An ancient wizard searches for a young person with a pure heart to inherit his magic and save the world. Many try, but only one prevails... Billy Batson, (Asher Angel) a 14-year-old runaway living in a group home. Once anointed, he merely shouts "Shazam!" and turns into an adult superhero played by the pumped-up Zachary Levi. "Shazam!" has fun, as the new hero discovers his powers. He needs them to defeat Mark Strong, a now-grown, once-bullied youngster who failed the wizard's test and yearns to get even. "Shazam!" works best, when it plays light. Unfortunately, the origin story matching hero and villain takes forever and feels heavy. "Shazam!" highlights the difference between Marvel and DC Comics. Marvel always has great special effects. DC Comics, not so much: In fact, "Shazam!" often looks cheap. There's a fun story trying to escape this overlong, overproduced movie. Chop an hour off the running time, and I might get interested. "Shazam!," 2 stars, rated "PG-13." Does it deliver what it promises? Superhero story. Is it entertaining? Follows the usual formula. Is it worth the price of admission? Aimed at 14-year-olds.
