Shazam! Fury of the Gods is viewed as a box-office bomb because of its poor box-office performance; however, I feel it was more a victim of circumstance over actually being a movie that audiences didn’t want to see. The truth is that Shazam! Fury of the Gods never really had a chance with it being the first of the remaining “old guard” DCEU films to hit theaters after James Gunn took over and announced that the DC film universe would be starting over in 2025. While Gunn stated that Shazam had been doing his own thing and was somewhat separated from the more interconnected films involving Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman, his position in the new DCEU moving forward was still unknown.
That uncertainty, plus the fact that Shazam isn’t as popular as Batman or the likes, was enough to keep audiences away. It’s hard to blame them, as the rebooting of the DCEU without instant confirmation that Shazam would ever return took the wind out of the sails of the sequel before it even released. It’s unfortunate that happened, as Fury of the Gods is an entertaining, funny, action-packed movie that continues to focus on family and learning responsibility, much like the first film did. Honestly, if the character doesn’t continue on and this is how the Shazam cinematic story ends, then kudos to all involved because it works.
We pick up roughly four years after the first film, with Billy Batson (Asher Angel) about to age out of the foster system, which strikes up fears of being left alone once again as his family begin to do their own things. This is why he’s got a rule when it comes to their working as a superhero team, and that is “all or none.” Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer) is eager to go out and fight crime on his own, while Mary (Grace Caroline Currey) wants to keep studying and shows some regret for not going away to college. Yes, everyone in the Shazamily loves to save the day, but have growing interests elsewhere, much to the chagrin of Billy, who feels like he’s the only one trying to keep everything together.
Cue the villains of the film, the daughters of Atlas, who showcase their powers in the open moments of the film when they lay wreckage to a museum full of innocents in Greece, where the broken staff the wizard gave Billy in the first film is on display. We’ve got Lucy Lui and Helen Mirren in the roles of two of Atlas’s daughters, Kalypso and Hespera, respectively, and they unsurprisingly deliver the menacing goods. Rachel Zelger also joins the cast as Anthea, a romantic interest for Freddy, and Djimon Hounsou returns as the Wizard as well, who also gets a lot of great screentime with Freddy. In fact, out of all the kids from the first film, Grazer gets the most screentime out of superhero mode this time around, which is fantastic because his chemistry with everyone the first time around was magnificent, so I was all in for another round of that.
The story itself sees the daughters of Atlas wanting revenge on the Wizard and the Champions of Earth for stealing the powers of the gods and all but destroying the God’s realm by blocking it off from magic. With the Wizard’s staff rebuilt they can now take away the powers granted to the Shazamily, so there’s a lot more risk involved for our heroes this time around. Oh, and there’s a dragon, which is always awesome. As a whole, the movie itself is a blast, and the reasoning for that is once again the chemistry between the cast.
Zachary Levi is superb as Shazam, a superhero with powers that can rival Superman, but who is truly a teenager underneath it all. Levi delivers that innocence at every turn, both comedically and emotionally, and it’s always fun to watch. Angel does show up as Billy a number of times, and each time he showcases the emotion often required of the scene in question, but Levi’s Shazam is at the forefront of this adventure a lot more this time around. While all the Shazamily actors are great for their own reasons, I love Meagan Good as Superhero Darla. Much like Levi, Good is able to channel the even younger mindset of her character, Darla (Faithe Herman), to perfection.
Honestly, after the poor box-office showing I don’t see how another independent Shazam film gets the green light – at least with this current cast. With all the work ahead in regards to building the new DCEU, and that universe not really kickstarting until Superman Legacy two years from now, it’d be at least 2026, maybe 2027 before Shazam could even fit back into the docket? By then you’re either jumping ahead four years once again in terms of story, or looking for a new cast, so it’s likely best to keep expectations to a minimum if you’re a fan. That being said, there is a post-credit scene in Fury of the Gods which does open the door to Gunn’s upcoming universe for Shazam, but it’s more likely to see him as a member of a group that leaves the rest of the Shazam crew behind if it were to happen. The natural banter between the Shazamily and what they each bring to the films is what makes these two movies work so well, so it’d be unfortunate if the only future Shazam has in this universe is away from them all.
While the cinematic future of Shazam is still up in the air that doesn’t mean you should skip out on Fury of the Gods. I understand that the likely reasoning of many is that you think it doesn’t matter anymore in regards to the bigger picture in the upcoming DCEU, so why bother? But while the two films can fit into this new universe if that’s what’s decided upon, even if they decide to pull the plug on this franchise and don’t go any further, Shazam! and Shazam! Fury of the Gods work on their own, telling a highly entertaining, overarching story about finding your place in the world, and keeping your heart open to love, acceptance, and the belief that you’re worthy of happiness.
Overall Movie Score: 4/5
4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review
Shazam! Fury of the Gods looks magnificent in all its 2160p/Dolby Vision glory. There’s plenty of CGI used throughout the film, especially during the intense battle scenes, yet everything blends into the world beautifully, and as naturally as one can hope a giant, fear-mongering dragon could. The colours are vibrant in a few instances, but do often go the more natural route. There are a few dark scenes with rich blacks that help immerse the viewer, with no signs of muddying anywhere. The details on the outfits wonderful, especially when magical fire burns Shazam’s suit at one point.
On the audio side of things we’ve got an excellent Dolby Atmos mix that brings the film to life in wonderfully surrounding fashion. From the lightning blasts, to the monsters tearing apart the city, noises come at you from all angles and it sounds fantastic. The soundtrack and score also blast through beautifully, and the dialogue remains clean and clear amongst everything.
Special Features:
The 4K disc only has the audio commentary track on it, so for those looking for the rest of the special features you’ll have to load up the Blu-ray disc to watch them.
Audio Commentary – Here we’ve got director David F. Sandberg just doling out information in regards to all aspects of the movie. We’ve got set design, Easter eggs, changes made while filming, casting the new roles for the film…there’s just loads here, so fans of the movie – or commentaries in general – will enjoy what Sandberg has to offer here.
Shazam! Let’s Make a Sequel – For a movie that didn’t do great at the box-office, they certainly didn’t just toss it out for purchase in bare bones fashion. We get a 25-minute behind-the-scenes feature here that sees a lot of the cast and crew talk about working on the film, the fun had during production, and the great time clearly making this feature. It’s just a fun feature that should be checked out by all fans of the movie.
The Rock of Eternity: Decked Out – Here we’ve got a featurette that’s just under 6-minutes in length and touches on the modernizing of the team’s lair. It’s awesome, and I loved how they did it, as all they wanted in the first film was a lair and instead of keeping it a dark cave they all truly made it their own.
The Zac Effect – Here we’ve got a featurette just over 4-minutes long which is just a Levi showcase, and how much he’s loved on set.
Sisterhood of Villains – This is an 8-minute featurette that focuses on the villains in the film. While we do get a chunk of moments already shown in the previous, hefty feature, this one still has its own merits to stand on that make it worth watching.
Shazam! Scene Deconstruction – Here we’ve got a 10-minute feature that’s hosted by Sandberg and showcases five major scenes from the film in such detail that you’d wish each scene covered lasted 10-minutes.
Mythology of Shazam! Fury of the Gods – This is a 5-minute featurette with Sandberg explaining his reasons for going the Greek mythological route, over using characters already known from the comics.
Shazamily Reunion – This is another 5-minute featurette that sees Sandberg and the entire Shazamily talk about coming back to work on the sequel. It’s short, but sweet and a fun watch.
Deleted Scenes – If you love deleted scenes, then you’ll adore what’s offered here, as we’ve got 31-minutes of deleted scenes for you to enjoy. I personally find that it’s rare to watch these and say, “That should’ve made the cut!” and it’s no different here.
Disclaimer: A review copy of this Blu-ray was sent to me to cover in honest and truthful fashion.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Directed by: David F. Sandberg. Written by: Henry Gayden, Chris Morgan, Bill Parker. Starring: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler, Grace Caroline Currey, Lucy Lui, Helen Mirren, Djimon Hounsou, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, D.J. Cotrona, Meagan Good, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Cooper Andrews, Marta Milans. Running time: 130 Minutes. Rating: PG. Released on 4K Blu-ray: May 23, 2023.
