Free from the constraints of having to provide an origin story, Shazam: Fury of the Gods gives us a Billy Batson who is on the cusp of adulthood and anxious about aging out of the foster system. Asher Angel was unfortunately deprived of screentime in this sequel but during those mere minutes he was on screen he acted his heart out. Asher's performance trumps Zachary Levi's who continues to play Billy as if he's an immature younger teen, making his performance ultimately feel disconnected from Asher's. Another performance that stood out was Jack Dylan Grazer as teenage Freddy Freeman who was, in my opinion, a more interesting protagonist than Billy/Shazam himself in this outing.
The story draws upon Greek mythology with the villains being the daughters of Atlas, played by Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zelger. If you were like me and had briefly forgotten what had happened to the Greek gods, Wonder Woman (2017) revealed that Ares had killed all of the other Greek gods, meaning audiences probably won't be seeing them in the future except for flashbacks like the one in Justice League (2017 and 2021). Mythological creatures such as the Minotaur, Manticore, Cyclops and Harpies appear and I was able to put my knowledge from GCSE Classics and Percy Jackson to the test.
failed to make a film that stands on its own two feet
The film features multiple call-backs to the first film: a funny post-credit scene featuring the imprisoned Doctor Sivana; the magically imbued staff being stolen by the daughters of Atlas; a reference to the post-credit scene of the last one with Superman and Shazam joining Freddy for lunch in the school canteen; even the powering-up of the Shazam family in the first one is reshot. Is it nostalgia or a continuation of events? Possibly. Personally, it reminds me that the first film was vastly superior and feels to me that they wanted to mimic the success of the first film but failed to make a film that stands on its own two feet.
Watching Shazam, I was very conscious of the fact that the James Gunn reboot of the DCEU is approaching and this film, along with The Flash, Blue Beetle and Aquaman 2, are some of the last ones in the current continuity. Therefore, the post-credit scene featuring Harcourt and Economos of The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker and the cameo from another superhero (who I will not name in case you are yet to watch the film) fail to create excitement of future storylines and crossovers. Whilst I enjoyed the R-Rated Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, Shazam remains a family film rated 12. Having a crossover between the child friendly elements of the DC Universe with more mature and violent media feels completely incompatible. Besides me, my family had no idea who Harcourt and Economos were and their role in the DCEU.
On the whole, Shazam: Fury of the Gods is a lighthearted family film that is good if you want to turn your brain off for a few hours and have a laugh. It's not the best DC film by a long shot but it's not the worst film I have ever seen. A mediocre 3/5 stars.