Directed By David F. Sandberg

Starring – Zachary Levi, Helen Mirren, Grace Caroline Currey

The Plot – Bestowed with the powers of the gods, Billy Batson (Asher Angel) and his fellow foster kids are still learning how to juggle teenage life with their adult superhero alter egos. When a vengeful trio of ancient gods arrive on Earth in search of the magic stolen from them long ago, Shazam (Levi) and his allies get thrust into a battle for their superpowers, their lives, and the fate of the world

Rated PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, and adult language

SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS – Official Trailer 2 – YouTube

POSITIVES

Sandberg doubles down here on the key ingredient of family dynamic that not only elevated the 2019 original among its DC predecessors, but also supplants to the sequel what is undoubtedly its most endearing angle. Now that these kids have lived together for two years and grown as a family, the unbreakable bond and seamless chemistry exudes itself in many key interactions that convey depth where heavy-handed characterization simply never could, and when coupled with the arrival of vilainous sisters, inscribes many uniquely compelling parallels and fascinating insights of the angles explored between them, providing a rich and pivotal emphasis to its importance within this particular world and corresponding characters that motivates their respective actions, solidifying humanity in characters who are otherwise blessed by extraordinary capabilities. The antagonists themselves are a solid addition to DC’s heavy hitters of legendary villains, especially since their ark was conceived entirely for the prominence of this particular installment, marrying Greek philosophies and creative magic in ways that practically emmanate from one another, leading to some truly gut-wrenching action sequences, that, like its aforementioned heart and humanity, is enhanced with a greater emphasis on scope and scale, this time around. While the artificial properties involved do become a little cluttered and convoluted in execution, the swift movements of the camera, bold blasts of devastation and crumbling ruins of Philadelphia landmarks reaches candidly to the enhanced budget that the film was given as a result of this original’s success, leading to the full-fledged realization of the universal stakes that until now has only been seen in the comics. As for the performances, Levi is once again a ball of whimsical energy and simple-minded vapidness as the titular protagonist, but for my money it’s Jack Dylan Grazier who left the longest lasting impact on my interpretation, radiating efforless charisma and empathatic vulnerability in being the exact opposite of his crime-fighting alter ego, with even some appeasing depth in dramatic details that prove him capable of captivating a screen when the stakes are at their highest. Mirren and Lucy Liu are also a refreshing breath as the antagonist sisters in question, committing themselves and their talents to their respective characters with a duo of performances that never feel wooden or phoned-in, like certain big name actresses embracing superheroes for the first time. Instead, their dynamic with one another painfully and accordingly recreates the ticks and nerves of a 600 year old relationship, as the kind that doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with regards to their motivations for world domination.

NEGATIVES

Where “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” ultimately whithers away its potential is in a few definining elements to the engagement that made this a frustrating and even occasionally boring successor to a film that was easily one of my favorites among the D.E.C.U. It starts with the screenplay, which is a cluttered and convoluted mess of violent tonal shifts, heavily-intentioned dialogue, and an overall struture that feels like it omits a second act from the proceedings, despite a bloated 130 minute run time telling us otherwise. The first act did invest me, especially since it depended more on the child side of these protagonists than their superhero capacities, but from there it feels like we’re thrust immediately into the side of final conflicts with our group of superheroes battling their sisterly oppressors, with the most detectable kind of twist in mid-movie reveals that rivaled last week’s “Scream VI” for most predictable plot point of the season. The developing characterization, which initially instilled some unique opportunities in combating what typical teenagers are faced with, is smothered whole by this overlong final conflict that is plagued by everything we’re familiar with in DC, with these horrendously conjured C.G beasts that feel literally plucked from any other DC property. To be fair, the C.G itself isn’t so bad in texture or even directed heft, but when balanced with lifelessly hollow green-screen work of the human characters in tow, emits a jarring artificiality that continuously took me out of the engagement, wiping away the humanity in the conflict that at least initially served as its driving force. From there, the humor is a major disappointment this time around, especially considering the imbalance of its domination over dramatic moments made it stand out all the worse, for all of the wrong reasons. As to where the first film contained with it an edgier side to expressive adolescence, here the material feels a bit too watered down and even childish for my own particular tastes, with only a couple of noteworthy instances conjuring brief effectiveness in the deliveries that I was otherwise sleeping through. Finally and perhaps most problematic to the integrity of the property, the film is burdened by the kind of identity crisis that sacrificed so much of what made the first film a welcome breath of fresh air to the oversaturated superhero landscape of cinema. Behind every corner is a superhero trope or cliche, that, like the aforementioned climax of the movie, feels plucked from other by-the-numbers property, leading not only to a bland kind of installment void of stakes or even accidental impact, but also one plagued by the kind of predictability that its predecessor spoofed cleverly, but here feels inclined to embrace by now being a part of the bigger universal picture.

OVERALL
“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” is purely a film for fans of the franchise whose only requirement is another two hours spent with the Shazamily, who most of the film’s heart and integrity rests entirely on. Unfortunately for them and the fans alike, the surrounding pieces are plagued with a convoluted and overtly cluttered screenplay that feels shallow at best, but lazy at worst, with flat humor, disappointing characterization and a forgettably saturated and C.G heavy final conflict void of stakes or impact to its budget-enhanced cinematic scope.

My Grade: 6/10 or C-