Shazam! Draws Inspiration from 80s Films Like 'Back to the Future' and 'Ghostbusters'

The DCEU has admittedly started out quite grim with films like Man of Steel and Batman v Superman, but the upcoming Shazam! promises to go a completely different direction by being the first comedy movie for DC. As it turns out, the film draws a lot of inspiration from the 80s.

Talking to ComicBook.com, director David F. Sandberg had described Shazam!:

"It's a fun movie. It sounds like a pure comedy, but it touches on some pretty dark subjects… I like to compare it to 80s movies like Goonies, like Ghostbusters and Back to the Future. Like, it's a family kind of movie, it's not dark and grim."

It's also worth mentioning that the movie has also been compared to the Tom Hanks movie Big, but instead of just turning into an adult, the kid in this movie actually turns into Superman. The trailers released have been fantastic, but I am kind of hoping they drop something big soon.

For now, the DCEU has just gotten back on its feet with the release of Aquaman. The movie has come to be the most successful in the entire franchise and has even topped the previous highest grossing movie—The Dark Knight Rises. Hopefully Shazam! manages to keep the ball rolling once it comes out. If anything, I'm kind of tired watching the DCEU constantly fumbling over itself. The franchise (and the fans) just really need a win.

We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson's (Angel) case, by shouting out one word—SHAZAM!—this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart—inside a ripped, godlike body—Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he'll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong).

Catch Shazam! in theaters April 5.

See Also: Shazam!'s Billy Batson Doesn't Want to be Batman or Superman