Certificate – 12
Directed By – David F. Sandberg
Starring – Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, Rachel Zegler, Djimon Hounsou, Grace Caroline Currey, Marta Milans, Adam Brody, Meagan Good, Ross Bulter, D.J. Cotrona, Ian Chen, Faithe Herman, Jovan Armand, Cooper Andrews.
Running Time – 130 Minutes (2 Hours 10 Minutes)
I was one of the few people that actually saw Shazam! Fury of the Gods at the cinema (through the screening, had two blackouts during the third act). Now watching it at home on Blu-ray reminds me how much joyful fun this movie is, and it’s such a shame it never got the love it deserved originally. Hopefully, that’ll change with the home entertainment release.
Fury of the Gods picks up two years from where the 2019 original left us with Billy Batson (Angel) and his superhero alter-ego Shazam! – alongside his foster family – learning the powers and responsibility of being a hero with a teenage life. However, the daughters of Atlas want revenge on the world and retrieve the magic stolen from them, and it’s down to Billy and his family to save the world.
As I mentioned above, it is a shame this movie never got the love I felt it deserved, as it was a great time at the cinema and a lovely film to watch.
The main reason for my enjoyment is Grazer’s performance and chemistry with Zegler. I hope they work together again soon because I smile whenever they are on screen, even until the final moments when Freddy sees someone and just gets stared at by Anthea.
Another shining light was Currey as Mary. I enjoyed hungover Ms Marvel, and I’m so glad she or Sandberg brought that into the character because I think it will be a cosplay favourite. Additionally, the story focuses on Billy turning 18 and worried about his future and, like all older siblings, becomes a mentor to help her younger brother.
It’s a shame we never got that anxiety with Levi, as I don’t know if the idea was whenever Batson transformed into Shazam! he would forget his real-life issues. I wish Levi brought more maturity to the role as I don’t see an 18 doing the same things as if Billy was still 15/16, and it felt like the script just kept the character an over-the-top cartoon.
It is a shame because the best scene in the film is the heart-to-heart between Milans’ Rosa and Angel.
Sandberg is one of my favourite directors working today as he’s able to balance the tone so perfectly from the humour to the creature horror. Similar to the original, it’s a superhero film with the sensibilities of an 80s/90s movie from John Hughes or early Steven Spielberg.
The moment I laughed out loud was Faithe Herman doing an advert for Skittles.
As for Mirren and Liu, they looked like they were cruising throughout the whole film because of their talents, and they loved every minute of playing the villains. This helped Zegler as the young upcomer raised her game and matched the two acting royalties when they were all together.
The one major issue I had was a scene involving a character being controlled to walk off a building. I know why they did it to show the audience how evil Liu’s character could be. However, as someone who has had those similar thoughts, including suicide in this sort of movie just didn’t sit right with me.
Does The Blu-Ray Have Bonus Features?
Thankfully, Warner Bros have stuffed the Blu-ray with plenty of bonus features, including Sandberg commentary and 90 minutes of featurettes with deleted and extended scenes.
Verdict
I love this movie, and I won’t be surprised if it becomes one of the flicks I turn to when I’m in a low mood. Despite some issues with Levi and the moment I mentioned, it was a joy whenever Grazer, Zegler, and Currey were on screen.
The Bear Cave 