Superman/Shazam--The Return Of Black Adam

I read a couple of reviews on Superman/Shazam--The Return Of Black Adam. Most were glowing and endorsing a live-action Shazam movie based on the portrayal of Captain Marvel in this 23 minute animated feature. While I'm all in favor of seeing a live-action Captain Marvel movie, I was unimpressed with this straight to DVD feature for 4 reasons. 

1. For an origin story it fell far short of explaining Captain Marvel's abilities.  As much as I don't like superhero origin stories because they often become too long, drawn out and ultimately boring, there are certain things that just shouldn't be left out in the telling of Captain Marvel's origin. For example it is important to know what the wizard's name S.H.A.Z.A.M. actually stands for.  Having Captain Marvel (upon first transformation) saying that he's fast, strong and can fly just doesn't cut it. It should also be made just a bit clearer who the seemingly homeless "green-eyed" black man is in this animated adventure. I was was even thrown off by his green eyes until I saw him transform into his tiger form. It isn't often that this character is shown outside of comic books. Allow me to properly introduce Mr. Talky Tawny, talking tiger and shape-shifter who works for the wizard Shazam.

Mr. Talky Tawny I presume...

So to correct this glaring over-sight in the film, here is the meaning of SHAZAM and the nature of Captain Marvel's powers:

In times of need, call on me...

S - Solomon  (wisdom) As Captain Marvel, Billy has instant access to a vast amount of scholarly knowledge, including most known languages and sciences. The wisdom of Solomon also provides him with counsel and advice in times of need. In early Captain Marvel stories, Solomon's power also gave Marvel the ability to hypnotize people. Captain Marvel has exceptional photographic recall and mental acuity allowing him to read and decipher hieroglyphics, recall everything he has ever learned and solve long mathematical equations. Instantaneously, he can make intuitive guesses based on limited data; to the point his guesses are almost always correct; also he has a great understanding of divine phenomenon in the mortal world. Captain Marvel possesses an uncanny awareness of his circumstances that allows him to turn disadvantages into advantages. Through sheer power and magic he can hypnotize people for a length of time (undetermined). Only those of great willpower can overcome this ability. He can speak every language known to humans as well as ancient or dead languages and is able to understand aliens.

H - Hercules (strength) Hercules' power grants Captain Marvel immense superhuman strength, making him one of DC Comics' most physically powerful characters; he is able to easily bend steel, punch through walls, and lift massive objects, (including whole continents like South America). In the comics, this strength has evolved in parallel to that of Superman.

A - Atlas (stamina) Using Atlas' stamina, Captain Marvel can withstand and survive most types of extreme physical assaults, and heal from them. Additionally, he does not need to eat, sleep, or breathe and can survive unaided in space when in Captain Marvel form.

Z - Zeus (power) Zeus' power, besides fueling the magic thunderbolt that transforms Captain Marvel, also enhances Marvel's other physical and mental abilities, and grants him resistance against all magic spells and attacks. Marvel can use the lightning bolt as a weapon by dodging it and allowing it to strike an opponent or target. The magic lightning has several uses, such as creating apparatus, restoring damage done to Marvel, and acting as fuel for magic spells. It can also turn other Marvels back by striking them. It aids inter-dimensional travel at the Rock of Eternity.

A - Achilles (courage) This aspect gives Captain Marvel the courage of Achilles. It also aids Captain Marvel's mental fortitude against most mental attacks.

M - Mercury (speed) By channeling Mercury's speed, Captain Marvel can move at superhuman speeds and fly. This also gives Marvel the ability to fly to the Rock of Eternity by flying faster than the speed of light.

While this level of detail isn't needed in the film, mentioning the Gods and what traits Captain Marvel gets from them would have been appreciated.

They're Seven Deadly Sins, not Enemies!

2. The Seven Deadly Enemies of Man: Pride, Envy, Greed, Hatred, Selfishness, Laziness and Injustice.  When did it become a "sin" to call them what they really are: The Seven Deadly Sins of Man? In the comics they were always called sins. I've seen several animated versions of Captain Marvel where "sin" has been replaced by "enemy". In this version the sin Sloth was even replaced by Laziness. I'm not sure what the reasoning is in watering down the critical part of the Captain Marvel mythos. Kids can't pick up a dictionary and learn the meaning of sloth? Is it considered too religious to mention the word sin? I've always applauded animated movies for staying true to their source material. I'm not sure what happened here.

3. This is the first version of Black Adam I've ever seen where he was able to cast magic lightning bolts and use them as weapons. Black Adam has always had the same abilities as Captain Marvel. This is something he shouldn't be able to do.

Somebody got their *beep* whipped

4. This story has been told before as recently as last year on Cartoon Network. Batman: The Brave and The Bold, season 2 episode 10--The Power of Shazam! Again Black Adam finds his way back to Earth after being banished for 5,000 years. The plot line is slightly different, Billy Batson already has the ability to transform into Captain Marvel and Dr. Thaddeus Savannah is the mastermind behind drawing Black Adam back to Earth. Sloth is named as a Deadly "Enemy" of Man as it should be, instead of laziness. Similar in both stories, Black Adam has remained in his super-human form for 5,000 years and when he speaks the wizard's name and transforms back to his mortal form of Teth Adam...well, you'll have to see for yourself.

Aside from these major things and a little bit of predictability with the magic lightning, the fight scenes (which comprise most of this 23 minute feature) are quite good. If you're wondering why this adventure was only 23 minutes, there are several other mini-features on the DVD as well, The Spectre and Green Arrow, which sadly my free viewing privileges did not include.

Do I recommend that you watch Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam? Surprisingly yes, but only if you're looking for a mindless action-packed battle and are willing to overlook all the other flaws and omissions. Out of 5 fingers I rate this feature 2.