'Shazam! Fury of the Gods' Review Thread

Rotten Tomatoes: 60% (55 reviews)

Metacritic: 51/100 (22 critics)

As with other movies, the scores are set to change as time passes. Meanwhile, I'll post some short reviews on the movie. It's structured like this: quote first, source second.

This new Shazam film is cordial, with a puppyish good nature and an awareness of its own silliness. There are some nice lines here and Mirren, Liu and Djimon Hounsou (as the ancient wizard) have some fun with their roles – albeit while looking as if the subject of what they’re having for supper after the day’s shooting isn’t far from their minds. I have to say that we don’t entirely break free of the superhero-movie template, but Shazam two has a just-out-of-the-fridge orange juice taste that makes it likable.

• Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian: 3/5

While “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” doesn’t entirely recapture the giddy fun of the first film, its humor, sweetness, and delightfully human heroes remaining bright spots in a genre too often obsessed with the dark and the gritty.

• Kate Erbland, IndieWire: B-

Like some children who aren’t so cute anymore after they’ve grown up a little, this follow-up lacks much of the appeal of its predecessor. While the film provides the elaborate action set pieces, colorful villains and save-the-world plot mechanics expected of the comic book movie genre, some of the magic is missing.

• Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter

The film isn’t terrible, but it’s busy, formulaic and rather joyless. The “Shazam!” saga has been given an expensive haircut, but it’s lost a lot of its flavor in the process.

• Owen Gleiberman, Variety

A fun, kid-friendly follow-up to director David F. Sandberg’s 2019 charmer, “Fury” piles on the mythos, monsters and magic, a smidge too heavily at times, but stays grounded, thanks to its earnestly goofy main man.

• Brian Truitt, USA Today

Shazam!’s sequel, Fury of the Gods, has now been sent out, defenceless, into DC’s cinematic no man’s land...[Walter Hamada's] DCU could never decide whether it wanted to emulate Marvel or do the total opposite, so you’d get films embodying the very best (The Suicide Squad) and the very worst (Suicide Squad) of recent comic book fare. Fury of the Gods lands in the frustrating middle: a film that isn’t without promise, but feels far too messy and corporatised to have any real affection for.

• Clarisse Loughrey, Independent: 2/5

Despite the humor, the story didn’t grab me the way the first film’s did. With the exception of Freddy, who was the best. Shazam! Fury of the Gods is still entertaining enough and definitely isn’t stupid or badly cobbled together like Black Adam was.

• Kyle Anderson, Nerdist: 3/5

Between a sequence that feels like a direct Skittles commercial, and a pandering attempt to bring another hero into this film, Fury of the Gods will likely leave you rolling your eyes more than it’ll have you cheering or laughing.

• Ross Bonaime, Collider: C-

PLOT

Bestowed with the powers of the gods, Billy Batson 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 arrives on Earth in search of the magic stolen from them long ago, Shazam and his allies get thrust into a battle for their superpowers, their lives, and the fate of the world.

DIRECTOR

David F. Sandberg

WRITER

Henry Gayden, Chris Morgan

MUSIC

Christophe Beck

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Gyula Pados

EDITOR

Michel Aller

RELEASE DATE:

March 17, 2023 (United States)

STARRING

• Zachary Levi

• Asher Angel

• Adam Brody

• Jack Dylan Grazer

• Rachel Zegler

• Ross Butler

• Ian Chen

• Meagan Good

• Faithe Herman

• Grace Fulton

• D. J. Cotrona

• Jovan Armand

• Lucy Liu

• Djimon Hounsou

• Helen Mirren

Submitted March 16, 2023 at 08:23AM by MySockHurts https://ift.tt/H6WV8Zv