Shazam (film)

***Shazam*** is a 2008 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Shazam, produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the second film in the DC Cinematic Universe (DCU). The film was directed by David F. Sandberg, with a screenplay by Darren Lemke. It stars Zachary Levi as Billy Batson, alongside Carrie Coon, Dwayne Johnson, Johnny Galecki, Tom Ellis, and George Clooney. In *Shazam*, Billy Batson becomes Shazam as an unwitting pawn in a military scheme to reinvigorate the supersoldier program through "magic". On the run, he attempts to cure himself of Shazam before he is captured by General Maxwell Lord, but his worst fears are realized when power-hungry soldier Theo Adam becomes a similar superhuman.

## Plot

Billy Batson, Mary Bromfield, Freddy Freeman, and Pedro Peña grew up in a foster home together, and now live together in an apartment. Billy and Mary are now dating after being in love with each other as kids, while Pedro still harbors a crush on Mary. However, Mary's biological father, Maxwell Lord, reaches out to her to meet her. Mary learns he is an army general. However, Lord attacks their apartment and kidnaps Billy. Lord reveals to Billy that he is special. Billy discovers that he has been chosen by a wizard named Shazam to carry the powers of six ancient heroes: the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury. However, Lord discovers Shazam will die after the casting, forcing Lord to take Shazam's blood to use for more experiments. Due to the blood loss, Shazam cannot carry his full powers and dies before he can cast his spell on Billy. Billy tries to escape, though Lord injects Billy with Shazam's blood. This forces Billy to not just turn into this new hero, but it creates an entirely different persona as well. Lord attempts to use Billy for the government, though Billy in his Shazam persona escapes using his newfound powers.

Shazam, turning back into Billy, escapes to Guatemala, where he stays for five years, working at a bottle factory. Now, Billy has learned to control Shazam, he only turns when he is trouble. Billy has not transformed in a year. Billy also searches for a cure for his condition. On the Internet, he collaborates with a colleague he knows only as "Mr. Red", and to whom he is "Mr. Yellow". After Billy cuts his finger, a drop of his blood falls into a bottle, and is eventually ingested by an elderly consumer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, giving him sickness. Using the bottle to track down Billy, Lord sends a special forces team, led by Russian-born British Royal Marine Theo Adam, to capture him. Billy transforms into Shazam and defeats Adam's team. After Lord explains how Billy became Shazam, Adam agrees to be injected with a small amount of the wizard's blood, which gives him enhanced speed, strength, and agility, though it impairs his judgement.

Billy returns to their now abandoned foster home and reunites with Mary, who is dating Pedro. Billy is attacked a second time by Lord and Adam's forces, tipped off by the suspicious Pedro, causing him to again transform into Shazam. The ensuing battle outside the house proves to be futile for Lord's forces and they eventually retreat, though Adam, whose sanity is starting to falter, boldly attacks and mocks Shazam. Shazam seemingly kills Adam and flees with Mary. After Shazam reverts to Billy, he and Mary go on the run, and Billy contacts Mr. Red, who urges them to meet him in Fawcett City. Mr. Red is actually Freddy who has become a genius cellular biology, who tells Billy he has developed a possible antidote to Billy's condition. After a successful test, he warns Billy that the antidote may only reverse each individual transformation. Freddy reveals he has synthesized Billy's blood samples, which Billy sent from Guatemala, into a large supply, with the intention of applying its "limitless potential" to medicine. Fearful of Shazam's power falling into the military's hands, Billy wishes to destroy the blood supply.

Meanwhile, Adam is revealed to have survived the earlier battle at the foster home and has completely healed. He joins Lord's forces for a third attempt to take Billy into custody. They succeed and Billy, along with Mary, are taken away in a helicopter. Adam stays behind and orders Freddy to inject him with Billy's blood, as he covets Shazam's power. Freddy warns that the combination of the wizard's blood and Billy's blood may cause him to become a worse creature than Shazam, but Adam insists. The experiment causes Adam to permanently transform into a similar creature of Shazam, but drives him mad. He attacks Freddy, who gets some of Billy's blood in a cut on his forehead, causing him to begin mutating as well. Adam then rampages through Fawcett City. Realizing that Shazam is the only one who can stop Adam, Billy convinces Lord to release him. He jumps from Lord's helicopter and transforms after hitting the ground. After a long and brutal battle through Fawcett City, Shazam defeats Adam. After having a small, peaceful moment with Mary, Shazam flees from New York.

A month later, Billy is in Bella Coola, British Columbia. Instead of trying to suppress his transformation, he successfully transforms in a controlled manner. In a final scene, Bruce Wayne approaches Lord at a local bar and informs him a team is being put together.

## Cast

* Zachary Levi as Billy Batson/Shazam
* Carrie Coon as Mary Bromfield
* Dwayne Johnson as Theo Adam/Black Adam
* Johnny Galecki as Freddy Freeman
* Tom Ellis as Pedro Peña
* George Clooney as General Maxwell Lord