‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ Movie Review: Light-Hearted Sequel Lands Standard Superhero Fare
Shazam! Fury of the Gods comes four years after its predecessor, introducing new forces that threaten Billy Batson and his superpowered family. The DC Extended Universe is once again changing direction under new leadership, but the fandom still has the opportunity to explore this continuation. The sequel doesn’t improve on the original, although it finds the beats that comic fans are looking for.
‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ breaks the barriers between worlds
A magician named Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) gave Billy (Asher Angel) the powers of the gods, making him a champion, taking on the name Shazam (Zachary Levi) for himself. After the events of the 2019 film, fellow foster kids Mary (Grace Caroline Currey), Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), Darla (Faithe Herman), Eugene (Ian Chen), and Pedro (Jovan Armand), also share the same astonishing powers. Together, they must learn to juggle their everyday lives by using their abilities for good.
A powerful trio of ancient gods named Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu), and Anthea (Rachel Zegler) suddenly appear on Earth in search of Shazam’s magic that they feel is rightfully theirs. Shazam and his family must discover a way to stop them before they destroy the entire world.
Independence and abandonment issues
Shazam! Fury of the Gods re-emphasizes the importance of the magical staff that granted the teenage boy powers, to begin with. It’s now located in a museum in Greece, but it lacks any sort of substantial protection against the gods themselves. Their arrival spells chaos for all of humanity, as their plans will require a champion to fight back. But, with the magical staff in hand, Shazam and his family truly met their match, and the weight of the world is now literally on their shoulders.
Billy remains in his Shazam form for the majority of the film, including when he’s visiting a medical professional to work through some issues, such as his imposter syndrome. Despite his shortcomings and general immaturity, his family views him as a type of leader. However, Billy isn’t so sure of his abilities to do so, which all goes back to the numerous traumas he’s endured over his short life. As a result of the abandonment that he’s faced in the past, he fears that his foster family is next to reject him, especially as he nears his 18th birthday, which ages him out of the foster system.
Screenwriters Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan tackle the notion that nothing lasts forever. The protagonists and the antagonists all have their own struggles when it comes to the concept of time. They’re all physically and mentally trapped in varying ways, but they each react to this pain in different ways. The relationship between Billy and Freddy is put under the microscope, as they try to reconcile with their futures, which may be starting to show signs of diverging paths.
‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ is an average take on the formula
Similar to its predecessor, Shazam! Fury of the Gods leads with its humor, never taking itself very seriously. Even the dramatic notes are garnished with campy comedy. There’s a well-meaning buddy comedy buried in there, although it doesn’t fully resonate. Gayden and Morgan’s screenplay taps into some deeper places with Billy’s hardships, but they shy away from them when the situation gets a bit too real.
Levi turns in a fine performance alongside the likes of Grazer, who once again brings the awkward teen charm to the silver screen. Mirren, Liu, and Zegler are amusing additions to the cast, although the material restricts what they can do with the parts.
Superhero films typically have difficulty sticking the landing in the third act; Shazam! Fury of the Gods is no different. Its pacing slows into a lackluster CGI light show, as the better action set pieces already occurred earlier in the 130-minute runtime.
When it comes to the countless superhero films hitting theaters nowadays, you can do a lot worse than Shazam! Fury of the Gods. It has its heart in the right place, matched with enthusiastic performances all around. Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a step down from its predecessor, but it means well.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods flies into theaters on March 17.
