The family and I lucked into another sneak peak last night, and got to see Shazam two weeks before its official release date.

I grew up reading Batman and The Punisher, but Captain Mar … err, Shazam, will always hold a special place for me because of my grandparents. Most weekends, I spent Friday nights at their house, and Saturday morning, no matter what grandma cooked up for breakfast, I ate on a very special placemat.

I don’t where or when they got it (or even where it is now) but breakfast at grandma’s and Billy Batson are irrevocably linked.

Pancake syrup not included

The most interesting part about the mat was the fact that the back had a short comic strip outlining the Shazam origin story:

So, did the movie deliver?

Absolutely. Say what you will about the dark DC universe movies — I know Batman vs. Superman and Justice League are controversial. I liked them for what they were, but recognize they’re not everyone’s cup of tea. Shazam makes three home runs out of the last four with Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and now Shazam. This is pretty much the part Zachary Levi was born to play, and does a great job adopting the mannerisms of Asher Angel’s Billy Batson. The supporting cast is great as well, particularly Jack Dylan Grazer’s Freddy Freeman.

When it comes to movies, I don’t generally worry about star ratings. I break films up into three categories — never watch again, rental or TV watch, or buy on disk. Shazam is not only a buy, it’s a preorder right now, for me.

Spoilers are out there if you have to know them, but try and go into this one fresh. If you’re familiar with the history of the character, the story arc isn’t a surprise, per se, but there are some fun cameos and payoffs that make it a great experience overall.