I hardly ever do this. But I am going to go straight to my point and conclusion. I really liked Shazam! There. I said it.

My son has been dying to watch Shazam! for the longest time. And, yes I must use the exclamation point not only because that is how the movie is titled but is also how my son talks about the movie. Meaning, his voice emphasizes the exclamation point in talking about it. And, that alone is infectious and brings a smile to one’s face. A movie can’t fail if it makes you smile by just saying its name. Right? Sometimes, that happens to me in real life too. There are some things and people that just help you light up. If such charm could be bottled maybe the world would be a better place. To laugh and smile is a gift to ourselves. But I digress. But just a little. I did start this all off with my main point, afterall.

The movie was part cheese, part superhero, and part warmly self-consciousness. At the end of the day it was a family movie that made me laugh. It was fun and didn’t take itself too seriously for two hours straight. Sure, there were some serious moments about what it means to be a hero and what it means to be a family. But there were warm and made me grab my son’s hand. For my son, at the age of ten, is my hero. And, home is wherever he is. And, I think he would make a great Shazam! He would completely do all sorts of odd tests to figure out his superpowers. He would laugh at himself at the same time. And, that would crack me up.

Now, the Shazam! question remains: would you rather fly or be invisible? Apparently, flying is the socially appropriate answer. Desires for invisibility highlight some interesting characteristics. Or so we are told. As a psychologist, I may need to dig deeper into this. As it highlights the issue of response bias in surveys which is an issue of our times as many start discounting election polls. But I won’t go any further down that rabbit hole for I completely enjoyed watching this film and being disconnected from social media for a bit. Even if Shazam! as a superhero lives off of it, in part.