Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)

The Shazam! films hold a special place in my heart as their focus on chosen family always hits me right in the feels. Fury of the Gods has the overarching family plot line, but it is a subtle thread running through between Billy and his adoptive mother that just wrecked me. So many movies fuck up adoption narratives and it touches me the way the Shazam! films get it oh so right. 

This sequel leans even more into the silly than the first one did, focusing on the strengths of its cast especially Levi and Grazer (but also Mirren TBH) but often the film felt like it was dipping into self-parody a bit. Also the story itself is rather rote. In many ways Fury of the Gods feels like a tribute to 80s/90s family adventure B-movies and looking at it that way I could appreciate the campier elements. Overall though my tastes lean to a more serious aesthetic. 

But I kept coming back to how much I like the way the film unabashedly embraces its exploration of family. I will admit I was teary eyed through multiple parts. 

Finally I appreciated that one of the few cameos was not simply fan service but actually served the plot. The ending felt a bit over the top for me but the connection brought in by the guest appearance actually made it work more for me that it might have otherwise. 

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Starring: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, Djimon Hounsou, Grace Caroline Currey, Marta Milans, Cooper Andrews, Adam Brody, Michael Gray, Gal Gadot, Mark Strong, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee 

Director: David F Sandberg

Writers: Henry Gayden, Chris Morgan