“Shazam: Fury of the Gods” Quick Review (2023)
Written by Victor DeBonis
“Shazam: Fury of the Gods” is a movie with some interesting and even fun parts about it, but there simply isn’t enough time and devotion dedicated to much of what goes on in the movie. A big strength of the preceding movie, which I thought was pretty solid, came from the unity of the family and the film’s steady approach to illustrating these characters taking time to establish their love for one another as well as the meaningful presence of it. Early on, the young characters of this movie appear strangely disinterested in working with one another for unknown reasons. This wasn’t a great sign. In all fairness, the family doesn’t loathe one another, and there are a few moments in which members of the family show their connection with each other, but more of it shows in the story towards the climax of the movie instead of the rest of the story.
The siblings work with one another well in carrying out their superhero duties, but their bond with each other doesn’t appear very strong this time around, which is where the heart of the first movie greatly came from. Relationships from this movie as a whole are barely given any time to sink in, and some of them simply don’t feel believable given how they rarely take time to sit down and have conversations about what is going on with them. The lessons through which this lack of connection is leading to, while nice, are depicted in pretty much the path that one would predict them to go without many moments that believably lead to the conclusions at the end. In general, characters in this movie make decisions that predictably go exactly the way that one would expect them to head, and some of these were head-scratching choices.
This movie reminded me very much of “Iron Man 2.” Both films are sequels to good, original superhero movies that, through the second time around, simply have too much going on in the script for me to find much investment in and not dedicating enough time to developing specific themes (ie: growing up, recognizing the importance of the family around you).
At one point, it’s about the family trying to work together more, and, then, a few scenes later, it’s about Billy Batson trying to cope with the idea of becoming an adult and leaving the foster home. Then, another scene later, the film reminds you about the villainous threat of Mirren and Liu meeting with Djimon Hounsou. In yet another subplot, Batson’s brother, Freddy, is trying to have a romantic relationship with a character who is acted decently, but the bond itself was unsatisfying, partly from the predictable path in which their connection went and partly from the lack of time devoted to developing their relationship and making it easier for me to understand why they made the choices and shared the love for each other as they did. Their relationship just felt forced. And, the writing, as a whole, is all over the place.
There are also far too many references to the other DC characters in this. After hearing specific heroes’ names referenced over and over again, I was legitimately feeling somewhat frustrated at this film repeatedly reminding me about DC having other shows and movies based on certain characters.
“Shazam 2” also seems determined to not spend time on potentially darker moments. The first film was great at diving into the potential hurt of one’s family deserting someone and the dilemma of accepting new family in the aftermath of other “family” not necessarily showing somebody acceptance or love as needed. This sequel could’ve easily explored similar ideas even further or, at least, a similar tone, but the plot moves too quickly to allow any of these elements to truly sink in.
Credit where it’s due: Zachary Levi convincingly voices the frantic youth and enthusiasm of the titular character as before, and Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu provide a joyful malevolence as the villains of the movie. Asher Angel and Jack Dylan Grazer bring the delightful humor and wit to their roles as the main “kids” in the movie, and they’re fun to watch in every scene. And, once in a while, an inventive part of the movie will pop up, such as a new presence to the films in the form of an animated pen with a literal life of its own. The first few action scenes are entertaining and take brief moments at allowing the characters to shine in their duties.
Aside from that, “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” simply feels too rushed and scatter-brained, and, while not lacking in some moments of heart, it doesn’t have as much charm or as much time focused on the heart and familial relationships as it should. The connections between the characters feel lacking, the themes of the movie aren’t explored very well, and the writing contains too many references to other characters and events going in directions that didn’t lead to satisfying endpoints. At certain times, I did laugh or feel a grin pop up but not too often.
It’s not a dreadful film by any means, and the charm and effort of the actors clearly shows, but the movie doesn’t fly nearly as high as it has the potential to.
C-