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Movie Reviews
Movie Reviews: Shazam and Avengers: Endgame
By: Max Kahn, '20
Avengers: Endgame
Since the release of Iron Man in 2008, Marvel Studios has been building up their huge cinematic universe based on their Marvel Comics, and this saga finally concludes in the recently released Avengers: Endgame. A decent understanding of the prior movies or the overall universe is required to be able to understand and fully enjoy what is happening during the film, and the previous film, Infinity War, is pretty much necessary to watch beforehand. Personally, I've seen about half of the movies and have a pretty good understanding of the movies’ world, and the movie was pretty easy to understand in context of the universe they live in. Endgame has many twists and turns throughout its long 3 hour runtime, with plenty of action, humor, and emotion packed into every scene, and cute little references to the previous movies as well. Visually, everything is brilliantly set up, with great camera angles and lighting, and all of the CGI used on characters such as the titanic main villain, Thanos, are outstanding. It truly gives us a deeper look into how all of the characters developed both physically and mentally throughout the universe's history. Some characters retain most of their original personality such as Captain America, while others like Thor becoming much more melancholy due to past mistakes, but also full of hope at the same time. Everyone in the film will always be saying something along the lines of “This is the end.” and it really shows, as it's basically now or never and
the plan that they execute is their last resort. Already at the #2 best selling movie of all time, Endgame is already going to become a must watch for everyone, and will undoubtedly become a classic one day.
Shazam
Among the hype for another popular superhero movie, Warner Bros and DC Comics has released the film Shazam! about the titular superhero that shares the same name. Shazam! focuses on a young orphan boy named Billy Batson who tirelessly searches for his mother and gets in trouble along the way. Eventually, the main villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana shows his ugly face to the world, while an ancient wizard bestows his power upon Billy, giving him the power to become an adult with special abilities simply by shouting “Shazam!” As a superhero movie, it is rather run-of-the-mill, and the movie follows a basic formula that is not all that special. However, the great humor and Shazam's concept as a character is what really makes the movie shine. Considered more as a comedy than a superhero movie, it is fun to watch and is enjoyable. If you want a fun and lighthearted movie that is different from the rest, Shazam! is for you.