Shazam! Fury of the Gods Review: A consistently entertaining sequel

Billy Batson is at it again Shazam! wrath of the godsa sequel to the 2019 superhero film Shazam. This new film set in the DC Universe follows the foster family of superheroes who can transform from children to superpowered adults with a single word. After the hilarious success of the original film, director David F. Sandberg returns to bring us another adventure. A solid sequel to the original, this superhero action comedy offers a consistently entertaining tone with a few rough edges than its predecessor.

After she appeared in the first film, Dr. Defeating Sivana and becoming superheroes, the Shazamily has sparked a polarizing response in Philadelphia, with many blaming them for their incompetence. The script offers a fun idea from the start and shows how the kids could get better at being superheroes. They’re all a little older than they were in the first film, but they still have a lot to learn, which features an early action sequence on a bridge where the heroes save many lives but are unable to prevent the bridge from collapsing. The strength lies in the uniqueness of a family of foster children working together to fight crime.

With a new movie comes a new cast of villains, as the film introduces Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Calypso (Lucy Liu), daughters of Atlas bent on the power of the family. This dynamic, insane duo is formidable, offering star power and menacing performances as powerful sisters who pose a serious threat to our heroes. They possess the powers of mind control and take away superpowers, making the need to stop them even more important as they are not only after the family but also pose a threat to the world.

This sequel continues the light-hearted, humorous tone of the first film, with excellent performances from the cast. Zachary Levi’s comedic timing as Shazam is fantastic. Although he doesn’t always fully impersonate an older Asher Angel, the bridge works better in this film than in the original film. He gets some of the funniest moments in the film while also adding some emotional weight to the character. Jack Dylan Grazer is also hilarious in this film and gets plenty of moments to shine as a standout character. He also gets a romance subplot with Anne (Rachel Zegler), which is well acted but sadly feels like an inorganic romance straight out of a Disney Channel movie.

Shazam! wrath of the gods takes many of the ideas of the original film and takes them to the next level, upping the ante and giving us more of the action and comedy you’ve come to expect from this film. The film is very fast-paced and always offers something funny to watch. However, this could also be the film’s fundamental flaw as there is a touch of drama surrounding Billy’s fear of outgrowing the foster system and being on his own. This idea needed to be explored more in order for the profound moments to have the emotional weight they could.

Also, the movie doesn’t go in the expected direction since most of the Shazamily don’t take part in the final act. Instead, it’s mostly Shazam alone for the final action set piece. While the other characters play different roles in the final act, her sequence feels so much smaller than what was set up that it’s easy to forget she existed in the film.

However, Shazam! wrath of the gods remains a breezy, entertaining superhero film with a robust cast of heroes and villains. It’s not the strongest DCU outing and doesn’t reach the heights of its predecessor, but you’ll have an enjoyable time in the theater.

SCORE: 8/10

As explained in ComingSoon’s review guidelines, a score of 8 equates to Great. While there are a few minor hiccups, this score means the art is on target and making an unforgettable impression.