This blog originally started as a long, long master post of my favorite films but because I like making gifs too much I had to break each movie out into their own films. 😅 What? You’ll read it either way.

Here’s part eight:

Shazam! (2019) aka How Vanessa Defines Family

I love love love found family stories more than any other story ever. It’s my absolute favorite trope and I will defend it till the day I die. SHAZAM! embodies this trope in a way that puts any other stories like it to shame. It’s truly a blend of kid angst with adult storytelling in a comic book realm of weirdness that I did not think was possible.

Watching the movie for the first time was a true fucking delight. There were a lot of unexpected moments that genuinely made me gasp (the boardroom scene where Sivana THROWS HIS BROTHER OUT OF THE WINDOW) and the entire third act is filmmaking perfection.

Power is one thing but if you’re completely alone… what’s the point? This movie makes a great argument for why we’re better as a community, a family that cares for one another, rather than individuals that have to succeed alone no matter what. It’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to be supported. It’s okay to want to be protected. It’s okay to call for backup. A lot of us have been brainwashed into believing we HAVE to make it on our way to be a true success.

That is a lie. It’s always been a lie. Learning to lean on other people is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Read about my other fave movies!