04/30/2023
I know, this review should have been out sooner. But things are still hectic around here after the remodel.
Shazam!: Fury of the Gods is still an entertaining movie. It's not the greatest superhero movie, nor, in many ways, was it as good as the first movie. But it stands in its own right.
The main plot is three goddesses, the Daughters of Atlas, seek to restore their full powers and take back what was stolen from their father and other gods. I say this is the main plot, because the subplot is much more subtle and grander: finding and keeping family. I'll get into that more in a bit.
The Shazam movies are set up as more light-hearted movies. Yes, they have major fights and heavy hitting villains, but that's well mixed with humor. The first movie had a better balance than this movie. But I think, based on comments I've heard before seeing the movie, the humor was mistaken as overused. The trailers overplayed "I'm a kid" joke, but I've long since learned trailers are meant to grab attention, but not tell the story.
In terms of the main plot, it's the standard fare of the villain(s) are introduced, the heroes find out their uniquely qualified to handle the problem, the oposing sides meet/clash, the villains get the upper hand, the heroes triumph. Fury of the Gods handles that formula well. It also adds the dynamic of the villains aren't united in their cause. And I think that actually adds to the story and the subplot.
The Daughters of Atlas agree that magic and the gods should be restored. They have the key to that with their first act: the Wizard's staff. They also seek the next key, the Golden Apple to replant the Tree of Life. Of course, they get it, after an encounter with Shazam and his family. But here is where the untied front falls apart. The eldest and youngest sister simply want the return of the gods, specifically Atlas. The middle daughter, however, wants to rule humans.
With the Golden Apple in hand, the middle sister, Kalypso, plants it on Earth, where it spawns the monsters of legend. If it was planted in the gods' realm, it would have spawned appropriate creatures. This development both the action and humor pick up.
This is also the point where the subplot makes its biggest impact. As the movie approaches the climatic battle, Billy Batson finally understands, and more importantly, accepts he has a family. The first movie had him looking for his birth mother, yet keeping his distance from all but Freddy Freeman. In Fury of the Gods, he is trying to keep his foster family together, especially with Mary looking to leave for college and has already aged out of the foster system. It's also in the lead up to the final battle that Billy acknowledges his foster parents as his parents. It's this change that has brought the family closer, and made them stronger, despite Billy's need to keep the siblings together of all of his (mis)adventures.
All in all, I'd say Fury of the Gods handles both aspects well. It could have been better, but it got the job done. And it did it in a way the audience I was in seemed to enjoy. I do feel Freddy, as a character, was more central to the movie than Shazam or Billy. But I do think they balanced the number of main characters well. Better than many of the superhero movies.
Now for the fun parts of the movie. Some of these are obvious to fans of comics and the Shazam family specifically. I loved the reference to Talky Tawny. For those who don't know, Tawny is a mentor/companion to the Shazam Family and is most often portrayed as a bipedal, talking tiger. Here, it's a tiger striped kitten "rescued" during a collapsing bridge in Act 1.
The next fun element was the gag set up in Act 1 referencing unicorns helping knights in a historical battle. Since it involved the youngest family member, it could have easily been a throw away line, but it sets up two jokes. The first, obviously, is unicorns are real and the tag line for Skittles: Taste the Rainbow. The skittles were also set up in multiple places throughout the film.
I also apprecitated the cameo of the actor who played Billy Batson in the 1970's TV series. I didn't fully recognize him, or his reference, until about two hours after the movie was over. It was well done and appreciated.
One of the running gags throughout the movie was "What's my superhero name?" Even I brushed it aside until the just after the film ended. The gag is a multipart gag. The first, Shazam's real character name is Captain Marvel. Through a series of legal missteps, DC lost the ability to refer to refer to Shazam as Captain Marvel. To add to the joke, Freddy Freeman was the original Captain Marvel Jr. and couldn't say his hero's name without changing. Shazam is also the long time name of the Wizard, not just the acronym of the gods and heroes that make up Shazam's name.
I, like many others, was disappointed in the lack of follow up with Mr. Mind and Dr. Silvana, from the first movie. At the same time, I don't remember enough of Shazam's rogue's gallery to say who could be a more compelling villain or threat. Black Adam is, perhaps, the best candidate for a power for power rival. But I don't think that would work too well. Black Adam is a better foil for the Justice Society, with or without Shazam. At the same time, hinting at something bigger, with more villains, is a good tease. But the payoff has to be evident, even if it is more than "My plan is coming along nicely. Be patient."
Finally, some people griped about the Wonder Woman cameo. While I didn't expect them to follow through from the initial tease, I did appreciate it as more completely rooting Shazam into the DC Universe. I'm sldo curious about Amanda Waller's role in the DC Universe. I think her character, if done well, is a more compelling villain/foil than Lex Luthor. At least the Lex Luthor of Dawn of Justice.
If you get a chance to see Shazam! Fury of the Gods in the theater, do so. If not, it's definitely worth the watch at home. It is, first and foremost, entertaining. That's more than I can say for a lot of recent movies.
