It’s no secret that in the battle for the hearts and minds of superhero fans, Warner Brothers and DC have until now visibly trailed behind Marvel and Disney’s decidedly superior, and altogether more coherent output. However with the release of Shazam!, things may well be heading in a new direction for this usually dour and disappointingly downbeat franchise.

Directed by Swedish filmmaker David F. Sandberg (Annabelle: Creation) and starring Zachary Levi (Chuck, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Mark Strong and Djimon Hounsou, Shazam! is the seventh instalment in DC's Extended Universe (DCEU) and presents the first cinematic outing for one of its oldest and most iconic characters which was first created by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker in 1939.

At 14,  Billy Baston (Asher Angel) has only ever known the streets he grew up on and the numerous foster homes he managed to escape from. When he is entrusted to his new guardians, the teenager soon finds an ally in new roommate Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), a smart and nerdy kid on crutches who is as obsessed with comic-book heroes as he is.

Whilst attempting another escape from his current home, Billy is suddenly beamed from a subway train into a cave where a mysterious wizard (Djimon Hansou) claims to have hand-picked him to help in the fight against evil Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong). After the surreal encounter, Billy soon realises that he has gained the ability to transform into an adult superhero version of himself (played by Zachary Levi) just by uttering the word Shazam. Hilarity ensues as the teenager learns to live with his new adult body whilst attempting to work out the importance of his mission.

Presenting a fun and refreshingly kid-friendly narrative, Sandberg and screenwriter Henry Gayden have managed to successfully move away from the legacy of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight franchise and Zack Snyder’s jarringly sombre aesthetic of Suicide Squad and Justice League, and into something breezier and more lighthearted.

Elevated by Zachary Levi’s hilarious delivery and a screenplay which presents a simple, yet effective high concept premise, the film does a great job in creating whole new ideas all the while capitalising on the “kid in an adult body” trope with frequent nods to Penny Marshall’s timeless classic Big (1988).

While Shazam! might not present a direct threat to Marvel’s unstoppable juggernaut of epic superhero narratives, what it does is manage to present a fresher, younger and more playful new beginnings for the franchise. An impressive first cinematic outing for one of DC’s most loved superheroes.