Shazam! (2019)

The Seven Deadly Sins in this movie look like gargoyles that melted in the sun, and Mark Strong gets nothing to do but glare next to them. That’s the dull half. The other half is the funniest DC movie by a mile. Zachary Levi plays a teenager stuck in a grown superhero’s body, and he nails the details: the swagger that collapses the second an adult talks to him, the panic when he knocks a bus off a bridge and has to fix it. Jack Dylan Grazer is the MVP as Freddy, filming every power test like a tiny, exhausted manager. The foster family scenes are sweet, never gooey, and there’s a toy store fight that knows exactly which old movie it’s quoting. At 132 minutes, the final carnival brawl drags. A 7.0 because it’s a kid’s daydream with real heart, held back by a villain who never gets off the bench. $889 says you say a magic word under your breath before a test or a meeting this week and feel let down when nothing glows.

What works: Zachary Levi’s goofy, totally convincing teen-in-a-man’s-body act, Jack Dylan Grazer’s motor-mouth Freddy, and a foster family worth rooting for.

What doesn’t: Mark Strong’s Sivana is flat, the Sins look like rubbery statues, and at 132 minutes the final brawl outstays its welcome.

Who it’s for: Families with kids old enough for a few spooky monsters, and grown-ups who still wish they could skip homework with a magic word.