The Shazam Honest Trailer Makes Us Admit the Hit Film’s Flaws

Shazam was excellent. The Zachary Levi-led DCEU film was a delightful romp, with a great found-family storyline and the promise of a brighter franchise. Naturally, because the internet is going to internet, Honest Trailers has turned their eyes to this particular film, and while I think some of the comments are a little unjustified, it’s a funny take on the movie overall.

The biggest thing I agree with is the opening bit about how the film isn’t necessarily the most family friendly. One of the Seven Deadly Sins, after all, bites off a guy’s head. There is some scary, scary stuff in there that goes beyond the average superhero shenanigans, and it’s worth noting that several critics and parents raised issues with the film’s contents on Twitter. Was the film a little too scary for a seven-year-old? Possibly.

The joke about Mark Strong seeking revenge for Green Lantern is perfect, though, and yes, the Seven Deadly Sins themselves are pretty basic CGI blobs. Good point.

Still, the comparisons to other heroes, from the other Captain Marvel to Thor to Superman, seem a bit unfair, if true. A lot of heroes follow the same archetypes. Being an orphan with street smarts who finds a family and a calling, or being an all-powerful but noble and pure-hearted hero, isn’t exactly groundbreaking anymore, particularly if the hero is a cishet white guy. The Shazam family breaks the mold in some ways, but we could still use more of them to really challenge tropes.

If you like Honest Trailers, and you need to kill about five minutes waiting in those long San Diego Comic-Con lines, then this is fun. Honest Trailers can be a bit old, but hey, we could all stand to have the things we love gently mocked. It’s also a reminder of the terrible time that Shazam flossed, so we can be reminded of how that was inflicted upon us as every Shazam cosplayer also flosses.

(image: Warner Bros.)

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