Shazam! Fury of the Gods – Film Review

Bestowed with the powers of the gods, Billy Batson and his fellow foster kids are still learning how to juggle teenage life with their adult superhero alter egos. When a vengeful trio of ancient gods arrives on Earth in search of the magic stolen from them long ago, Shazam and his allies get thrust into a battle for their superpowers, their lives, and the fate of the world.

We live in a world in which it seems superhero/comic book movies are always trying to be darker and grittier than the next and it’s a little bit confusing to me if I’m being one-hundred-percent completely honest. Don’t get me wrong – I absolutely adore gritty superhero films (my favorite film of last year and one of my favorite films of all time is The Batman), but there’s something undeniably charming and endearing about a superhero movie that doesn’t take itself deathly seriously.

That’s not to say that every goofy superhero movie ever is amazing. Last year’s Thor: Love and Thunder is genuinely one of the worst blockbuster movies I’ve ever seen and that film practically was a non-stop joke fest. Being able to find the right balance between comedy and drama is so incredibly hard to do, and yet with Shazam and its sequel Fury of the Gods, director David F. Sandberg has managed to do exactly that.

While not quite as excellent as the film that came before it, Fury of the Gods is an electrifying and high-octane superhero adventure that never has a dull moment in sight. Even with the film’s flaws being present, there is never a moment where I wasn’t smiling from ear-to-ear, watching these superheroes continue with their antics.

This time, the stakes feel higher than ever as a group of villains known as the Daughters of Atlas have come to Earth and have threatened to kill everyone as payback for what humans did to them. They’re not the best villains ever to be honest, but they at least provide the film with some seriously good emotional stakes.

The world that these characters inhabit feels so tangible and lived-in despite how zany and bonkers the film and its tone would suggest. There are many moments in the film in which the childish and immature Billy Batson must step up to the plate and become a true man if he wishes to save the day.

I wish that we got some more scenes with the superheroes in their child form because in this film, those scenes are extremely few and far between. We only ever really see Asher Angel in the film in about three or four scenes which isn’t a lot when compared to how heavily he was featured in the first one.

But that’s not to say those scenes don’t exist – they do, I just wish we got more of them. This film also brings some new blood into the DCEU and that includes the show stealer Rachel Zegler in the role of Anthea. Unfortunately, the DC Universe is being shifted as we know it so we probably won’t see the West Side Story star return in the franchise anytime soon, but Zegler definitely gave it her all here and made every single scene so much funnier and more exciting. I loved seeing her character arc blossom.

Of course, Zachary Levi is once again terrific as Shazam. Is it more of the same? Sure. But I would gladly watch two more movies of Levi being his best goofy self and spitting one-liners. He is the perfect choice to play this character and I could never imagine him being played by anyone else.

Sadly, I don’t think we will see Levi portray this character in the future, however. The DC Universe shakeup is imminent and it is unclear whether or not Shazam is going to be fitting in with the new direction or not. Time will only tell. But if this is truly the last outing for Levi and company, we can all breathe a sigh of relief knowing that they went out on a high note.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods may not be quite as strong as the first one, but it’s still an electrifyingly exciting superhero adventure with plenty of heart and laughs along the way.