Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)

Rating: 8.6

TL;DR - Shazam! Fury of the Gods is the most fun I’ve had at a superhero movie in years! I love the first movie and this was the perfect follow up with so much heart, humour, and charm! It reminded me why I love superhero movies! Love the characters and the cast too — all around this movie just is a really great time! I love these movies!

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Film Info:

Premise: 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.

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Warner Bros

Directed by David F. Sandberg

Written by Henry Gayden & Chris Morgan

Cast: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Grace Caroline Currey, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, Meagan Good, Djimon Hounsou

Runtime: 2hr 10min

Rating: PG

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Thriller

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IMDb Rating: 6.7/10

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 53%

RT Audience Score: 87%

RT Critic Average: 5.8/10

RT Audience Average: 4.3/5

Metacritic Score: 46

CinemaScore: B+

Letterboxd: 3.1/5

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Fun Fact: The Daughters of Atlas do not appear in the comics, but are original characters created for the film.

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Review:

written by Tyler Park

Who would’ve thought that DC would’ve had a better start to the year than Marvel? Certainly not me, but count me as one happily surprised moviegoer! Shazam! Fury of the Gods was awesome! This movie was the most fun I have had at a superhero movie in years! Not since James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad and Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021 have I enjoyed myself as much as I did here — after so many “okay” Marvel and DC movies in the last year or so it was so gratifying to find myself watching one that left such a big smile on my face and reminded me why I fell in love with superhero movies in the first place! And really, what better recommendation can I give you for this movie than that? If you’ve been feeling a sense of fatigue with the genre like I have, Shazam managed to show me what I’ve been wanting to see for a while! No, it isn’t the most original or creative and it definitely is reminiscent of things we have seen before, but it gets right what it needs to in order to be a good time — especially in how much heart and charm this movie has going for it!

I love the first Shazam, probably even more than most people! That movie genuinely surprised me with how truly fun and uniquely charming it could be, and I’ve been waiting to see more of the Shazam family ever since! The downright terrible marketing campaign for this one had me worried, but thankfully the follow-up to the 2019 film is so much better than I expected! It nearly lives up to the spirit of the original and feels like a worthwhile sequel! I loved seeing the characters again, as well as the returning cast! You can’t go wrong with Zachary Levi as Shazam, but I also loved Asher Angel as Billy and all the rest of his foster siblings (and the parents) as well, most notably Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy (who is easily my favourite part of the movie)! The new cast is awesome as well — I loved Rachel Zegler in Spielberg’s West Side Story, and was so happy to see her show up here in quite a major role! Of course, Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu are fantastic as well, but that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone given their talent!

I know I’m rambling a bit here, I know this isn’t my most well-written review. But it’s hard for me (and frankly I don’t want) to critically review this one because of how much I enjoyed it. I haven’t enjoyed a superhero movie this much in a while, so part of me just wants to celebrate this win! And I think I’m going to keep doing that! If you’re looking for a critical review, you’ll have to look somewhere else; because I’m just going to tell you how much I enjoyed this one!

Ant-Man left me so burnt out last month, and I definitely let it show in my review. There I was critical of many aspects of the film, but still said it was a fun time. I was the same with DC’s last film, Black Adam. And you might rightfully wonder: “Well, is this just more of that then?” In some regards, yes. It isn’t a perfect film, it definitely has flaws, and they are the usual ones you hear about in superhero movies. Forgettable villains, it doesn’t really offer anything new or unique and can be a little muddled at times, we’ve heard it all before and honestly, it didn’t bug me one bit here. And that’s because the movie delivered where it needed to! I could have fun and enjoy myself because it gave me what I wanted, it did enough good that it canceled out the flawed elements. They are still there, sure. But who cares?! It was a good time! (To be clear, this movie is leagues better, far more enjoyable, and memorable than Quantumania and Black Adam.)

Fury of the Gods is bigger and bolder than the first Shazam, upping the stakes and really building on everything that worked in the original! It’s endearing, hilarious, entertaining, and epic! It’s a great mix of heart, action, mythology, and horror, it has something for everyone! David F. Sandberg proves he truly understood what people loved about the first and gave us a fantastic sequel! I love the Shazam action, I love the humour, I love the mythology, I love the themes of chosen family! And I love how much heart and charm this movie has! As a huge fan of the first film, I am so happy to report that this was such a fun sequel that left me satisfied and wanting more! I smiled the entire way through, laughed a lot, and was just entertained for the entire runtime! I really hope we see more of Shazam in DC’s future, as this film and the first are easily my favourites of the entire DC universe! But if not, I’m just happy David F. Sandberg was able to deliver what he did with these two! So should you see this movie? If you’re a fan of the first, you’ll love this! I sure did - it is such a great time! Count me as a huge fan of this movie!

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Trailer: