When Shazam! Hit theatres back in 2019, I was pleasantly surprised. The similarities to the film Big and the action and heart all hooked me. I wasn't a fan of the tonal shifts in that film (it took me out multiple times), but it's a good time from start to finish anyways. Well, Shazam! Fury of the Gods has now hit theatres and I believe it's on par with the first film. It's a bunch of adults acting like kids and they have superpowers, but the stakes are high and the heartwarming story from the first film continues here. I had a great time watching this sequel.
The overall premise is one that I'm honestly starting to get tired of, but again, if you build a good movie around a generic plot, it can still work very well. The Daughters of Atlas (Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, and Rachel Zegler) are in pursuit of the staff from the first time, given to Billy (Asher Angel), which made him into this hero in the first place. Learning that it can (eye rolls) destroy the world, Billy and his foster family, who all continue to have their powers from the last film, must band together and stop them. This premise is weak, but as I said, the film built around it is a blast from start to finish. I might prefer this over the first one if it wasn't for the weak story.
Zachary Levi crushes it as Shazam once again and the rest of the Shazam characters are all given much more to do than the first time around. In particular, I really liked Freedy Freeman's (Jack Dylan Grazer) storyline here. His struggle, in reality, meshed with his overconfidence as his alter-ego (played by Adam Brody) really gave this film both an added layer of fun and heart. The foster family was easily the best aspect of the first film and there is no change in that here. There is much more of it this time as well, which is why I think it evens out with the story to become a very, very solid flick. I could go into everyone I liked in this film, but the list is endless because I enjoyed the entire cast. I will just throw in there that I still love Meagan Good's portrayal of little Darla's alter ego, she is great at channelling her inner child.
Helen Mirren is at the point in her career where it just looks like she wants to pick fun roles. She looks like she is having a blast and Lucy Liu alongside her was just hamming it up too. There's nothing particularly special about their performance at all, but I enjoyed watching them. The CGI in this film is not superb by any means, but that's okay, this is a much cheaper superhero film to make than most, which is why I really hope it is able to make a profit. It deserves some notice and these films just don't seem to garner a big audience.
Overall, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a very good time at the movies if you've seen the first film. I will say that the emotional moments here are far less engaging if you don't have the prerequisites. The silly humour will turn off some viewers, but unlike something like Thor: Love and Thunder, which I thought took silly to an insanely dumb level, this film goes just far enough and knows when to pull back. I laughed, had fun, and even teared up a bit. This is pretty much everything I wanted from a sequel to Shazam!. Now playing in theatres, this one gets a recommendation from me.
Side note: It would be a real shame if this new leadership at Warner Bros. Doesn't do anything with this character in the future. I would love to see a third film or have him appear as a side character down the line. This story isn't finished.
The overall premise is one that I'm honestly starting to get tired of, but again, if you build a good movie around a generic plot, it can still work very well. The Daughters of Atlas (Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, and Rachel Zegler) are in pursuit of the staff from the first time, given to Billy (Asher Angel), which made him into this hero in the first place. Learning that it can (eye rolls) destroy the world, Billy and his foster family, who all continue to have their powers from the last film, must band together and stop them. This premise is weak, but as I said, the film built around it is a blast from start to finish. I might prefer this over the first one if it wasn't for the weak story.
Zachary Levi crushes it as Shazam once again and the rest of the Shazam characters are all given much more to do than the first time around. In particular, I really liked Freedy Freeman's (Jack Dylan Grazer) storyline here. His struggle, in reality, meshed with his overconfidence as his alter-ego (played by Adam Brody) really gave this film both an added layer of fun and heart. The foster family was easily the best aspect of the first film and there is no change in that here. There is much more of it this time as well, which is why I think it evens out with the story to become a very, very solid flick. I could go into everyone I liked in this film, but the list is endless because I enjoyed the entire cast. I will just throw in there that I still love Meagan Good's portrayal of little Darla's alter ego, she is great at channelling her inner child.
Helen Mirren is at the point in her career where it just looks like she wants to pick fun roles. She looks like she is having a blast and Lucy Liu alongside her was just hamming it up too. There's nothing particularly special about their performance at all, but I enjoyed watching them. The CGI in this film is not superb by any means, but that's okay, this is a much cheaper superhero film to make than most, which is why I really hope it is able to make a profit. It deserves some notice and these films just don't seem to garner a big audience.
Overall, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a very good time at the movies if you've seen the first film. I will say that the emotional moments here are far less engaging if you don't have the prerequisites. The silly humour will turn off some viewers, but unlike something like Thor: Love and Thunder, which I thought took silly to an insanely dumb level, this film goes just far enough and knows when to pull back. I laughed, had fun, and even teared up a bit. This is pretty much everything I wanted from a sequel to Shazam!. Now playing in theatres, this one gets a recommendation from me.
Side note: It would be a real shame if this new leadership at Warner Bros. Doesn't do anything with this character in the future. I would love to see a third film or have him appear as a side character down the line. This story isn't finished.