Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023) – Movie Review
“All or none.”
Shazam! Fury of the Gods took the successes of the first Shazam! and doubled-down, bringing more humor, action, and heart to the big screen. While I still prefer the grittiness of DC films like The Batman (2022), it is nice to change in tone with a lighter, lower-stakes film, which Shazam! succeeds in delivering.
A major highlight of the film was seeing the entire “Marvel Family” (or Shazam-Fam, as I like to call them) in their superhero forms, using their powers and working together as heroes. But because we see them more often in their hero-forms, we see less of them as kids. One of the first movie’s strengths was the great performances by the younger actors, such as Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Grace Caroline Currey. This is actually worked out because each of their older hero counterparts portrayed the character’s personalities quite well. All, however, except for the movie’s protagonist, Billy Batson.
A criticism I hold that still stands from the first movie was that Asher Angel’s Billy Batson and Zachary Levi’s Shazam are portrayed as two different characters. Angel’s character is a more tame and serious teenager while Levi plays an immature, silly superhero. While this was true in the first movie, the difference seemed even more profound in the sequel. Take away the scenes where a bolt of lightning transforms Billy Batson into Shazam, and it is unlikely you’d ever associate the two characters together as being the same person. While it was cool getting to see more of the Shazam-Fam, the movie suffered with the absence of Angel. Of the little he did appear, he brought a rock-solid performance carrying the most emotionally-driven scenes.
Even having enjoyed the first Shazam!, I found myself going in with just mediocre expectations. Perhaps it is due to the uncertainty of the future of the DC Extended Universe, given James Gunn and Peter Safran are expected to reboot most everything established with their revamp. Why see a movie that will have no impact on the future of the cinematic DC Universe? And yet, Fury of the Gods was still enjoyable, focusing less on fitting into an overarching universe and more on being its own thing. Except for a surprise cameo from another DC hero. And, yes, they actually had a head this time.
Those who enjoyed the first Shazam! movie will find that Fury of the Gods delivers more of the same. While I still prefer the first movie, I’d rate the movie 3 ½ / 5 stars. It wasn’t amazing, but Fury of the Gods succeeded in bringing plenty of laughs, lightning, and super-powered kids saving the day. It is still unclear whether Zachary Levi, Asher Angel and the entire Shazam! cast will have a seat at Gunn and Safran’s new DC Universe table or be left behind. Although, one of Shazam! Fury of the Gods post-credit scenes features some familiar faces that hint that they will, however, only time will tell for certain.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is now in theaters.