Ensofter Overrated and overhyped

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

George Taylor The young marvel, Shazam teams up with Superman and learns what it's like to be a hero when they battle Shazam's enemy Black Adam. A well done show that highlights the strengths and weaknesses of being Shazam.

Platypuschow This DC Showcase short is a tad longer than the rest, it stands at around 25 minutes and is about Billy Batsons rise to become the superhero known as Captain Marvel.We see Superman jump in and save young Billy from Black Adam, but my biggest complaint is that this is a big story and 25 minutes simply doesn't suffice.Alike the other showcases this is very well animated, has a great voice cast and is well written. Sadly it all feels rushed and I struggled to get into it.Well worth a watch for fans of the DC Showcase shorts, but I feel it was a bit underwhelming.The Good:Well animatedThe Bad:Story is simply too big for 25 minutesThings I Learnt From This Movie:This has actually made me want a live action Shazam movie, but I fear I'll regret saying that

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) This is a 5-year-old animated short film which runs for under 30 minutes and features some of the finest superheroes out there. It is Superman's task to protect a teenage boy who is about to become Captain Marvel one day. Black Adam comes to Earth in order to kill the kid before he can transform, so there will be one powerful guy less fighting the evil forces in the future. Of course, he does not succeed as Superman protects him long enough. After a somewhat unique subway ride, the kid gets his superpowers and from that moment on, the two are just way too much for Black Adam, who means business as he kills an unsuspecting couple already in the first minute of the film. And if that is not already enough, even a magical tiger appears at the end. I have to say, I really liked the villain character here. He looked a lot like an evil dark version of Superman and if I wasn't mistaken I heard an Eastern European accent when he was talking. Maybe we can see him in a Superman movie in the near future. This short film's director has a pretty impressive body of work and animation (especially superhero animation) lovers will certainly have come across some of his works, most recently "The Legend of Korra". The cast is unusually known for a film like this. I am sure you will have heard of James Garner, Malcolm McDowell and Alyssa Milano. I personally enjoyed these 25 minutes more in the first half, before the boy transformed, but even afterward it is still pretty decent to watch. Recommended.

donxavier I pretty much enjoyed every aspect of this mini-movie. The animation was sharp. The story was interesting. The voice acting was very well done.The only problem I had was with Superman's involvement. Why is he in this? Aside from drawing in more viewers, his role is nothing more than that of a comparatively weakened hero. Even his physique in this is far less imposing than either Black Adam or Marvel, suggesting that the writers and animators made him less potent on purpose to make the Marvel characters more formidable.I don't have a problem with Superman as a guest star, but I'm really surprised DC would place a flagship character in the role of outclassed hero. His ineffectiveness in this movie, both in prowess and influence on the story's outcome, was painful to watch. Superman's involvement wasn't even necessary for Marvel to win the day.Obviously, DC is trying to place Captain Marvel in front of as many eyes as possible, hoping to improve his popularity. That being the case, they really should have relied on the character and the good story to draw the viewers in and left out the marketing gimmick of adding a popular, but for this story, useless character.