Shazam: Origin

Updated
Shazam: Origin
Faneditor Name:
Original Movie Title:
Fanedit Type:
Original Release Date:
1941
Original Running Time:
216
Fanedit Release Date:
Fanedit Running Time:
120
Time Cut:
96
Available in HD?
Brief Synopsis:
The first live-action superhero movie, released as a twelve-chapter serial, cut down to a 120-minute feature length film.
Intention:
With the DC Extended Universe film SHAZAM! scheduled for release in April of 2019, I decided to trim the twelve-chapter 1941 serial, ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL, down to a more digestible 120-minute movie in order to give anxious fans an advance look at the character. I also hope that it may serve as an introduction to the original source material for younger film fans who are not familiar with movie serials from the past.
Release Information:
Digital
Editing Details:
Streamlined the story by cutting incidents that were not related to the central theme of determining the identity of the movie's villain.
Cover art by Billy Batson (DOWNLOAD HERE)
image

Shazam: Origin (Full edit)

User reviews

5 reviews
Overall rating
 
9.3
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0(5)
Audio Editing
 
9.6(5)
Visual Editing
 
9.4(5)
Narrative
 
9.4(5)
Enjoyment
 
9.0(5)
Overall rating
 
8.8
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
8.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
A great service done by this editor for those of us wishing to delve into genre entertainment of old, but who find the pacing agonizing. This movie is a fascinating look at an alternate universe of superhero motion pictures where character arcs and subplots are non-existent and the plot and action drives everything. As such, it can still feel a little monotonous, but the driving force of the mystery conspiracy plot mostly overcomes that and keeps your interest. The fight scenes hold up surprisingly well and I'd definitely recommend this film as an augmentation to the good but largely silly Shazam! DCEU movie to show a completely alternate but valid take on Billy Batson's alter ego.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
R
Top 10 Reviewer 156 reviews
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Overall rating
 
9.6
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
9.0
Overview - Editing the possibly whitest bread of all serials, “The Adventures Of Captain Marvel”, must have been a labor of love for Mr. Batson. Indeed, for those familiar with this show, this was doubtless irresistible. For those unfamiliar, this was a very good Republic effort, the sort they excelled at.

Video - 1920 X 1080 AVC. The print of this is sharp, really sharp, superior to my Laserdisc. The transitions between scenes is well done. I wondered about this, since cliffhangers are notorious for “cheats”. The editor has worked through all those, hurrying for worrisome moment to reaction and follow-thru by characters.

Audio - 125 kbps, AAC 2-Channel stereo. No subs (unnecessary). The sound is reflective of 1941 Hollywood. Dialogue crystal clear, if looped it was professional. Music compressed, mayhem easily identifiable.

Narrative - The series remains bookended in Siam, near Burma. Ha ha. This Siam appears to be the Khyber Pass between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The terrain, the attire of the riders. The youthful audience of the 40’s would never know, and modern viewers must take this section in stride and understand. Afterward, the story plays out as the deadly Scorpion and his henchmen acquire the deadly lenses, one by one.

Enjoyment - I liked this a lot. Despite prevailing habits, serials were never meant to be binged. They are too busy, and much of the fighting grows repetitive. I watched in three 40” chunks. The plot cleverly keeps you guessing about the identity of Mr. Scorpion.

This was entertaining, and I can recommend this to families with children. It is black and white, however, and there are deaths. Not to the level of current television fare.

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 3 0
Overall rating
 
9.2
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
10.0
Visual Editing
 
10.0
Narrative
 
9.0
Enjoyment
 
8.0
I thought this took a reasonable old serial and made it better by removing the fluff and it ended up being a fairly enjoyable film!

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 1 0
(Updated: September 17, 2019)
Overall rating
 
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
Great edit. I liked the serial when I bought the discs a while back, and the very impressive special effects and production values, both for the time, and in comparison with some other super hero and pulp serials of the time ("Batman and Robin," 1949, take a bow). There's a charming mix of goofiness and naivete (not least with Billy Batson) and compelling narrative. Like all serials, it suffered from the format's cliff-hangers, repetition and excessive exposition, and padding. Now we have a sleek movie that holds up amazingly well, respects the source material and really captures a world -- its frankly better than some of the cheesier low-budget Marvel and DC films of the 1970s-1990s (e.g. "Generation X," "Steel," the Captain America run) not to mention some of the more recent bigger budget misfires ("Ghost Rider," Jonah Hex," "Superman Returns"). My only wish is that editor would give some of the other 1930s and 1940s pulp and super hero serials the same treatment!

User Review

Do you recommend this edit?
Yes
Format Watched?
Digital
Report this review Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 1 0
Overall rating
 
9.4
Audio/Video Quality
 
9.0
Audio Editing
 
9.0
Visual Editing
 
9.0
Narrative
 
10.0
Enjoyment
 
10.0
This was a true treat watch.

Easily one of the best (if not THEE BEST) cliffhanger serials ever made, our intrepid editor Billy Batson (hhmmm, any relation? lol) has crafted a fun 2 hour popcorn romp. Compared to his similar styled Flash Gordon fan edit, I found this one flowed much better. Even though still episodic in nature due to the source material, it feels more like a unified narrative with a definite beginning, middle and end.

A few audio pops and hiccups and a couple of cuts I would have done differently, but considering the immense challenge of distilling over 200 minutes down to 2 hours, I think he did a spectacular job!

The grump old fanboy in me wishes he kept the title CAPTAIN MARVEL ORIGIN instead of Shazam.... LOL!

But if you love old serial adventures, or are curious about the Big Red Cheese before the new move is released, I highly recommend checking this little gem out.

THUMBS UP! :)

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