Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Paramount PicturesDC is back, they said. But DC is not *really* back since Shazam! Fury of the Gods may be the last time audiences see Billy Batson and the Marvel family in their current form. The film started production in 2021, long before David Zaslav acquired Warner Bros. Discovery and James Gunn took over the heads of DC Studios with Peter Safran. Safran is a producer on Shazam!, but after the events of The Flash, the DC universe, as audiences know it, will be undergoing a [hard] soft reboot.
It may be part of the reason why audiences won’t be flocking to the cinema to see the sequel, knowing that the character doesn’t have a future in James Gunn’s plans, which seems pointless to tease things during two post-credits scenes that will likely not materialize (as inane as Superman’s cameo in Black Adam, though Gunn did not oversee DC at that time). Negative reviews may be another culprit, but it’s not as bad as some of the previous installments of the DCEU and retains the same spirit that made the first Shazam! so fun.
Director David F. Sandberg is clearly having a blast mixing Greek mythology, creature feature thrills, and superhero action inside Fury of the Gods. While the results are imperfect, it still makes for a terrific time at the movies. One of the weaker parts of the film is its villains — Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Kalypso (Lucy Liu), who steal Shazam’s (Djimon Hounsou) staff in the hopes of restoring their homeworld after it was destroyed. However, Kalypso has a grudge against the human race and seals most of Philadelphia inside a dome to destroy, which prompts Billy Batson (Zachary Levi/Asher Angel) and the rest of his family to save the world again before a dragon and Greek Gods seek their vengeance.
It’s a rather linear plot to follow, and contains most of the tropes found in a superhero sequel: the heroes being used to their powers while saving civilians, the main protagonist grappling with his identity, a recurring theme in most superhero sequels, and bigger villains who easily pluck out their powers. Of course, they learn that their real power is what they possess inside, and not necessarily their super-abilities. It’s a classic tale told time and again. However, unlike many superhero movies that serve as an event to hype up another event, Shazam! Fury of the Gods has legitimate stakes even if their villains are underdeveloped.
Mirren and Liu are woefully underused and are barely in the picture. Kalypso’s motivations, particularly against the human race, are unclear, no matter how cool the action is. However, since she’s a powerful antagonist, audiences are naturally drawn into the picture and start to get invested in the proceedings. There are times in which audiences will genuinely believe that Batson, or the other superheroes, might not make it out of this adventure alive, especially during the film’s hour-long climax, which sees Sandberg play with a plethora of genres.
He and cinematographer Gyula Pados craft images akin to Richard Donner’s Superman and Joe Dante’s Gremlins rolled up into one terrific package. Some aspects of the climax are a bit underwhelming (though that will require spoiling, which will not be done in a review like this), but the core remains strong throughout. Personal feelings aside, Levi was born to play Batson. His childish spirit is brilliantly captured through Baton’s adult persona, and the same can be said for Adam Brody and Meagan Good who are massive standouts at playing the adult versions of Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) and Darla Dudley (Faithe Herman).
It’s a shame that the film also underuses most of the Marvel family during the climax, but Sandberg makes up for it by having their characters be in their adult form for most of the runtime. Still, there are a few funny moments that involve them and their foster parents (Marta Milans and Cooper Andrews) who also become a part of the action when their house gets attacked. Sandberg keeps the pace moving throughout and never wastes on involving everyone in some capacity. Even Hounsou’s Shazam, who was relegated to second-fiddle in the first film and Black Adam, gets his time to shine. The sequel improves on a lot of elements that were briefly teased in the first film, but there’s never a moment in which something truly magical happens.
In isolation, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is still a very good film. It’s not as good as the first, but it still manages to recapture what made the original great. Its climax is worth seeing on the biggest screen possible alone, especially in IMAX, where the sound design is as intricate as the first. Sandberg is having fun, the cast is having fun, and the audience is having fun. That’s all that matters at the end of the day.