Bestowed with the powers of the gods, Billy Batson and his fellow foster kids are still learning how to juggle teenage life with having adult Super Hero alter-egos. But when the Daughters of Atlas, a vengeful trio of ancient gods, arrive on Earth in search of the magic stolen from them long ago, Billy—aka Shazam—and his family are thrust into a battle for their superpowers, their lives, and the fate of their world.

Shazam Fury of the Gods Trailer:

Shazam Fury of the Gods Video Review:

THE GOOD

The casting of Zachary Levi was always a plus for the Shazam films, and in Shazam Fury of the Gods, he remains one of the better highlights. He perfectly embodied the man-child persona of the character and keeps the interest going whenever he’s on screen. This time around, he got more screen time than Asher Angel, which could be a bit of a double-edged sword. Nevertheless, Levi’s performance was enjoyable, especially with some of the quippy jokes he dished out. Besides Levi, Helen Mirren was exceptional with what she had to work with in her role. It would’ve been nice to add more complexity to her character, but she still made for a good antagonist overall.

Shazam Fury of the Gods did have some nice visual effects. I thought many of the monsters in the film were pretty cool, given their darker, terrifying designs. I thought the visual effects regarding all of the massive destruction that takes place came off to be incredibly believable. The final act of the film brought on a major battle scene that looked genuinely astonishing.

THE BAD

The writing for Shazam Fury of the Gods felt pretty inconsistent. Every time a character seemed to be on the verge of deeper exploration, the film’s direction seemed to veer off in a different path. This could just result from having too many characters and not enough focus on Billy Batson. For instance, Billy’s issue with abandonment was a great angle to emphasize, but it always seemed to take a back seat to some other shenanigans or a less interesting character. It was difficult to connect with Billy emotionally because many sentimental moments were spread so far apart. Maybe that’s on the editing or direction of the film, but the movie’s attention felt scattered outside of the need to save the world from the villains.

To be fair, I’ll give some credit to trying to add nuance to the villainous sisters due to their dynamic, but it wasn’t enough to make them enjoyable or memorable. As a result, most of the film felt predictable. With the lack of focus, the characters outside of Billy felt less than compelling. I was also disappointed the studio spoiled the surprise cameo in this film, but it was even sadder to see the scene come off as something just tacked on at the last minute.

Beyond that, the comedy was hit or miss. This franchise is obviously a light-hearted one that doesn’t need to be overly serious at all. However, in this sequel, I felt it leaned too heavily on more remedial and forced humor. It almost felt like the movie couldn’t go 10 minutes without a mandatory bit of comedy. I wasn’t a fan of the transformation of one of the more serious characters from the previous film. While the movie overall doesn’t have to be overly dramatic, I didn’t see the point of portraying that character with a more silly demeanor.

The Verdict

Shazam Fury of the Gods was a formulaic, overstuffed, silly superhero movie that probably would’ve been better received 10 to 15 years ago. There were so many times when I thought I was watching a movie on the Disney Channel, given how kiddie some of the story beats would turn. I believe younger audiences will appeal more to this film, even though it is PG-13, for its violence and language. Shazam Fury of the Gods probably could’ve just muted the S-bombs and rated this movie PG instead.

As someone who really enjoyed the first Shazam, this sequel didn’t do it for me. The lack of a good villain, the silliness, and the story being all over the place was all a miss for me. Even the two post-credit scenes felt like a waste of time. Neither of them left me with a positive feeling of getting excited for more. While this isn’t my favorite Shazam movie, I think it’s best to just keep expectations low before going to watch it. People may have a better time if they watch it with their kids too. Shazam Fury of the Gods is in theaters now.

Director: David F. Sandberg
Writer(s):Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan
Stars: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, Meagan Good, D.J. Cotrona,
Grace Caroline Currey, Djimon Hounsou, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Marta Milans,Cooper Andrews, Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren
Shazam Fury of the Gods its theaters March 17 , 2023. Be sure to follow E-Man’s Movie Reviews on Facebook, Subscribe on YouTube, or follow me on Twitter/IG @EmansReviews for even more movie news and reviews!