MOVIE REVIEW | Shazam: Fury of the Gods

LifeIsXbox’s Shazam: Fury of the Gods Review | DC has always been that little brother you were forced to take with you when you went out to play. When it comes to the DC universe and its movies, they can be very hit or miss. Marvel has always been the poster child for superhero movies, and honestly, their 2023 lineup so far has been pretty good, with more coming along the way. However, a recent shake-up at DC Studios has ensured that the current and future lineup of DC movies has a shot of stealing the limelight. We now have James Gunn, head of DC Studios and director of many new and upcoming DC movies, and it all starts with Shazam: Fury of the Gods.

If you are unfamiliar with the first one, Shazam is a comedy-action film that centers around an orphan who is given magical powers by a Wizard when he runs off and finds the Wizard’s lair. Billy is given his powers by speaking the magical words “Shazam” and then struck by lightning, allowing him to turn into a super-human being and become the new champion. The film stars Zachary Levi, Rachel Zegler, Gal Gaddot, Lucy Lieu, Helen Mirren, Asher Angel, and Jack Dylan Grazer in the leading roles.

Shazam: Fury of the Gods is directed by David F. Sandberg, and published by Warner Bros Studios.
Shazam: Fury of the Gods is still playing in select Cinemas near you and is available to buy and rent on April 7th.

What We Liked!

• Special effects | Say what you want about the recent online drama at Marvel Studios for its subpar special effects. Shazam: Fury of the Gods has some great special effects that look absolutely stunning on the big screen. Since the movie contains a lot of mythical creatures such as Unicorns, Gargoyles, Demi-Gorgons, and Dragons, it seems only right that one of the film’s biggest focuses is the special effects. Lucy Lieu spends most of her time on top of a giant wooden Dragon (I know) and is the focus of the epic fight towards the end of the movie. All this being said, there were no points in the movie that I wasn’t put off by the number of effects in use. Every aspect was clean and looked great.

• The cast | The casting in Shazam: Fury of the Gods is perfect. It was great to see Helen Mirren step out of her usual roles and into something like this, where not only is she playing one of the villains, but plays it well. Lucy Lieu does a fantastic job at being her sister, and counterpart villain when they try to resurrect their father’s powers and bring back the reign of destruction that was Atlas. Zachary Levi who plays adult Shazam continues his iconic comedic take on the character and brings a level of humor that is seemingly lost in most superhero movies. I think it plays into his character well since at heart he is still a kid, just transformed. Surprisingly, Gal Gaddot makes more than one appearance in the movie as Wonderwoman, but in a few of the earlier scenes they specifically make the viewer believe she is not played by her when really she is. Without giving off too many spoilers, Gal Gaddot has probably one of the most important scenes in the movie. So for me, this was a clear win, since it seems DC is taking a page out of Marvel’s book and ensuring continuity across their timelines. Finally, it only seems fair to mention the other 6 brothers and sisters who play the remaining Shazam siblings. Their chemistry on screen is great both in adult superhero form, and child form. They really sell the belief they are family.

• Actually funny | As an Action-Comedy movie, it is important that they have that child-like humor throughout the movie. Remember, Shazam is still a kid at heart and it wouldn’t be the same if they acted like adults fighting crime the whole time. The kids (even in adult form) when in front of their parents won’t swear and if they go to, they quickly either make up a word or change it into something else entirely. The snarky childish comments they make to the villains also seem funny to me since hearing them come from an adult’s mouth, just seems straight-up bizarre. It’s fun though and the movie does a good job of remembering its roots and plays into the character’s strengths. The Shazam lair is basically a kid’s room with the prison they have built for bad guys simply called a “Time out room”. There are arcade machines, junk food, and huge TVs, the complete opposite of what actual superheroes have.

• After credit references | As per all superhero movies, Shazam: Fury of the Gods is no different. After the movie has ended we are presented with two after-credit scenes that help set up the movie for either its next installment or a glimpse of what is coming in the next movie or series from DC, that fits within that universe. While I won’t go into details as you do need to witness these for yourself, just know that as far as after-credit scenes go, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, has some of the best after-credit scenes that give people who are familiar with the backstory and lore of Shazam, enough to hang onto. Especially if you are a fan of Peacemaker.

• Wonder Woman | As I alluded to earlier, Gal Gaddot reprises her role as Wonderwoman. Despite having a very small role, it is very significant and has one of the most important scenes in the movie. It’s great to see DC taking these new movies seriously and ensuring continuity across stories and the universe, as this was one of the weaker points of DC cinema in previous years.

• The music | As you can imagine, as with every superhero movie, there is a level of music and audio that is just unparalleled compared to other movies. The music is epic during all of the fighting, uplifting during the heartfelt scenes of love, loss, and compassion, and upbeat and jolly during its comedic timing. The whole thing is tied together nicely, even the sound effects.

Mixed Feelings

• The Villains | With every superhero movie there needs to be a decent villain. In Shazam, we had Mark Strong, who was both powerful and someone to be feared. In Shazam: Fury of the Gods, we have 3 sisters, 2 of which want to restore their father’s powers and take back years of being left in the shadows. The issue here is that none of the sisters get along creating a power rift between them all, and one of them straight up falls in love with a Shazam sibling. The remaining two sisters fight, argue and before the end of the movie straight up try to kill each other. I won’t say more than this, as you will need to see the outcome for yourself, but as you can imagine, it doesn’t make for a very challenging opponent for Shazam and his siblings. A little more planning and direction from the sisters would have ensured a more challenging fight I think overall.

• The Plot | The opening of the movie is a little confusing, and the plot of the movie is a little hard to follow, and it’s greatest tie to the previous movie is from one small scene that we can all agree we forgot about, let’s be honest. The Wizard’s staff which gave Billy his powers to become Shazam is taken from a museum by the sisters, and this is what grants them their powers back, but it is how it got there that made laugh and the stupidity of it all, and it is only referenced to how absurd it is during its final act, and quite honestly, this whole situation could have been avoided had Shazam not been so idiotic with his over-confidence in the first movie.

What we Disliked

• Nothing | There was nothing I disliked about Shazam: Fury of the Gods. It was well-paced, funny, and generally well-acted.

You’ll love this if you liked: Shazam, Black Adam, and The Justice League

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