On the DC superhero spectrum, there's a pretty wide gap between the household name caped crusaders and the "other guys." 2019's 'Shazam!' was an attempt to help some of the latter break out of their stereotype, with Zachary Levi portraying the lightning-powered funny guy.

The film gets points for trying to be more 'Marvel' than its nascent brand, which is why it probably connected more with audiences than people would have expected. From the emphasis on high school humor and biting one-line quips to the themes of embracing one's family whatever shape it may be in, 'Shazam!' packs a lot more into 132 minutes than the average "good guys beat bad guys" outing.

Still, it's not even close to being perfect. Things that make the film stand out are also its weaknesses, from the fact that its skews towards the younger crowd vs. Being a fit for most audiences to the unexciting villain (Mark Strong's Dr. Sivana) and unoriginal plot. It almost feels like a straight-to-Disney+ Marvel movie in some respects.

Still, it's nice to see DC try to come out of its (very one-note) shell here.