Despite the fun and comradery present in 2019’s Shazam!, that film’s sequel – Shazam! Fury of the Gods – unfortunately takes the property down the too often travelled road of over-dramatized and overblown entries that populate the DC Extended Cinematic Universe (DCECU).
This new entry continues the story of Billy Batson (Asher Angel) – a teenager who can transform himself into a superhero almost as powerful as Superman by speaking the word “Shazam!” – and his extended foster-family of fellow superheroes as they do battle with the now resurrected Greek gods Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu), and Anthea (Rachel Zegler) who are determined to reclaim the powers of the gods for themselves.
Returning director David F. Sandberg and screenwriter Henry Gayden are joined by Chris Morgan who serves as an additional screenwriter apparently added to ensure that the film gets the DCECU treatment and becomes an unwieldy and overwrought narrative that loses the very thing that proved successful in the first place, the film’s characters. From the onset, there is very little that proves enjoyable in this film. It begins with more explosions and destruction than were present in the first film (and ultimately ends that way too) and rarely pauses to allow the family dynamic that worked so well in the first film to take control of the reigns.
It also doesn’t help that the film appears to want to take place almost immediately after the first installment despite it being rather obvious that all the principles have aged quite noticeably since then. Add to that a story arc that plays out exactly like the last few Superman films and Shazam! Fury of the Gods sadly becomes another failed entry to the DCECU.
Even though the odds are stacked against them, the players all seem determined to give their all to the overall production. Zachary Levi is again quite effective as the titular hero despite being saddled with such an overwhelmingly tedious film. Of the three main villains in the story only Rachel Zegler’s Anthea is allowed to develop any sort of character other than a one-note destroy everything because I’m angry mentality. Similarly, Jack Dylan Grazer’s Freddy Freeman is the sole member of the super gang that is afforded any character growth in this entry and that lack of recognizing the worth of the ensemble cast hurts the film overall.
With all the talk of the reinvigorated approach being taken with the DCECU moving forward, it is discouraging to find that Shazam! Fury of the Gods, one of the first offerings of this new regime is equally, if not more, disappointing than previous entries of the DCECU given the success of its namesake.
Mike Tyrkus
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