The classic Tom Hanks-film “Big” meets “Superman” in this family-friendly superhero flick.

“Shazam!” centers around Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel), a loner foster kid from Philadelphia who is summoned by the ancient wizard, Shazam. Billy is granted the superpowers of the champion, just by saying his name.

While the first 20 minutes of the film seem to drag by, once Billy transforms into the full-grown hero (Zachary Levi), the plot takes off. His foster brother, Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) is fully-equiped with the superhero knowledge ready to train Billy to be a full-fledged hero.

Levi brings his natural charisma to the role while still conveying the awkward mannerisms of a prepubescent 14-year-old. Grazer, better known for his role as the vulgar preteen Eddie in 2017’s “IT,” plays a nearly identical role, but to no complaint from me. The pair’s brotherly dynamic carries the film as they experience adult life by cutting class, trying beer and going to a “gentlemen’s” club.

“Shazam!” is one of the funniest superhero movies, breaking from the standard Marvel crowd-pleasing quips, with some quality gags on tropes in the genre and hilarious running jokes.

Almost every kid has wanted to be Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman when they grow up. With “Shazam!” they don’t have to grow up at all. I enjoyed myself over the two-hour runtime, but I couldn’t help but wonder how much more I’d love it if I were ten years old again. 

Taking cues from family action films of the 80s, “Shazam!” balances goofy, light-hearted comedy with an almost-too-dark at times subplot. While Billy and Freddy test out exactly what the newly-born hero can do, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) is on a quest for revenge, intent on unleashing totems of the seven deadly sins upon the world. On his warpath, Sivana murders his victims in cold blood, shocking for a movie that otherwise seems aimed at a younger audience.

From critical failures in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Suicide Squad” to box office catastrophe in “Justice League,” Warner Brothers has done a poor job handling the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). “Aquaman” made strides in the right direction, but its broad scope resulted in a nearly incoherent story.

“Shazam!” is smaller in scale and more focused, pivoting the DCEU into a new, fun-filled era.