shazam fury of the gods movie review 2023

“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” has arrived with two strikes against it as it’s a sequel to a studio-produced film and a superhero movie made in 2023. However, despite these challenges, the film manages to offer an entertaining experience, even if it leans heavily on the comic book formula. The first “Shazam!” was successful because of its focus on the two adolescent protagonists, Billy Batson (Asher Angel) and Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), who get sucked into a generic fantasy world, with some help from their orphan friends.

In “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” Billy, Freddy, and their foster family return to fight a trio of vindictive sorceresses called the Daughters of Atlas, led by Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Kalypso (Lucy Liu). However, the film doesn't focus on the Marvel Family, a convivial group of tweens who are granted godlike superpowers, as much as one would expect. Even the residents of Philadelphia, where the film primarily takes place, don't seem to know who these kids are, referring to them as the “Philly Fiascos.” Billy also longs to know his “superhero name” and gets some answers after he reunites with his grumpy guru/mentor, the Wizard (Djimon Hounsou), who somehow survived the events of the first film.

The film offers a warm and clever adolescent super-drama throughout, hinting at Billy’s fear of “aging out of” his family, especially as he's about to turn 18 years old. However, the supporting characters, including the unicorn-loving Darla (Faithe Herman) or the closeted Pedro (Jovan Armand), are underdeveloped and only graze the heart-strings with focus-group-level efficiency. It would have been better if the film had focused more on both Billy and Freddy and their hormonal anxieties. Billy dreams of wooing Wonder Woman (in two scenes), and Freddy has a crush on new girl Anthea (Rachel Zegler), but unfortunately, there’s no chemistry between them.

“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” lacks cornball vigor in its big emotional moments, but Zachary Levi, who plays Billy’s alter-ego Shazam (also known as Captain Marvel), takes all the extra room he's given to create a goofy character who, like an actual teenager, doesn't have a filter or an indoor voice. This makes up for some of the film's shortcomings, especially in a movie where the big action scenes mostly sit there, and the gags need to be both sped up and punched up. You have to want to hang out with the Philly Fiascos, and Levi's arguably the best combination of main character and lead performer in a recent superhero film.

Despite some challenges, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” offers an entertaining experience. Captain Marvel is a challenging character to get right, and if DC can't nail a sunny—or functionally grimdark—Superman movie, it's tough to see how Levi's big red cheese will survive the latest DC implosion. However, this new film will still do in a pinch

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New Line Cinema brings to you "Shazam! Fury of the Gods," the thrilling sequel that picks up where the previous movie left off. The story follows Billy Batson, a teenage boy who can transform into the adult superhero Shazam by uttering the magic word "SHAZAM!"

"Shazam! Fury of the Gods" is rated PG-13 for sequences of action, language, and violence, making it an exciting blend of action, adventure, comedy, and fantasy. The film is directed by David F. Sandberg and produced by Peter Safran, with the screenplay written by Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan.

The movie is set to release widely in theaters on March 17, 2023, with a runtime of 2 hours and 10 minutes. It is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures and features a captivating sound mix in Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital. The aspect ratio is Digital 2.39:1, providing a visually stunning experience for viewers.

Explore the DC Universe and add "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" to your watchlist for an epic superhero adventure.