The plethora of comic book movies means that a new one is here, exactly one month after the last one. But audiences can make room as long as something is entertaining. Overall, that’s what Shazam: Fury of the Gods is. The freshness of the original may be impossible to recapture but this sequel is still often fun and funny.
With the success of cinematic universes on screen, superheroes without recognizable names got the chance to take the spotlight. In 2019, DC comics gave that focus to Billy Batson (Asher Angel), a 14-year-old boy who is chosen as champion by a wizard (Djimon Hounsou). The wizard gives incredible abilities to the boy just by shouting the word “Shazam!” to transform into a superhero (Zachary Levi). Shazam! was a delightful treat that brilliantly leaned into the theme of wish fulfillment. Isn’t that part of the appeal of superheroes, anyway? The film also had a strong villain and tons of heart going for it. Besides all that, the humor was consistently wonderful, so it’s no surprise that Billy’s story is continuing. His voice is too unique in the genre to be one-and-done.
Though the story of Shazam!: Fury of the Gods falters more than the first film, much of the charm and laughs can still be found. Those things, and some other fun touches, ensure that viewers will be happy to see Billy and Shazam again someday.
“You’re holding on too tight.”
Billy’s tale is an emotional one. When he was three, he was separated from his mother at a Christmas carnival and ended up in foster care. (His dad wasn’t around.) He never stayed in one foster home for long. He kept running away to try to find his mother until he was placed with Victor and Rosa Vasquez at 14. The home was full of other foster kids, like Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), and seemed to be a warm environment. However, Billy refuses to emotionally engage because he still intends to find his mom.
Getting powers changes everything for Billy. Freddy is a superhero super fan so he helps Billy adjust to his powers. Then, in the midst of defeating Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong), two things happen. First, Billy does locate his mother, who says she knew he’d be better off without her when she saw the police taking care of him. Then Billy has to share his powers with all of his foster siblings in order to win against Sivana. This bonds him with his new family in a way he has never had before.
When the events of this film begin, Billy is striving to maintain that connection. He does his best to be a leader when they go out as a team to save people. And he is worried about the fact that he is about to age out of the foster care system, too.
“I chose right when I chose you.”
All this makes the found family theme that was an integral part of the first film just as important in this sequel. And Billy and his family are going to need each other because the three daughters of Atlas have managed to leave their realm. Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu), and Anthea (Rachel Zegler) are after items Billy possesses that will allow them to restore their ruined homeland. There is too much exposition in the script regarding all this, and there is not enough clarification on other details. For example, if Billy breaking the wizard staff Sivana had stolen is what weakened the barrier between realms, why did it take 3 whole years for the daughters of Atlas to make it to our world?
At the same time, other things, like bits of dialogue or humor, really work. Freddy and Anthea meet while she’s pretending to be a student at their school, so even though he feels betrayed they still develop a sweet interaction. Grazer being such an appealing presence helps this. Anthea’s tendency toward good emphasizes another positive aspect of the writing, which is the complicated relationships between the villains. Anthea is the most reluctant to do violence against mortals but Hespera eventually also comes to stand against Kalypso, who wants revenge against all mortals for the destruction of their world.
“Anyone can be worthy if given the chance.”
Kalypso’s plans for annihilating our land involve unleashing dangerous mythical monsters like manticores and harpies. And that’s aside from the dragon she controls. This means all the CGI you might expect, and it turns out to be well-executed. Perhaps because the release date was delayed, giving the visual effects artists more time. However, these creatures are not integrated into the storytelling like the 7 deadly sins monsters from the first film. Something that is a thrill for viewers is the HUGE cameo late in the film from an iconic DC character. I know some people complained about Superman’s appearance in the first film being faceless but this cameo is from someone else and does not have the same problem.
For me, the strongest motif in Billy’s story is the way he– and then later his siblings too– literally become other people when they become superheroes. They are all underage but transform into adults, played by other actors. (Who are all perfectly cast, by the way.) In fact, Grace Caroline Currey, who plays oldest sister Mary, also plays superhero Mary in this film though she didn’t in the first film. This coincides with the fact that Mary was underage in the first film but isn’t now. Will Billy and the others do the same when they mature into adults? This offers a lot of depth to any future stories for these characters. And if they have badass unicorns like Shazam!: Fury of the Gods does, so much the better!
3 1/2 stars out of 5
Shazam!: Fury of the Gods is now playing in theaters.
