The Early Screening Reactions To ‘Shazam!’ Are Here, And They’re Positively Glowing

Warner Bros.

No need to worry if Warner Bros./DC and director David F. Sandberg could pull off the goofy, fun, and full of heart ’80s tone of Shazam! The embargo has lifted on the first, surprisingly glowing audience reactions to the superhero movie, although full reviews are still under wraps until March 23rd. And don’t bother comparing this Captain Marvel to the other Captain Marvel, because it sounds like Shazam! has a completely different tone.

From nearly all accounts, the movie is a win for David F. Sandberg [aka @ponysmasher, a Twitter handle befitting the seriousness of Twitter]. It also sounds like a win for child actor Jack Dylan Grazer (who was repeatedly praised as a scene stealer in his role as Freddy Freeman) and a win for anybody who likes heartwarming depictions of realistically-imperfect but loving foster families and silly teenage hijinks.

Most importantly, perhaps, is that the audience members who posted their impressions on Twitter seem to agree that this isn’t a movie trying to shoehorn itself into an extended universe. It’s a Shazam! movie, with the goofiness, ’80s kid movie subversiveness, and humor the source material calls for. Some of the reactions below even compared it to Deadpool in its embrace of doing its own thing and committing to the jokes.

Here’s what people have been saying:

https://twitter.com/AshleyGMenzel/status/1103837950863962113

Shazam! opens April 5th.

(Hat tip to io9, The Playlist, and CBM)