I don't get the ill will towards this. Much like the bad rep that Ant-Man: Quantumania has been getting, it confuses me. Sure, neither film is perfect, neither is a work of art and neither is even the best of the kind of superhero film their studios offer. But so what? Not every film is going to be the greatest ever. Both these films are good, silly fun - brightly coloured entertainment. When did that stop being enough? When did we become so joyless about these films?
Shazam! was a surprise hit for DC, Warner Bros. and New Line, bringing the original Captain Marvel - sorry, he's Shazam nowadays - to the big screen for the first time since 1941. Doing the film as essentially a superhero version of BIG was an ingenious move, and most importantly, writer Henry Grayden and director David F. Sandberg remembered that this is basically a kids' movie.
Fury of the Gods has the difficult job of following this success, and was hit hard by the Covid lockdowns, delaying production by almost four years. The main kid actors are already in danger of ageing out of their parts, something that's referenced in the story, but it's not as if we're not used to young actors playing even younger characters. Fear of growing up is a major theme of the film, albeit not one that's entirely resolved.
The film makes a few odd choices. Asher Angel is unfairly sidelined as the "proper" Billy Batson, with very little screentime in which to make an impression. When he does appear, he gives a more mature performance than Zachary Levi, who's clearly having an absolute blast but sometimes goes a little too broad. Fortunately, the creators realised that Jack Dylan Grazer's performance as Freddie Freeman was the best thing about the first film, and make him a major focus of the film (his alter ego, Adam Brody, is hardly in it, and while he's also entertaining in his role, he's not really missed).
Grace Caroline Currey gets some good material as Mary, but again, she really deserves some more of the screentime. In an interesting choice, she doesn't have to hand over to another actor for her Mary Marvel phase - reflecting that her character is now an adult. Jovan Armand is just a treasure as Pedro; D.J. Cotrono is fun as his alter ego, but doesn't really come across as a version of the same character (to be honest, also a problem with Billy sometimes). Ian Chen and Ross Butler are both somewhat overlooked as Eugene, but fortunately Faithe Herman and Meagan Good are absolutely perfect and adorable as the younger and older versions of Darla.
There's some lovely material with the kids going on adventures as chaotic, semi-competent superheroes, while trying to keep it from their foster parents. Not making this into a farcical TV series is a missed opportunity. (Although, vaguely finding the superheroes familiar doesn't really work for Mary, now she looks identical in both guises.) Djimon Hounsou is brought back as the suspiciously not dead wizard Shazam, getting some much better material this time round and showing some real charm and comedy instincts, especially when paired up with Freddie.
While it's still focused on comedy, there's some pretty intense and occasionally gruesome material here too, although the tone isn't as balanced as in the first film. I thoroughly enjoyed the reliance on Greek mythology in this story - one of my first obsessions. Yes, it plays a little fast and loose with the mythical genealogy when it comes to the Daughters of Atlas, but then, it's not as if the Greeks kept their mythical canon consistent over the centuries. Helen Mirren makes a convincing action film villain in spite of being in her eighth decade, and as always brings a touch of class to the whole affair. Lucy Liu brings an icy cruelty to the role of Kalypso, the younger sister to Mirren's Hespera. As Anthea, the youngest of the three (but still six thousand odd), Rachel Zegler gives a mixed performance. As everyday Anne, seemingly human teen, she's excellent, tremendously likeable and sharing great chemistry with Grazer. She's not so good when openly playing the goddess; she lacks the presence required, and struggles with the cod-Shakespearean dialogue that Mirren and Liu can roll off effortlessly.
The over-the-top climactic act is tremendous, with, I was overjoyed to see, monsters a-plenty. I actually cheered when the manticore appeared, and then we got harpies, minotaurs and a very Harryhausen-inspired Cyclops. Already we had the dragon Ladon, an archaic bit of mythology reworked with a fabulous and unsettling design. The Shazam! series has the best monster designs in superhero cinema. There are real punch-the-air moments (that cameo was lovely, really) but there are, admittedly, shockingly poor moments as well (the Skittles product placement is painful). Overall, though, the good stuff wins out.
Ultimately, while it doesn't balance heart, humour and horror as well as the first Shazam! the sequel is a brisk, entertaining and heartwarming action flick that makes for a cracking family film. The series deserves a third instalment, to allow Billy and Freddie the chance to truly grow up into their roles as heroes. And, just as importantly, I want the Monster Society of Evil team-up the post-credits scenes keep promising us (minus Black Adam, of course, as Dwayne Johnson will doubtless veto that).
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