As much as DC Comics-based movies may be in a bit of limbo since James Gunn took over the film and TV division, starting with news that Henry Cavil will not be returning as Superman despite any promises implied by Black Adam. There are a few DC movies coming out this year, and how much or how little those movies will “count” going forward remains to be seen. However, I suppose a case could be made for Zachary Levi’s Shazam character. He’s been largely set off by himself, and if his new second movie does particularly well, he’ll probably still be around for another installment. That may hold true for The Flash and Aquaman as well, but that all remains to be seen.
I’m no big Snyderverse adherent or anything, so I’m more curious than anything else, but in the meantime, Shazam returns to deal with the Fury of the Gods.
Shazam (Zachary Levi) is the adult alter ego of Billy Batson (Asher Angel), selected champion of the wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou). The wizard appeared to die after passing his power onto Billy, and Billy in turn used it to give similar powers to the other foster kids in his impromptu family. However, there’s a problem. The Daughters of Atlas have returned. These three goddesses had their power initially stripped from them and their father by the wizard and his mortal compatriots. Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Kalpso (Luy Liu) both seem mad and want to perhaps punish the wizard’s champion for daring to even use the powers of the gods, but as for the third sister…well, the movie plays her like a surprise unless you paid attention to the trailers, so I can play along for now.
Regardless, Billy has some problems of his own. He doubts himself and finds the rest of the family are not quite the team that he wants them to be. Sister Mary (Grace Caroline Currey in both human and hero forms) was the oldest anyway and wants something of an adult life while brother Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer in kid form and Adam Brody in hero form) is looking to go be more of a solo act under the name “Captain Everypower”. Collectively, the kids seem inclined to mess up as much as anything, leading to the media’s dubbing of them as the “Philly Fiascoes”. This is hardly the bunch that could take on some angry goddesses, particularly as they seem to have the ability to steal power back from the kids. Can Billy and the others get their act together and figure things out before the goddess make a mess of the mortal world?
In many ways, this movie is pretty much the same as the first one. It’s more kid friendly (despite having something of a body count) with a lot of decent comedy. Levi makes for a goofy hero, one who is clearly more of a clown than anything else. Both he and Angel have good screen chemistry with Grazer, and the script does a good job of establishing personalities for all the kids. It works as a continuation while retaining the spirit and feel of the first movie, and it’s not every film that shows Helen Mirren getting bodyslammed. As it is, the three Daughters of Atlas (original characters as it turns out), the three all have very different motivations and goals, and that actually helps.
That said, the movie is far from perfect. Both Levi and Angel give good performances as “Shazam” and Billy, but they don’t quite seem like the same character. Billy is far more mature in temperament than his superhero alter ego, a character that somehow seems less intelligent than his other self. And yeah, this one does sometimes get a bit violent for a more kid-friendly superhero film. But overall, like the first one, I liked it without quite loving it. I wouldn’t say no to seeing a third should DC/WB/James Gunn opt to make one, but I don’t think I’d be too upset if the Shazam saga ended right here. True, like every superhero movie it has its post-credits scene promising more, but given what’s going on at DC, it’s anybody’s guess if those scenes will ever amount to anything.
Grade: B-
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