SHAZAM!
A hilarious, redemptive superhero ride best kept for discerning adults.
Should You Watch It?
SHAZAM! is an unusually funny and warm superhero movie. Its story emphasizes foster families, selflessness, courage, gratitude, and resisting temptation. The writing and direction are very good, the action is exciting, and the young cast is terrific. Zachary Levi and Jack Dylan Grazer are especially entertaining.
But the movie’s positive qualities do not erase its content problems. It includes a high amount of profanity, including a strong profanity using Jesus Christ’s name, along with magic rooted in pagan mythology. Some humor is inappropriate, and the seven deadly sin demons attack people in disturbing ways.
If you are an adult or older teenager who can thoughtfully weigh those concerns, the movie offers genuine humor and redemptive themes. For family viewing with children or young teens, wait for home and choose something cleaner.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESFourteen-year-old orphan Billy Batson has spent years running away from foster homes while searching for his birth mother. When he joins the warm Vasquez family, Billy still keeps people at a distance.
Then a wizard summons him and gives him the power to transform into an adult superhero by saying one word: Shazam. Billy initially treats his powers as a joke, but a dangerous villain soon forces him to decide what kind of hero—and what kind of person—he will become.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is a highly entertaining, very well-written and well-directed superhero movie. SHAZAM! brings a fresh, childlike perspective to the genre instead of the darker, grittier approach of many other DC movies. The action scenes are exciting, and the humor is often very funny.
The emotional moments are strong enough to make viewers care about the characters. The young foster-child cast is terrific, while Zachary Levi and Jack Dylan Grazer steal the show. The movie is not free of inappropriate humor, but its craft and entertainment value are substantial.
The Worldview
SHAZAM! strongly emphasizes family, loving parenting, foster parents, selflessness, gratitude, and courage. Billy’s journey centers on learning to accept a wonderful new family and use his powers for others instead of himself. The Vasquez family gives thanks before dinner, Christmas songs reference Jesus, and a nativity scene appears in a front yard.
The movie also includes Christian allusions. Its main villains are demons representing the seven deadly sins, and resisting temptation is a recurring message. A character says, “Thank God.” However, the film’s magic is not explored as Christian power. Shazam’s abilities are connected to the powers of pagan mythological characters such as Zeus and Hercules. The story therefore presents a mixed worldview: strong moral and biblical themes are marred by occult fantasy magic and paganism.
The film’s longing for family and belonging connects with Scripture’s picture of God’s care for the isolated: “God settles the solitary in a home” (Psalm 68:6).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Very strong moral, biblical worldview stresses family, loving parenting, a positive portrayal of foster parents and selflessness, gratitude, and courage, with Christian allusions to the “demons of the seven deadly sins,” a family gives thanks for their food, some references to Jesus through Christmas elements (songs and a Nativity display), a message of resisting temptation of sin, and a character says, “Thank God,” marred by some occult fantasy magic and paganism in that the source of the hero’s powers is from a powerful, cosmic magic, and his powers are that of other pagan mythological characters
Foul Language
14 obscenities (mostly “h,” “a” and “s” words), 16 profanities (mostly OMGs, but at least one strong profanity of Jesus), a young boy gives the middle finger, a news interview where a hysterical Santa says many “f” words that are bleeped, and a reference to urine
Violence
Moderate superhero action violence includes fight scenes with punching, kicking and characters being thrown, but not much gore, and the seven deadly sins are scary monsters that sometimes eat people, one demon bites a man’s head off (not shown), others are thrown out a skyscraper window, and a car is t-boned, and the man is seen lying on the ground injured, some blood is seen
Sex
No depicted sexual content, but a 14-year-old in an adult superhero’s body goes into a strip club out of curiosity and comes out minutes later though the camera never goes inside with him, and there’s a sexual innuendo
Nudity
No nudity
Alcohol Use
Two minors get beer and drink it, but quickly spit it out because it’s disgusting to them
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No smoking or drugs;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Strong miscellaneous immorality includes main characters lie many times (sometimes without consequences), a boy dupes some police officers but is caught, stealing, destruction of personal property, and main child characters act selfishly at times.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Billy initially uses his powers selfishly, then must learn to use them for others. What makes someone a selfless person?
Philippians 2:3–4 · Mark 10:45The Vasquez family welcomes children who need a home. How can your family show loving care to people who feel alone?
Psalm 68:6 · James 1:27The movie connects evil with the seven deadly sins. How does Scripture describe the way temptation grows, and where can we turn for help?
James 1:14–15 · 1 Corinthians 10:13Billy struggles to accept a family that cares about him. Why can it be difficult to receive love, and how does God’s love shape our identity?
1 John 3:1 · Romans 8:15–16The Final Word
SHAZAM! is very funny, emotionally warm, and rich in family-centered themes. But its magic, paganism, profanity, and disturbing violence make it unsuitable for children and young teens. For discerning adults, wait for home and weigh the content carefully. WAIT FOR HOME — ADULTS ONLY. For other options, see.
