SHAZAM! Shazan!
It is estimated that everyone will try to shout out when they walk out of the theater after watching "Thunder Shazan"!
In-depth spoiler + easter egg analysis can jump directly to the second half of the article.
"Thunder Shazam", as the only work in the DC Extended Universe in 2019 ("Joker" is an independent film), shoulders too many missions and responsibilities, because DC Extended Universe can no longer withstand too many failures, but fortunately, " Aquaman added a lot of favorability to "Thunder Shazan".
Earlier, "Thunder Shazan" released the trailer that can be regarded as the most pleasant in DC history, which makes people have more expectations and high hopes for this movie.
No spoiler viewing comment
After I watched the movie, what I can tell you is that this is a movie with a simple theme, fun, and with principles that everyone understands. The whole movie was shown with constant laughter and the character creation was very successful.
Everyone who has seen the trailer knows that under the body of the superhero Shazam, there is actually a 15-year-old Erya, oh no, it is Billy. (Is it really the only one who thinks he is like Erya).
When Billy became the superhero Shazam, he was still an immature teenager. Such a contrasting character setting created a lot of jokes in the film.
And because these laughs are what Billy should be when he was 15 years old, these laughs also appeared very natural and real, and even became a source of emotion in the end.
This is also entirely due to the performance of the starring Zachary Levi and the male version of Erya Arthur Anqi. The unity and connection of the two characters clearly shows the 15-year-old teenager’s sense of uncertainty about the future, creating A lot of things let us see the behavior and character that 15-year-olds should have.
Do you still remember what you are doing at the age of 15? The topic of growing up has become an inescapable theme in "Thunder Shazan". Although this theme is more traditional, it is also a classic.
"Spider-Man: Homecoming" also focuses on growth, but the difference between the two is that Peter wants to be a superhero because he knows "the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility".
"Thunder Shazan" changed its rhetoric and became "No matter how big or small we are, we should all be responsible."
Of course, I like and even love the DC works I directed before. Those are modern versions of myths and fables. The shots are very philosophical and poetic. The pictures and fights can also be recorded in the annals of the Super British history.
But unfortunately, Marvel is more popular and successful than DC. The dark style of DC is obscure and lacks entertainment, so DC has to be transformed, so there is a trial and error version of "Justice League" during the transition period, but fortunately We have seen DC's recovery, and this time "Thunder Shazam" makes the family happy to the end.
Of course, you can also say that by doing this, DC makes all the superheroes on the screen become a tune, without the original DC dark taste, and finally DC is assimilated by Marvel's style. The superheroes on both sides have been stupidly confused.
Therefore, DC will continue to create independent super-British movies and move forward in both directions. For example, "Joker", which will be released this year, is not within the scope of DC's expanded universe.
In general, the threshold of "Thunder Shazan" is very low, and it is also popular. Even if the film is in the DC expansion universe, there is no need to do too much homework for the previous DC expansion universe works, because the movie has many easter eggs, not as good as If you are not a DC fan, you can also understand the stalk of the easter eggs inside.
However, I don’t know if the DC Universe is afraid of the dark style. This time, the change in the style of "Thunder Shazan" makes people feel, at least it makes me think, "Thunder Shazan" actually does not require the threshold of viewing movies, or Said to lower the viewing age to such a low level.
As for the fighting and special effects in the film, the layout is relatively small, and there may be some visual parties that will not be fun to watch, but if you know that the cost of the film is only 90 million, you can understand why, after all, the economic base determines Superstructure.
There will be 2 easter eggs at the end of the film, please be sure to leave all subtitles.
Who is Shazan! ?
Before we have any in-depth spoilers, let's first come to a small movie watching guide, so that everyone can learn more about Shazam and the story behind him.
Shazam is actually an undercover agent sent by Marvel to DC. His name is Fandral. In Thor 2 and 3, Fandral received Thor's instructions and sneaked into DC secretly. Well, I can't make it up.
In the comics, Shazam is actually one of the important members of the Justice League, and he is also the only superhero comparable to Superman.
And Shazam’s main skill is to control thunder and lightning, which is very similar to the next door Marvel’s Thor, but the magical thing is that Shazam’s weakness is also afraid of being attacked by strong thunder and lightning.
But Shazam is not a superhero with a single skill. His superpowers include Solomon's wisdom, Hercules' strength, Atlas's endurance, Zeus's strength, Achilles' courage, and Mercury's speed. These 6 main skills happen to be the first letters of the six first words of SHAZAM (well you already know it).
Shazam's predecessor was actually called Captain Marvel. He was born in Fawcett Comics. It was normal that he hadn't heard of it, because he went bankrupt.
The original Captain Marvel created by Fawcett Comics is very similar to Superman in terms of style and superpowers. More importantly, Captain Marvel once surpassed Superman in sales. And it was made into a live-action movie in 1941, which should be considered the earliest superhero movie, still in black and white.
DC was very angry and the consequences were serious. DC took Fawcett Comics to court and successfully won the case. After Fawcett's comics department went bankrupt, DC immediately bought Fawcett Comics. Naturally, the copyright of Captain Marvel's role went to DC's hands.
But everyone knows that this kind of American disputes lasted for many years, and Marvel has not been idle for so many years. Father Stan Lee preemptively registered the copyright of the role name of Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel.
So two surprise captains were born! And these two surprise captains existed for a long time.
It was not until 2011 that DC Comics gave up the title of Captain Marvel and changed the name of Captain Marvel to Shazan. So if from the old name, two Captain Marvel were shown on the big screen this year in 2019. How deep is Wei's "hate" 23333.
But Dacong felt that Shazam’s name change was an extremely correct choice. After all, Shazam was able to transform because he shouted Shazam.
Therefore, Shazam has another weakness, that is, as long as he is prevented from yelling Shazam before he turns, he will not be able to change shape.
So embarrassingly, it is difficult for Shazan to introduce himself, because once Shazan is called, Shazan will change back to Billy's form.
Overall, I believe that "Thunder Shazam" is a success from the perspective of entertainment business, and it will definitely cause a sensation after it is released. Shazam, a second-level superhero like a sand sculpture, has created a new dimension. , Is different from the serious and serious Superman Batman, and also different from the deadpool with the limit of mouth cannon.
After the film is fully released, Dah Cong will release the detailed spoiler analysis of "Thunder Shazan" as soon as possible, including of course the easter egg commentary in the film.
——Spoiler analysis warning——
Easter eggs! Easter eggs!
Talking about super British movies, how can you not talk about Easter eggs. However, in each scene, Freddy changed a set of small easter eggs in a superhero T-shirt, so let's slowly enjoy the fun, and it will not be the scope of discussion.
Eternal Rock
The Eternal Rock was created more than 5,000 years ago. The rock comes from the Eternal Rock between heaven and hell. At the same time, the Eternal Rock is a place for old hero dramas. The purpose is to suppress the ancient seven deadly sins. Zan's brothers and sisters all died or left one after another, his power is getting weaker and weaker, so he needs to find an heir.
At the end of the film, the Eternal Rock has also become Shazam's secret base. Just like Batman, there is a huge equipment base under the castle. It is also mentioned in the film that Shazam originally wanted to buy a house as a secret base, preferably close to the cliff, cars coming in and out from under the waterfall, and so on.
In the comics, the main entrance of the Eternal Rock and the earth is the city of Fawcett. The origin of the name of the city of Fawcett is actually the Fawcett cartoon created by the Shazam character. But in the film, it was changed to Philadelphia.
It’s worth noting that in the movie, 6 superheroes were assembled to form the Shazam family. The Rock of Eternity is also their secret base, but there are 7 seats in the Rock of Eternity, which are called the Eternal Council. Explain that the Shazam family will be in the sequel, and it is possible to add a new family member to make up 7 members.
Shazam family
There are a total of 6 Shazan family members in the film. Apart from Shazan, the other five briefly introduced their superpowers. They are Freddie, Mary, Pedro, Dara, and Eugene.
In addition to these members, in the comics, Shazam finally photographed a tiger in the zoo as the guardian of magic, so they may have sat on the seven thrones of the Eternal Stone, which corresponds to the seven deadly sins. Of the seven evil spirits.
Perhaps because of the limited budget of the film, Tiger needs a lot of special effects as a superhero, so the seventh member of the Shazam family was postponed to the sequel. . . Bar.
Seven Deadly Sins
The seven deadly sins are Shazam's old enemies. The specific corresponding to each evil spirit is consistent with David Fincher's "Seven Deadly Sins".
In the comics, the Seven Deadly Sins are separate members of the villain and will not merge with Dr. Shivana. Dr. Shivana also has his own magic and superpowers alone.
Dr Shiwana
In the film, Dr. Shivana, without the help of the seven deadly sins, would be just an ordinary bald uncle. When he was a child, this uncle was selected by the wizard Shazam. In the end, because of his wrong heart, he started to study the black magic spell. No return.
However, in the comics, Dr. Shivana reversed it, because he wanted to save his terminally ill family, and when modern medical techniques could not cure him, he went to study the black magic and learned various spells.
Personally, I feel that this version of Dr. Shiwana’s personality should be more impressive to the audience. I don’t know why the film was changed to Dr. Shiwana. Just because the wizard Shazan said he was not good, he turned into a villain.
In the comics, one day Dr. Shivana went to a tomb, and suddenly a bolt of lightning struck his right eye, allowing him to upgrade to see through all black magic and use it for it. So he used this skill to release the black Adam who was sealed by Shazan the shaman in the ancient tomb.
Shazam the Wizard
Shazam, the shaman, didn't use this name. His name was Mamalagan. He was born in Canaan nine thousand years ago (after NEW52).
Shazam the wizard has fought evil for thousands of years. In the end, he was a bit exhausted and wanted to find a successor, which is the kind of recruitment system in the film.
During the time of the Egyptian Pharaohs, Shazam, the wizard, chose Tes Adam. Later, Tes Adam was blackened and used the power of Shazam to harm mankind everywhere. He changed his name to Black Adam. Black Adam is also Shazam's strongest enemy.
Later, the wizard Shazam sealed Black Adam, but his power became weaker and weaker and he had to continue to look for heirs, so he found Billy.
As early as 2017, Dashi Johnson became the actor of Black Adam. Originally, I thought that based on the character settings of the comics, I could see Black Adam appearing, but this should have to wait until after the Shazam sequel.
Even in the process of DC's plan to expand the universe, the independent film "Black Adam" is among them, and the screenwriter and director have been selected.
Ending egg
In the end, Superman came to make a cameo, but because the current DC expansion universe actors are a bit disintegrated, so far, the candidates for Superman and Batman have not been determined in the end, so the film uses a convenient method to make Superman. He doesn't show his face, only shows off superman clothes.
Credits 1: Meditation Mite
The first easter egg is Dr. Shivana writing a black magic spell in prison, and the last one is similar to a caterpillar coming in and talking to him. It is Mr Mind, the super villain of DC Comics. It comes from Venus and has a high Wisdom, and can control the brain of others, is also Shazam's old opponent.
In New 52, Meditation Mite, Dr. Shivana, and Black Adam joined forces to fight against Shazam. In the comics, Meditation Mite is also the voice that tempts Shivana to learn black magic. Meditation Mites also formed the Monster Society of Evil, and gathered many villains under DC, including Dr. Shivana and Hei Ya
In the film, the meditation mite gave a close-up at the beginning of the film, which actually implies that when Shivana entered the Rock of Eternity when he was a child, he was arranged by the meditation mite by magic, not the wizard Shazam. There was a problem with the spell.
With the emergence of Meditation Mites, the sequel is expected to unite Dr. Shivana and Black Adam to fight against Shazam.
Credits egg 2
This is purely an entertainment egg. Freddy is testing and developing Shazam's new skills to see if Shazam can talk to the fish, but this skill is better left to Aquaman.
Video analysis
The characters and settings of "Thunder Shazan", and even the structure of the plot, are basically adapted from DC Comics NEW 52.
The film sets Billy as a child who has been lost since childhood. He has been fostered in various families and ran away 23 times, because he never recognized the foster family and at the same time failed to recognize who he is. He always wanted to find his biological mother. Go to your own home.
Growth has become an internal conflict for Billy, and Shazam's transformation has become an external conflict. The two go hand in hand, shaping Billy's transformation from boy to man.
Under the cave of the Eternal Rock, the wizard Shazam insists on controlling the demon of the seven deadly sins. He is looking for the next heir. However, due to inaccurate calculations of mana, he first found Dr. Shivana when he was a child and planted the bane.
In the end, the wizard Shazam found Billy and asked a 15-year-old boy to become the heir to protect the peace of mankind. As long as Billy shouted SHAZAM, Billy would turn into Shazam from a flash of lightning.
The interesting part of the film is this. A 15-year-old boy has super powers by accident, but Billy does not know how to release and use these super powers, because the wizard Shazam is turning Billy into sand. After the praise, he did not give him a manual.
So Billy appeared in the process of discovering super powers, Shazam's agent (little follower) Freddy appeared. Freddy is definitely the best supporting role, not inferior to the protagonist. Freddy uses his familiarity with the DC universe. Chaoying’s knowledge gradually expanded and tapped Shazam’s superpowers. The most interesting part of the film lies in this.
It can even be said that without the role of Freddy, the rating of "Thunder Shazam" may be lower by a notch.
The fun brought by the reversal of Shazam's transformation age is also similar to Tom Hanks's "Grow Up" and 2017's "Game of the Brave: Jungle Battle".
In the movie, when Shazam and Dr. Shiwana were fighting in the mall, the two stepped on the floor piano, which is a tribute to Tom Hanks' "Grow Up".
Both of these works are from a teenager to an adult, but the mind is still a little kid. In the process of transforming into Shazam, Billy satisfies everything that a child into an adult wants to do. Desire can also satisfy everyone's imagination of having superpowers.
But after Shazam met Dr. Shivana, Shazam (Billy) chose to escape and changed back to Billy's appearance. We are not surprised that Billy escaped like this, because he is only 15 years old after all. Never thought of being a superhero.
This is also what I think is the most worthy of thinking about the film. When we were children, we all looked forward to growing up, but of course, when we all became adults, we missed the unscrupulous teenage years.
The film uses this kind of plot to insinuate our metaphor of the dislocation of growth, which is very interesting.
After that, with the help of his brothers and sisters in the foster family, Billy found his biological mother, only to find that the biological mother could actually find him back then, but he did not have the ability and courage to continue to bring Billy.
We often say that when we mature, sometimes it is a momentary thing. Billy, who knows the truth, finally understands the home he has been looking for. In fact, he has found it a long time ago. The love given by the foster family has ignited his morale to protect them. responsibility.
This paragraph is also a metaphor from the side . The rebellion and correctness we once believed in when we were young, in fact, after growing up overnight, we realized that the world is more complicated than we thought.
Billy gained super powers and became Shazam, but he did not really use his super powers to take the corresponding responsibilities. This has also become an attempt to change the values of DC superheroes.
In the final duel of the film, Shazam was unable to face the Seven Evil Spirits and Dr. Shivana, so Shazam assigned his superpowers to other brothers and sisters to form the "Shazam family" in the comics (originally called "Surprise Family" "). This is also a good expression of the traditional movie theme of concerted efforts.
So another highlight of the film lies in the foster family that has spent a lot of space in the front, including a heart-warming father, a caring mother, and five united brothers and sisters.
This foster family made Billy truly feel the warmth, and at the same time found the love he wanted to entrust.
Of course, with so many compliments, it cannot be said that "Thunder Shazam" is a super-English film with perfect score. I found that in recent years, DC has been very careless in shaping the villain. Starting from "Justice League", The villain began to serve as a fighting symbol in the film, without any character development and three-dimensional modeling.
"Thunder Shazam" also has this problem. Although Dr. Shivana’s shaping has a beginning and motivation, it is extremely difficult to persuade people. Fortunately, the center of the film is not placed on the conflict and saving the world. Instead, it was placed on Sha Ye Long.
However, I don’t know if the DC Universe is afraid of the dark style. This time, the change in the style of "Thunder Shazan" makes people feel, at least it makes me think, "Thunder Shazan" actually does not require the threshold of viewing movies, or Said to lower the viewing age to such a low level.
This point can explain many problems in the shaping of the villain Dr. Shivana. The film actually wants to show Dr. Shivana’s tragic life background, but in the end the film has to be more popular and entertaining, so it only The villain can be shaped into a big bad guy who wants to be a bad guy.
Really, when I watched this film, I thought for a time that the foster dad would have a reversal, just like the uncle of Myers in "Spiderman Into the Spider-Verse", but I thought too much.
As for the fighting and special effects in the film, it is obvious that the layout is relatively small, and there may be some visual parties that will not be enjoyable, but if you know that the cost of the film is only 90 million, you can understand why, after all, the economic basis Decide on the superstructure.
Okay, I'm going back to do my "Marvel Endgame Series". Is it not so good to play Marvel's publicity under the DC movie? (escape...)
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