The first Shazam! was a surprise hit with audiences finally being DC answer to Deadpool bringing family fun to the DC Universe. Zachary Levi was a lot of fun, but the film was very clearly an answer to what Marvel were doing, with a very much comedy, light hearted film compared to the darker films DC had, before they descended into a mess and chaos.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods reunites us with Billy Batson and his family of fellow superheroes. The daughters of Atlas have returned to the human world in a search for the powers of the gods to be returned to their rightful owners, just as Billy and the family are getting used to saving the world.
A lot of DC talk from me at the moment. Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a difficult film to care about going into it with the shake-up happening at DC at the moment, it looks likely that the film won’t get a third outing after hugely underperforming at the box office and with all the changes going on, despite what the end of this film and the mid/post credits scenes tease. Looking at it, as much as I would happily watch another one of these but it feels like it would have to be a while a way once the DCU is up and going and by that point the cast will have aged out of the roles and will need to be recast. I can see the character working better in a series rather than a film which would allow for a quicker turn around before the actors get too old.
My biggest problem with this film is a similar problem I had with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania the jokes don’t land, lacking focus and messy, apart from this film didn’t have the benefit of having Jonathon Majors deliver a great villain performance. To me this film feels more like the studio wanted this film made before the creative team had a proper idea of where to take it, making the film for the sake of making the film. It feels predictable, it feels very paint by numbers in a genre that people are fatigued with this one certainly isn’t going to help revitalise that. The film does have moments, I particularly thought the story that they went with for Freddy was interesting and Jack Dylan Grazer was good in the film, and would’ve liked the film to have leant more into his story.
You can’t deny that director, David F. Sandberg but this film certainly doesn’t show off any of his strengths. His work on horror films, Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation are decent and I’d like to see him return to that genre because the horror elements particularly in this film is some of the strongest moments. This film however lacks good direction and storytelling missing the heart of what made the first film successful.
The cast do an okay job, it’s clear to see Zachary Levi has fun in the role and wants better for the character and I do think he deserves better. The Daughters of Atlas are played by Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler, but unfortunately their characters and dialogue don’t land, and will ultimately be forgettable. It struggles to give them all equal screentime, and perhaps would’ve benefited from having one less, but felt like they needed 3 for the sake of the story. It was nice to see Lucy Liu, who feels like she doesn’t do these films too much anymore.
Overall, Shazam! Fury of the Gods lacks the heart and humour that gave the first film the buzz that made it a successful fun for the family experience. Solid performances from the cast aren’t enough, with villains which feel generic and unimportant, a bland story leaves me disappointed of what could’ve been a great sequel, little moments aren’t enough to save it.
What did you think of Shazam! Fury of the Gods? Do you want to see a third instalment or just can’t wait for the DC Universe to be rebooted?
I’ve couple of casting posts recently one for Superman: Legacy and one for the DCU’s Batman in The Brave and The Bold so be sure to check those out, and be sure to follow on social media via the buttons below to keep up to date with my latest reviews, posts and news. John Wick 4 is released this Friday, so be sure to look out for that review coming soon!
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