With the Marvel cinematic universe ruling over the superhero genre, it seems as if DC has finally struck gold with Shazam.
Shazam stands out amongst the DC superhero movies like Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Batman Vs. Superman, and DC’s rival to the Avengers, Justice League. While all these movies had massive productions and good performances, the writing just didn’t seem to hit with audiences.

Shazam follows the story of Billy Batson, a foster child in search of his mother who continuously runs away from his home and has a sense of not being wanted. This is a central theme of the movie and it is a connection to the audience that makes the movie more intriguing.
The acting of Asher Angel and Zachary Levi, who both play Billy Batson, do a fantastic job.
You can see the struggle and emotion come out of Angel, as well as get a laugh of Levi playing the grown version of a superhero even though he is only 15 years old.

The dynamics between Billy Batson and one of his foster brothers Freddy Freeman, played by Jack Dylan Grazer, is another connection that makes this film much more than your everyday superhero movie. Their struggle of becoming brothers is painful, but also comedic at times.
The DC cinematic universe has always been much darker movies. Shazam still has the same dark elements of its predecessors but also contains comedy. Often times comedy and darkness go hand in hand.
The Marvel cinematic universe uses a large amount of comedy surrounded by action and I think that’s what makes it more successful than DC.
The main villain that opposes Shazam is Dr. Sivana, played by Mark Strong, and there is a ton of sympathy to give for him. While he becomes a villain there is a strong comparison to the emotions and childhood of Billy and Dr. Sivana. These conflicting emotions make for a better film and one of the best to come from the DC cinematic universe in a long time.