MOVIE REVIEW: Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods (2023)

I’m not sure if the mainstream critics and I saw the same movie, but I’ll have to assume we did for this review to work. I start with this line because I have been bombarded with bad press for Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods since I first saw the trailer in theaters. Sure the Eminem track was zhuzhed up for the trailer, but it fit a young man’s vibe — at least one that still listens to Eminem.

The Daughters of Atlas: (L-R): Kalisto (Lucy Liu), Hesperia (Helen Mirren), and Anthea (Rachel Zegler).

It’s mainly about the Greek gods — the power source for Shazam (Zachary Levi, “Chuck” [TV-NBC], Thor: the Dark World)— coming back for revenge against a literal man/child who wields the powers of their fallen brethren. The three goddess-daughters of Atlas (the Titan that holds up the planet and keeps it from falling into the black abyss of nothingness) have a plan: elemental mistress Hesperia (the legendary Helen Mirren, Excalibur [1981], The Cook, The Thief, The Wife and Her Lover), sower of chaos Kalypso (Lucy Liu, Kill Bill vol. 1, “Ally McBeal” [TV-FOX], “Elementary” [TV-CBS]), and young Anthea (newbie actress Rachel Zegler, West Side Story [2021]) will infiltrate the world of mortals and take back the Wizard’s broken staff, which was broken by Shazam (oops) in the last film to stop Dr. Sivana from using it. It was easy to find: stored in a Greek museum after being found in a New Jersey landfill. The staff was holding the barrier that locked the “Gods’ Realm” (aka Olympus) away, and now they want all the powers back to restore their fellows. They’ve already tortured the Wizard (Djimon Hounsou, Gladiator [2000], Constantine [2005], Amistad [1997]) — who’s supposed to be dead — to get him to repair it. And if they have to destroy mankind to restore the gods, they just might.

The actors portraying The Shazam Family (L-R): Adam Brody, Megan Good, Ross Butler, Zachary Levi, Grace Caroline Currey, and DC Cotrona.

Meanwhile, the members of the Shazam family (dubbed the “Philly Fiascos” by the news because giving children god-like super-powers is ALWAYS a bad idea and always goes badly) are trying to adjust to growing up: Mary (Grace Caroline Currey, Annabelle Creation) is trying to go to college, chunky Pedro (Jovan Armand, “The Middle” [TV-ABC]) is trying to come out of the closet, Freddie (Jack Dylan Grazer, IT Chapter Two, Luca) is trying to meet girls and his ‘pimp with a limp’ schtick isn’t cutting it, Eugene (Ian Chen, “Fresh Off the Boat” [TV-ABC]) has no character arc because he’s one of SIX protagonists, and Darla (Faithe Herman, “This is Us” [TV-NBC], Doe [2018]) is the focus of a corporate product placement effort in the movie for Skittles. Shazam’s alter-ego Billy (Asher Angel, “Andi Mack” [TV-Disney], “Darby and the Dead” [TV-Hulu]) is dealing with some unresolved abandonment issues flaring up because he’s about to age out of foster care and could end up homeless. It comes to no avail as his attempts to keep them all together under the same roof as a super-hero team constantly fail, since nobody wants to do super-hero team meetings.
All that changes when Freddie meets a cute girl at school named Ann and when the Wizard invades one of Billy’s pervy dreams about Wonder Woman. It becomes a very interesting adventure as we learn more about the features within the Rock of Eternity, fight dragons, meet unicorns, learn the true meaning of being a hero, and save Philadelphia with a big damn sacrifice.

Shazam calls a home run shot…in the opposite direction of the pitcher.

Somehow, some way, lots of people had a problem with this movie. I try not to be the guy that demands you turn your brain off at a popcorn flick or at a blockbuster, but I’ve been waiting for a sequel to this movie since the last one was a welcome change of pace from the Snyderverse and whatever David Ayer was doing with his Suicide Squad film. Its predecessor Shazam! was brightly colored and lamp-shaded what it would be like to be a teenager and suddenly be given god-like powers… in an incredibly PG format. This new one was not as optimistic in tone, but towards the end began to change tone to something different. It should be able to balance the light and the dark — they did it in the last film, why not this one? There’s SO much to like about Shazam 2, especially as it shows change and not one that leads back to the status quo.
I honestly don’t understand what these nay-sayers want, but so far I’ve been able to piece together one nagging idea: the people who give bad press only want the movie in their head — not the one they paid any amount of money to see. Here’s some ideas to ruminate on when you leave:

• While some fans want more dark, moody, and violent Snyder-Verse films, I say good; hope you get that movie soon. This movie isn’t it, so stop trying to degrade the film for being something it’s not.
• While some people want to punch Superman instead of their continuity-derived counterpart, they had to know that screws up the story — why would ANYONE screw up that much money to massage their own ego?

Looking at you, ya big galoot.

CHOICE CUTS (spoilers ahoy):

• CAMEO: the original Billy Batson, Michael Gray, from the 1970’s live-action “Shazam!” show by Filmation was present. Also, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman shows up. Not gonna turn her away tho’…
• Listening to Helen Mirren read a transcript of kids asking about red Gatorade was priceless; Lucy Liu playing it up with a fish-out-of-water response made it even funnier.
• The amount of D&D references in this film was nuts.
• Freddie’s stint as a sneak thief was amazing to watch as he pulled it off in a well-lit room.
• People thought this movie was bad? A movie where Meagan Good wears Spandex is a BAD movie? Okay player, whatevs.
• The experience for making the movie was so bad for director David F. Sandberg, he’s sworn off making super-hero movies.
• It was a pleasure to see Lucy Liu again; I miss that lady.
• PRODUCT PLACEMENT: Taste the rainbow. I hope Skittles paid a LOT of money for this foolishness.
• Shoutout to the actors portraying the super-heroic versions of the Shazam family — Ross Butler, Meagan Good, D.J. Cotrona, and Adam Brody — for doing the impossible!
• The Wizard looking fly AF! The massive beard and super-dreadlocks weren’t doing him any favors.
• Odd note when you realize the boys in the Shazam family like older women — Billy has a thing for Wonder Woman (who is roughly 900 years old in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, though Gal Gadot has said Wonder Woman is anywhere between 3,000 and 5,000 years old) and Freddie fell in love with Anthea (a goddess whom has stated she is 6,000 years old). Shades of Liu Kang’s infatuation with Princess Kitana (who was over 1,000 years old in the story of the 1995 Mortal Kombat movie).
• In trying to find out why Amanda Waller sent Agent Elizabeth Harcourt (Jennifer Holland, Zombie Strippers, House of the Dead 2: Dead Aim) and John Economos (Steve Agee, Super [2010], “The Sarah Silverman Program” [TV-Comedy Central]) from HBO Max’s “Peacemaker” to recruit Shazam, I came to a realization that since Henry Cavill is out at WB Discover for his shenanigans on the set of Netflix’s “The Witcher”, she might need to replace him with a suitable meta-human of equal power if she wants to take down Black Adam (as set up in the mid-credits scene of the Black Adam movie). Or it’s just a setup for a cross-over event unrelated to the situation at WB Discovery; I dunno.
• The unicorns looked crazy diesel; haven’t seen a mythical horse that big and black since Clash of the Titans (2012).
• Mister Mind (voiced by director David F. Sandberg, Lights Out) and Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong, John Carter, Kingsman: The Secret Service) both make a cameo at the end. The first time they did this at the end of Shazam!, I was excited to see Mister Mind because I expected it would resolve in the sequel. Given the shenanigans happening at WB Discover and all the bad press, I don’t know what’s gonna happen.
• I also cannot end this review without giving props to the two actors portraying the adoptive parents Rosa Vasquez (Marta Milans, Shame Stoyan) and Victor Vasquez (Cooper Andrews, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, “Aquaman: King of Atlantis” [TV Miniseries—HBOMax]).