During the middle of a DCU reboot, Shazam: Fury Of The Gods couldn’t have come at a more interesting time. With the fate of certain DC characters unknown, there’s only a select few that’ll merge into the new DCU that’s overseen by DC Studios Co-CEO and Chairmen James Gunn and Peter Safran.
In this direct continuation of 2019’s Shazam, Zachery Levi delivers as the titular character Billy Baston, Shazam. His entourage brought in some of the most talented actresses around who reprised roles of The Three Sisters of Atlas, including Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso, (Lucy Liu) and Anthea played by the young talent Rachel Zegler, who played the villains in the sequel. They brought an interesting dynamic to the screen and all 3 actresses worked well together in the story.
Impressive development from returning young stars faired well with the introduction of new characters. One returning character in particular, Freedy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) became very the heart of the movie. His friendship with his best friend Billy (Asher Angel) was imperative in testing Billy’s ability as the superhero Shazam. Many character dynamics were enjoyable in this sequel.
Billy and Mary Bromfield (Grace Caroline Currey), had an interesting dynamic to show the theme of family within the Shazam family of heroes group. Freddy and the original Shazam (Dijmon Hounsou)an unexpected pairing with a good amount of screentime worked well.
The film was enhanced with a lot more action sequences, humour and the theme of family, which sounds very reminiscent of the first film. Although the intention of the film was targeted at a family audience, it had a slight issue with balancing direction. An interesting set of post-credits scenes answers the fate of Zachery Levi’s Shazam and potentially the introduction of a villain for a third movie.
Overall, Shazam: Fury Of The Gods served as an enjoyable sequel and was definitely good viewing. It was fun, action-packed and well-humoured, especially for those who watched it with their families.
Star Rating: 7/10
Written by Shamoon Saeed – Pop Culture Features Editor
