Rating: 5/10 | Verdict: Skippable Sequel

Hello everyone! Sorry for the long hiatus during the height of summer movie season! I ended up having a VERY busy summer. Now that things have settled down a bit, I intend to jump right back in with a marathon of reviews sharing my thoughts on all of the great (or not so great) movies that came out this summer! As always, thanks for reading! —Mara

In my last review, I mentioned that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was a good example of a movie that helps to break “superhero fatigue”. It was refreshing because it broke from the formula that has become so familiar to moviegoers:

• A ragtag group of heroes go on a quest to defeat a cruel enemy with mommy issues

• A joke gets cracked every few minutes to keep things ~lite~ throughout

• jump cuts jump cuts jump cuts!

• action action action!

• the main character starts out sad and dissatisfied and then gets told to believe in themselves and magically they are alright again

• a character dies but then whoopsie they aren’t dead actually

• as soon as the movie ends, the next movie is teased in a post-credits scene because of course the studio is going to wring as much money out of the franchise as they possibly can

(I’m not saying Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 didn’t have some of these tropes still, but when these showed up, they were acknowledged jokingly. Plus, the ending wrapped things up pretty well instead of full-on teasing another movie.)

I really enjoyed the first Shazam! movie. It was fun, told a good story, and had a great group of characters and wholesome family dynamic. It stood out to me because it had its own unique, genuinely funny style of humor and had more heart than any other DC movie I had seen. Well, if you are like me and hoped that Shazam! Fury of the Gods would likewise stand out by breaking out of the “typical superhero movie” mold, then I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. 

Actually, this movie is a perfect example of why superhero fatigue exists in the first place.

In Shazam! Fury of the Gods, a trio of goddesses cross into the real world as a consequence of Billy Batson (Asher Angel)—otherwise known as Shazam (Zachary Levi)—destroying the Wizard’s staff in the first movie. When the goddesses arrive, Billy and his teenage foster brothers and sisters have started to make a name for themselves as Philadelphia’s resident superheroes—but not everyone is a fan of their work. Billy in particular is doubtful that the Wizard made the right choice when he gave him his powers, and is frustrated by the disorganization of his team. In search of the staff that brought them back to the real world, the goddesses track down the Shazam crew and wreak havoc, stealing powers and causing destruction. Can Billy and his brothers and sisters band together in time to get the staff back and save the world from being wiped out by the goddesses’ wrath?

Before I get into my problems with the movie, there are some aspects of this movie that I did enjoy. I still enjoyed the family dynamic of Billy and his foster siblings, as I had in the first movie. Moments of humor—in particular a dream Billy has about having dinner with Wonder Woman—continued the genuinely funny and quirky spirit of the first movie. There were some interesting new environments within the Shazam crew’s HQ that were introduced—a room full of doors to different worlds, a vast library with a sentient feather quill, and more areas not yet explored. These new areas capture your imagination and leave you wanting more. Finally, the self-sacrificial attitude that Billy displays by the end of the movie is truly admirable and worthy of praise. When the credits scrolled, I can’t deny that I thought the movie was fun, with some funny moments and a fairly entertaining story.

However, as I’ve already made clear, the movie had a lot of issues that kept it predictable and unmemorable. Many jokes fell flat. Several jokes were gags that might have worked a few years ago but now feel worn out. Plot holes abound. Characters suddenly change sides, citing barely believable motivations that feel more like a deus ex machina than realistic character development. Very little actual character development takes place in fact, instead taking the form of phrases like “believe in yourself” or “your greatest power is you” that somehow magically fix everyone’s problems. The main romance in the movie falls short of being charming since it’s between two characters who we learn are literally hundreds of years apart in age. This fact is brushed off with a joke about it being kinda weird, which leaves you feeling like it definitely is weird.

Essentially, my problems with the movie come down to consistently lazy writing that keep the movie from feeling fresh or interesting. Perhaps if this movie had come out ten years ago, it would have been better received. But since it came out in 2023, it comes across as a bunch of tried-and-tired superhero movie tropes cobbled together.

To my mind, the best thing about this movie comes at the end, when Billy chooses to make a huge sacrifice for his family and the world. He shows that he is worthy of his powers not because he “believes in himself” like the movie tries to say, but because he is willing to give up everything for those he has chosen to protect. The best superhero movies (and movies in general), I would argue, show a hero like this—one who is willing to sacrifice everything he has for the sake of others. In other words, the best movies have characters who reflect the self-sacrificial attitude of Jesus, who chose to go to His death on the cross in order to atone for the sins of all who would believe in Him:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

john 3:16-17, esv

It’s too bad that while this movie contained this one essential ingredient, its other aspects kept it from being great.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a movie that falls into the category of “skippable sequels.” It overuses tropes that have existed in superhero movies for over a decade now, and thus leads the viewer straight into “superhero fatigue.” While it has some funny moments and interesting elements, it suffers from plot holes and lazy writing which make it less enjoyable than it could have been. If you’re looking for more Shazam!, I suggest giving the first movie a rewatch instead. If you choose to watch it anyway and form your own opinion, you can find it streaming on Max.