Four years after his first foray on movie screens, does Shazam hold strong?
Critics are saying "Fury of the Gods" may be a bit overstuffed, but are otherwise all
smiles over this superhero sequel.
When "Shazam!"
first flew into theaters in 2019, the young-at-heart hero was a breath of fresh air.
After being called upon by an ancient wizard, 14-year-old Billy Batson gained unbelievable
powers and the body of an adult superhero called Shazam.
As any teen boy would, he immediately put those powers to excellent use by skipping
school, wreaking accidental havoc, and bonding with his foster brother, Freddy.
At the time, "Shazam!"
was a surprisingly pleasant entry in the often grim DC Extended Universe.
And though it found interesting ways to integrate horror, it veered away from the dark Snyder-era
films with its distinct sense of humor.
It fared well with critics and at the box office, so a sequel was inevitable.
Four years and a complete upheaval of the DCEU later, the Shazamily has returned for
"Shazam! Fury of the Gods," and based on the early buzz, they're more magical than ever.
The "Shazam" magic extends far beyond Billy Batson in "Fury of the Gods," with all of
his foster siblings now sharing his special ability to transform into superheroes by uttering
a single word.
With Mark Strong's Doctor Sivana officially defeated, the family must now contend with
the mysterious Daughters of Atlas: Hespera, Kalypso, and Anthea.
Director David F. Sandberg has returned to helm the sequel, working from a script by
Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan.
Though not technically the start of a new DC era, the Shazamily could easily have a
future in James Gunn and Peter Safran's new DC Universe; it all depends on the reception
their latest adventure gets.
While the public still has to wait until March 17 for "Fury of the Gods" to hit theaters,
the first critic reactions have started pouring in, and they're trending toward the positive.
The early consensus is that "Fury of the Gods" is "bigger" and "bolder," but still holds
tight to the heart and humor of the first film.
With the origin story out of the way, the movie delves right into the action, which
is balanced alongside character development for the beloved foster family.
Geeks of Color owner Dorian Parks writes that the sequel is even better than the original,
tweeting,
"['Shazam!
Fury of the Gods'] delivers on every level.
The action is spectacular, the humor is on point, and the surprises will leave you wanting more."
Fandango's Erik Davis praised the humor and the decision to focus on chosen family, while
Variety critic Courtney Howard dubbed the film a "super-powered sequel" with "a super
solid, super fun & super smart blend of hilarity, heart & heroics."
The film also includes several standout performances.
Discussing Film's Ben Rolph points to Helen Mirren, who plays Hespera.
Shahbaz of "The Movie Podcast" namechecked the actresses who play Kalypso and Anthea
as well, writing,
"[Lucy Liu], Helen Mirren & [Rachel Zegler] are a force to be reckoned with & a joy to watch."
ComicBook.com's Brandon Davis hints that the sequel leans into the realm of horror at times, writing,
"Sandberg sprinkles some horror elements while maintaining the childish joy & charm of the Shazamily."
Black Girl Nerds founder Jamie Broadnax adds,
"Shazam continues to lean into his silliness and immaturity in this sequel which tells
us this franchise will remain to keep these films funny, light and slapstick-ish."
Naturally, there's also been some criticism.
The most frequent critique will be no big surprise to dedicated Marvel Cinematic Universe
and DCEU viewers: the dreaded third-act curse.
Too often, superhero movies devolve into messy CGI battles that lose sight of the story and
according to some, the "Shazam!"
sequel is no exception.
Digital Spy's Gabriella Geisinger writes,
"Within ["Fury of the Gods"] is a fun buddy comedy starring Djimon Hounsou & Jack Dylan Grazer.
Unfortunately, you have to watch Shazam 2 to see it."
MTV's Tyrell Charles doubled down on that sentiment, adding:
"The third act drags way too long which got tiresome."
Nerd Reactor's John Nguyen landed on the positive end of the spectrum, dubbing the film "a fun-filled
adventure that's a solid follow-up to the first film," but also pointed to the packed
extended cast, adding,
"I wish the movie was longer since there are a lot of characters."
CinemaBlend's Eric Eisenberg sums it all up by landing somewhere in between.
He writes of "Fury of the Gods,"
"Not a game changing comic book movie, but it wins you over with its characters and energy."
DC Films co-head James Gunn was also one of the many to weigh in on the film, which he
called a "complete blast."
He added that "the whole crew killed it."