I didn't like "Deadpool", but I liked it better than "Shazam!" They both have the same problems: they try too hard and suffer from a lack of fresh jokes. But Zachary Levi (I miss "Chuck"..) is no Ryan Reynolds (or Tom Hanks). The greatest superhero of the production has to be Mark Strong's agent who still somehow manages to convince Hollywood that his client is worth hiring.

The good: depiction of the foster home and the child actors. Best of them, in my opinion, was the diminutive, adorable Faithe Herman (from TV's "This Is Us"). Some of the comedic scenes work nicely enough. And there is a great scene between a boy and his long lost mother, which seems more real than the rest of the picture. Other than that, the themes of family, standing your ground etc. take second seat to the action and comedy.

"Shazam!" is a calculatingly passable family distraction with unsurprising problems: in one scene a horrific mass murder takes place, but not a single drop of blood is anywhere to be seen. This is just lying to kids. And the end resolve takes way too long. Music is completely forgettable.

At least "Shazam!" maintains a light tone, by which it beats watching Zack Snyder films.