of the naysayers who were afraid this film would feel cheap after the initial set photos of the hero's suit can now truly rest at ease, as the effects shot on display in this teaser are some of the most tangible effects shots of the DCEU so far.