DCEU’s man-child superhero returns
Directed by: David F. Sandberg
Written by: Henry Gayden & Chris Morgan
Starring: Zachary Levi, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu
Rated PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, and language
Release Date: March 17, 2023
Runtime: 2:10
This review may contain spoilers
The brighter DCEU
When the first Shazam! came out, it was the first to lighten up the super serious and dark tones of the DC Extended Universe, or DCEU (and no, the first Suicide Squad movie doesn’t count). Shazam! was fun and light-hearted (despite some messed-up deaths) and had some legitimately funny moments. AND IT HAD FRICKIN’ COLORS! Along with Aquaman, DCEU was starting to show a lighter change.
DCEU
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is the 12th film in the DCEU. While the DCEU has been going on since 2013’s Man of Steel, it’s looking like this may be the last year for this comic book movie universe. James Gunn is attempting a reshaping of DC movies, which the upcoming DCEU film The Flash should be starting.
Not-Captain Marvel returns
Shazam (Zachary Levi, NBC’s Chuck) is back, as Billy Batson (Asher Angel, Disney Channel’s Andi Mack) leads his foster family as a superhero team in Philadelphia (a city that doesn’t get many superheroes, really). While they try to save the city from normal disasters, the city doesn’t necessarily appreciate the uncoordinated super team’s tendencies to leave behind disasters (oops).
Meanwhile, somewhere else, the daughters of the titan Atlas, Hespera and Kalypso (Helen Mirren, The Queen, and Lucy Liu, Charlie’s Angels films, respectively), find the Shazam wizard’s broken staff in a museum and reclaim it. Forcing the still-alive wizard (Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond) to restore the staff, they now set their sights on conquering Earth.
And despite the DC world having a bunch of superheroes, Shazam and his “Shazam family” are the only ones to stop them.
Identity Crisis
What threw me off with the first Shazam was how both actors played Billy Batson differently. Angel and Levi played the character as complete opposites in emotion and personality. Angel’s child version of Batson is brooding and angry; Levi’s “adult” version is happy, excitable, and goofy as hell. Like somehow Billy having an adult body makes him relive his childhood.
Jeez, the kid’s not old enough to drink, and he’s already dealing with a midlife crisis. In the new one, Batson’s two versions are a little closer but still off-putting. Angel’s version is almost seventeen and has lightened up a lot since the first film. Levi’s version still acts like an overhyped 12-year-old about to go to Six Flags.
What’s in a Name?
A running gag is Batson never locked down his superhero name. In the first movie, he kept workshopping names – now everyone else is. Throughout the film, bystanders call him different things, like Captain Lightning or whatever.
Even Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer, IT) named himself Captain Everypower and tried to call Shazam Captain Everypower Jr.
He eventually goes with Shazam. That’s not really a spoiler since that’s what both films are called. But it’s going to be impossible for him to tell anyone who he is without getting struck by lightning every time. It would also be bad if you were trying to keep your secret identity a secret.
Maybe if he had superhero business cards…
S.H.A.Z.A.M.
There’s a joke in there about the breakdown of Shazam’s name (Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, Mercury), with someone making fun of Shazam showing off all of the different abilities except Solomon’s wisdom (for some reason, they use a biblical king to mix in with mythological gods; makes no sense).
Funny, but it does raise a weird question – why doesn’t Shazam have that wisdom? In his superhero form, Billy acts like a 12-year-old on a never-ending sugar high (when he’s actually 16 years old).
A lot more god villains in DC Comics than I thought…
The two superpowered big baddies this time are played by Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu. This is the first time Liu has appeared in anything Marvel or DC, which is shocking honestly. You’d think these kinds of movies would be right up her alley for a bad-ass, ass-kicking female.
Helen Mirren, on the other hand, was a surprise. Not just having her show up in the movie, but having her as the main villain, ready to lay waste to the human race (hey, unintentional rhyming).
It’s just surreal to me to watch Oscar-winner Helen Mirren battling superheroes with CGI magic after watching her in 1923 just a couple of months ago.
Shazam villains don’t mess around
Speaking of the villains, they commit some seriously messed-up deaths. The opening scene ends with Hespera and Kalypso turning museum guests into stone statues, including women and children. Messed up already, but then they break a few into pieces just for laughs.
Kalypso also can control people’s will, later ordering a poor teacher to walk right off Batson’s school roof, just for the hell of it.
Future for Shazam?
It was already announced that Henry Cavill won’t be reprising his iconic Superman role in Gunn’s new movie universe, and it’s up in the air if Gal Gadot and Dwayne Johnson will keep their roles. Ben Affleck has been on his way out from being Batman for a couple of years now, which might be explained in the upcoming Flash movie.
It’s unclear where Zachary Levi and everyone from the Shazam movies will end up after this change. Gunn seems interested in keeping Levi for his DC Universe, and both movies were produced by Peter Safron, so maybe there’s a chance.
Surprise cameo
Did you know Shazam! used to be a ‘70s TV show? Well, now you do.
On the show, Billy Batson was played by Michael Gray, who made a cameo appearance in the movie. I never saw the show, but I immediately noticed Gray’s red and yellow shirt, the same shirt his character wore on the show.
And then Gray calls Shazam Captain Marvel, adding to that running gag I mentioned earlier. Captain Marvel actually used to be Shazam’s original name, but then a certain comic book company trademarked the name.
And that’s the only cameo. Superhero cameo?? What superhero cameo? Definitely not any superheroes making surprise appearances. Appearances that the Warner Brothers spoiled already by showing them in trailers and TV spots. The WB would never ruin something like that for ticket sales.
What do you mean you can hear my heavy sarcasm?
“Taste the Rainbow, Motherfu…”
During the big final battle, Kalypso unleashes legions of mythological monsters (cyclops, manticores, minotaurs, harpies), and the Shazam family finds the one thing to stop them – unicorns.
I know this will sound weird, but these are the most badass unicorns I’ve ever seen. They’re all black with pale white eyes and gnarly fangs. They show up after the monsters are unleashed and tear through them in the streets of Philadelphia.
The bronies are gonna love this.
Seriously, No Black Adam?
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is more or less like the first one. It’s funny and a fun experience to kick back and enjoy. It doesn’t take itself too seriously with funny DC movie references. The difference between adult and child actors playing the same character is still there, and it still feels like two different characters. But it’s a little better this time around.
With The Flash movie coming soon, it’s hard to accept the outcome of this movie knowing that it could easily be erased for a new movie universe.
Two post-credit scenes, although that’s kinda the usual now with DC and Marvel movies. The first is showing certain members of the government hoping to recruit Shazam. Surprised they didn’t bring Dwayne Johnson back as Black Adam, since, you know, they’re arch-enemies, and both exist now in the DCEU. Plus, there’s a great Marvel reference tucked in there.
The second one teases the possible return of an old villain. Ohhhhh, I’d bet that would be good for a sequel if Shazam survives the DCEU purge.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is currently playing in theaters.
