By Tyler Onna
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a follow-up that unfortunately loses the charm of its predecessor and instead seeks to make a very generic superhero movie that does nothing new to stand on its own, making for a disappointing entry into the DCEU.
2019’s Shazam! was a surprise to everyone. It was a movie that no one anticipated but most enjoyed it. However, with the announcement of this version of the DC universe coming to a close, many fans became distant from this entry into this universe. The poor marketing for this movie did the movie no favors either, with the studio blatantly spoiling key moments of the ending in the final trailer and spoiling a major cameo seven days before the movie was released in theaters.
The movie itself is a movie that feels so familiar at times. The returning cast all do a good job, with Jack Dylan Grazer being a surprise standout. David F. Sandberg did a good job behind the camera, and when the movie wants to get big and grand, it delivers some very interesting creatures, even if they’re all the same bland gray color. The two villains we get here are very one note which is a shame to say considering the actresses portraying them. Nothing about them is unique or interesting. And that’s really the perfect way to describe this movie. Nothing about the film stands out in a good way.
The third act’s climax is fun, but it’s hard to care about anything when everything that came before was mediocre. Some of the humor is good in the movie, and some are very eye-rolling, including a Skittles commercial, believe it or not. Announcing that a new DC universe was coming before this movie was released did the film no favors, as people are still questioning this franchise’s future. Nobody knows if this movie will even matter, and the two post-credit scenes did not help that, as they caused more confusion than anything in the movie.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods has a few standout moments, but at the end of the day, it will be a movie that comes and goes from this universe. Nobody will be talking about this movie by the time James Gunn brings his universe to light, and that’s sad considering all of the talents in front of and behind the camera.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is now playing in theaters and out digitally.
Score: 2.5/5 Stars
