Shazam! Fury of the Gods
review by Bobby Blakey
Warner Bros and DC Comics have had their ups and downs with their cinematic universe, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t love most of them in some way. One of the ones I was most excited that was finally happening was Shazam! that finally hit theaters in 2019. The film was a blast and a hit so of course a sequel was announced titled Shazam! Fury of the Gods with Zachary Levi of course returning as the man himself, but does it offer up more of the same or is it impossible for lightning to strike twice?
We don’t have an official synopsis yet, but the film brings back most of the original cast along with some fun new additions including Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, Meagan Good, D.J. Cotrona, Grace Caroline Currey, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Marta Milans, Cooper Andrews, Djimon Hounsou, Rachel Zegler, Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren with David F. Sandberg returning to the director’s chair.
I love the Shazam character and real had a blast with the first film. As much as I enjoyed the Black Adam film I was pretty irritated that they didn’t just make it part of the second Shazam film. That being said the idea they went with still works and dives deeper into the family dynamic of the kids and Shazam team as well as the lore of it all. Not only does this film bring more of the things that made the first film so great it doubles down on the action and goes bigger without sacrificing its charm. Sure there are some cheesy bits here and there, but they are fun nonetheless.
They waste not time getting to it all with introducing the films villains as well as seeing the gang in what they have been up to and their new roles as heroes. IT was great to see everyone get time to shine in both their forms, but they do spend more time as the heroes than the kids which was kind of a let-
down since they are so fun to watch. They still get some great moments and really work well together. It’s fun watching them get to use their individual versions of the Shazam powers for more than just saving lives helping it to elevate the universe.
Levi is so good here and clearly has embraced this character in every way. He has still kept the innocence of Shazam intact while still allowing him to evolve as a hero and Billy as a person. His own trauma and issues still affect him and adds to the growth of the character and makes his decisions more impactful. While not all of the way they handle this film are always like the original comics it still works and does the character justice.
The villains here I believe were created for the film, but fit perfectly into the lore of Shazam’s history. It sucks that they didn’t play into the tease of Mr. Mind teaming up with Dr. Sivana and the possible Monsters Society of Evil teased in the previous film, but have no fear it hasn’t been totally forgotten it’s just not part of the main arc. Thankfully we get plenty of mythical creatures, wizards, superheroes, action and laughs to keep you entertained from beginning to end.
I don’t want to give away any of the surprises, but there are some fun surprises, references and overall universe expansion. Those wondering whether this fits into the Snyderverse or the new Gunn/Safran led DC Universe will have their answers here and it seems both depending on how it plays out in the future. Either way, it all works and makes for another great chapter of the Shazam universe. It is clear Shazam is here to stay in some form or another, but I hope we get another entry of this own film as well as seeing him play in the bigger playground in the future.
Be sure to stay through the credits for two after credit scenes that are both important for the extension and possible future of the franchise. In addition to the film this release offers up bonus content including commentary, deleted Scenes, alternate & extended scenes, and a godly amount of featurettes taking fans behind bringing this latest chapter to life. Grab your copy of Shazam! Fury of the Gods available now on digital and then on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on May 23rd from Warner Bros Home Entertainment.
