Month: January 2019

The DC smash Aquaman is still making serious money in theaters, but the studio’s next movie will be with us soon. Shazam! is released in April, and will be a more comedic superhero adventure than most of DC’s previous movies. A new teaser containing new footage has now been released.

It starts off like many other superhero trailers. Young Billy Batson given incredible powers that transforms him into a full-size adult superhero, enabling him to fight the evil Doctor Sivana. But it quickly changes tone and emphasizes the movie’s more humorous aspects, with Shazam attempting to buy beer and purchase a superhero lair from a realtor. Check the trailer out above.

Shazam stars Thor actor Zachary Levi in the title role, with Asher Angel as Billy and Mark Strong as Sivana. It’s directed by David F. Sandberg and hits theaters on April 5. For more check out, everything we know about Shazam! so far.

A big part of the movie is Shazam’s distinctive illuminated costume, and in a recent interview, costume designer Leah Butler revealed that the suit came with an extremely high price tag. “Each suit costs, oh boy, upwards of a million? We have ten suits,” she said, via SyFy. “There is actually a battery in the back–we luckily had a cape to cover it all up or I don’t know where we would have put all that stuff–and it is remotely lit through a switchboard operator. There is wiring throughout the costume. It’s a 26-volt AA rechargeable battery. It lasts about two hours at full charge.

“It took 16 weeks to build the costume. We had to scan Zach’s body and start building the costume even before he started his very strict regime–his diet and working out.”

Shazam! is one of two DC movies arriving in 2019. The Joker prequel movie is released in October, and recently finished production. It stars Joaquin Phoenix as the Clown Prince of Crime, and will reportedly be unconnected to the other movies in the DC universe.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey is a remake of sorts of the 2009 DS game, this time for the Nintendo 3DS. It’s out now in North America, though its release date in Europe isn’t until January 25 (January 26 in Australia). The important question, though, is whether the remake is any good.

Critical consensus has been positive, with many praising the new mode, Bowser Jr.’s Journey. “The extra mode certainly sweetens the pot for those who owned Bowser’s Inside Story on DS, but fundamentally, it’s the same game,” wrote Justin Clark in GameSpot’s Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story review. For more opinions on the 3DS version, take a look below or check out GameSpot sister site Metacritic.

• Game: Mario + Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey
• Developer / Publisher: AlphaDream, Arzest / Nintendo
• Platform: Nintendo 3DS
• Release date: Out now (North America), January 25 (Europe), January 26 (North America)
• Price: US $40 / £35 / AU $60

GameSpot — 8/10

“The extra mode certainly sweetens the pot for those who owned Bowser’s Inside Story on DS, but fundamentally, it’s the same game. If anything, the real drawback is the game coming off as an unnecessary surprise on the 3DS–which can already play the original game via backward compatibility. But the game itself remains one of Mario’s RPG best, and it’s a cheerful, inventive journey.” — Justin Clark [Full review]

Game Informer — 8.5/10

“The updated visuals are attractive and the new mode is interesting–especially if you want to spend more time in that world–but if you played the 2009 original and consider yourself satisfied with that experience, then the incentive to return is small. If you’ve never played Bowser’s Inside Story, this is a fantastic way to experience what is probably the best of the Mario & Luigi games. As a remake, it doesn’t drastically change the experience or improve on it in a big way, but that’s a testament to the original’s quality more than it is a knock against this version.” — Kyle Hilliard [Full review]

Nintendo Life — 9/10

“Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey stands as a well-made remake of a game that was excellent to begin with, polishing up the original in small ways and adding some extra content that meaningfully establishes its own identity. If you’ve ever been a fan of the Mario & Luigi series (or are looking for a reason to dust off the old 3DS), do yourself a favour and pick this game up. Although Bowser Jr.’s Journey is just an ‘okay’ addition, the inventive battles, great writing and creative gameplay of the main game make this one an easy recommendation.” — Mitch Vogel [Full review]

Kotaku — No score

“I’d love to have gotten a brand new Mario & Luigi game this year, or even a remake that was on Switch instead of the 3DS. Still, a remake of Bowser’s Inside Story, one of the best games in the series, is better than none at all. I’m enjoying reliving the high points of the story with the beautiful, upgraded graphics and have found a surprising amount of fun in guiding Bowser Jr. through absurdist misadventures with the rest of Bowser’s minions. The Mario universe has become so much bigger in the years since Inside Story was originally released. It’s nice to be able to spend time with some of the under-explored characters on a smaller scale.” — Ethan Gach [Full review]