Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Watching Shazam! Fury of the Gods feels a bit like attending a very expensive graduation party for a school that’s already been demolished. Released in 2023, it arrived just as the "DC Extended Universe" was being led behind the shed to be replaced by James Gunn’s new vision. It’s a film that exists in a strange, contemporary limbo—too big to be an indie darling, too "lame duck" to be a blockbuster event. I watched this on my laptop while eating a bowl of cereal that had gone slightly soggy, which, honestly, is the optimal way to consume mid-tier superhero cinema in the 2020s.

The "Dead Franchise" Energy

The first Shazam! was a breath of fresh air; it was Big with capes and lightning. By the time director David F. Sandberg (the guy who gave us Lights Out) got to the sequel, the landscape had shifted. We were deep into franchise fatigue. Zachary Levi returns as the adult superhero version of Billy Batson, and he’s leaning hard into the "puppy dog with a god’s physique" persona.

One of my biggest gripes—and I'll say it: Levi plays Billy like he’s had four espressos, while Asher Angel plays the teenage Billy like he’s on a mild sedative. The disconnect between the two performances has only widened here. It’s a recurring theme in contemporary sequels: everything is louder and faster, but the heart feels a little more digitized. However, the "Shazamily" remains the film's strongest asset. Seeing Adam Brody and Ross Butler suit up as the adult versions of the foster kids is a joy, even if the script struggles to give all six of them enough to do.

Stunts, Skittles, and CGI Chaos

As an action film, Fury of the Gods is a fascinating look at the modern "virtual production" era. While it doesn't rely as heavily on the LED "Volume" technology as some Disney+ shows, it definitely feels the weight of its $110 million budget. The set pieces are massive, specifically the bridge rescue early in the film set to Bonnie Tyler’s "Holding Out for a Hero." It’s classic action choreography—cars dangling, civilian rescues, and a lot of frantic shouting.

But then we get to the "Daughters of Atlas." Casting Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu as ancient goddesses is a stroke of genius, though the film doesn't quite know how to utilize their gravitas. The film’s climax is essentially a multi-million dollar commercial for Skittles, which is one of the most brazen examples of product placement I’ve seen since the 1990s. When Jack Dylan Grazer—who is still the MVP of this franchise as the fast-talking Freddy Freeman—starts using candy to tame a mythical beast, you realize this movie has completely abandoned the "grounded" superhero vibe for full-tilt Saturday morning cartoon energy.

The Cult of the Misunderstood Sequel

Despite its box office "flop" status, I suspect Fury of the Gods will find a second life as a cult oddity. There’s a specific kind of charm in a movie that knows the ship is sinking and decides to have a party anyway. There’s a lot of "behind-the-scenes" trivia that fuels this cult potential. For instance, did you know Helen Mirren actually broke her finger during a stunt and kept it a secret so she wouldn’t be replaced? That’s some old-school grit in a very new-school movie.

Also, look closely at the "Daughters of Atlas"—they aren't actually from the DC Comics. They were invented specifically for the film by screenwriters Chris Morgan (the Fast & Furious veteran) and Henry Gayden. This creative freedom allows for some weirdness, like a giant wooden dragon named Ladon that looks like it stepped out of a Dark Souls game. The film also features a cameo by Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman that was so heavily rumored on social media it practically lost its impact before the movie even opened—a classic symptom of modern "spoiler culture."

Ultimately, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a victim of its timing. It’s a perfectly serviceable, occasionally hilarious action flick that got caught in the crossfire of corporate restructuring and superhero saturation. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, and the CGI "gray goo" monsters in the third act are a bit of a slog, but there’s a sincerity to the foster-family dynamic that I can’t quite shake. If you can look past the aggressive Skittles marketing and the "end of an era" gloom, there’s a fun afternoon to be had here. Just don't expect it to change the world—or even the DC hierarchy.