Back in April 2020, I shared information about the upcoming release of LEGO Shazam Magic and Monsters. This direct-to-home-video release came out for digital download on April 28. However, the physical Blu-ray/DVD only recently hit store shelves. The incentive to wait until June 16 to buy the film came in the form of an exclusive Shazam Minifigure. I am a sucker for Minifigures, so I waited.
The film itself is juvenile. So much so that I did not enjoy it as much as earlier installments. Additionally, as predicted in April, there is a lot of product placement. However, the sets are not new ones. Many were kits you cannot even buy anymore (ex: Mighty Micros). My hope that Black Adam appears in the summer’s wave of sets also proved to be a pipedream.
However, my main complaint with the movie is not that it is juvenile or the product placement. I expected that going in given the film’s target audience. My main issue is that the story was too convoluted with too many characters. The cover clearly shows Black Adam fighting Shazam. However, Black Adam is not actually in the first half of the film. Instead you see a motley assemblage of d-list villains that are not even available in LEGO® sets. The only exception to that was the pale version of Man-Bat coming out in this summer’s wave. The makers of the movie could have told a much better story by focusing on Black Adam, his backstory, and his escape. While the movie was mildly amusing, I doubt if I will ever watch it again.
Of course, my main reason for buying this film was the Shazam Minifigure. Shazam is currently available in set 76120, Batwing and the Riddler Heist. I do not really want to buy that set because I do not need another Batwing or another small helicopter. Buying this movie gave me an evening activity and a hero Minifigure that I did not already have. However, the “exclusive” Shazam that comes with the movie is only marginally “exclusive”. He is identical to the one in 76120 in all ways except one. The movie version comes with hairpiece, the set version comes with a white hood.
Overall, do not expect much from Shazam Magic and Monsters. It lacks a focused story. Additionally, if you already have the Batwing set, you are not really getting an “exclusive” Minifigure. The Batwing Shazam can easily turn into this one by swapping the hood for a modern Superman hairpiece. However, if you do not want the set, this is an easy way to get Shazam. Hopefully, that helps in the decision-making process 😊.
Until next time,
-Tom
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