Shazam 2 Movie Review: What does it mean to be a God? Not surprisingly, we open our review of Shazam, Wrath of the Gods with this question, since it is one of the focal points through which the plot develops and the whole story at the center of the new DC film is expanded. 

In recent months, the big changes in the Warner house have frightened and excited fans around the world, with sudden cancellations, painful goodbyes, but also dizzying announcements. The entry of James Gunn and Peter Safran at the top of the new DCU is dividing fans around the world who were both fond of the previous films and, simultaneously, disappointed by them.

In the general chaos, many feared for what would happen with Shazam, to the point of asking Zachary Levy several times what would become of his character. What we have seen with Shazam Fury of the Gods, is certainly interesting, in terms of long-term reasoning, even if everything always remains in the hands of the general public and the numbers that this film will be able to bring out in the cinemas of the world. 

One thing, however, it is fair to say at the beginning of all the rest: this sequel, in addition to keeping its identity intact, confirms a certain type of heart that will certainly not disappoint the historical fans of the character and of the previous story (if interested in recovering the comics of this superhero, you can find them on Amazon).

Shazam! Fury of the Gods: family and history

One of the great merits of this sequel is to explain and expand on everything that the first film left behind. Thus in Shazam, Fury of the Gods both the spectators and the protagonists themselves will know the origins of the powers at stake, and the story behind the choice of the champion and the wizard himself. 

Obviously, the way in which the general picture becomes increasingly clear is in perfect Shazam style, with an underlying lightness that continuously plays with the childhood identities of the protagonists, and with writing focused on subverting the more classic dynamics present in such stories. 

Humor is a central element in this film, a tool ready to lighten everything, proposing a rather original narrative in certain moments, and far from the stereotypes of mannered cinecomics.

The story of Shazam, Fury of the Gods picks up shortly after the events of the first film. Now Billy Batson (Asher Angel/Zachary Levi) is no longer the only superhero in the family, finding himself coming to terms with his brothers, and trying in every way to keep together a group of people who are still trying to discover their own potential, each following a different path. 

Thus the film oscillates continuously between the childish/adolescent dimension and the super one, carrying on the story of these heroes who, although out of the ordinary, find themselves facing a context much bigger than them from many points of view. Past history takes over all this, with the Greek epic becoming the main driving force behind all the magic present in the lives of these boys. 

We finally discover the origins of the term Shazam and the reasons for its existence, when Antheia (Rachel Zegler), Calypso (Lucy Liu), and Esperida (Helen Mirren) raid the world of humans to seek their revenge. These three goddesses, daughters of Atlas, belong to the past and are looking for the so-called “champions” to make them pay for what happened to their father and put an end to the domination of the magicians.

Grow and find yourself

As in the first film, Shazam! Fury of the Gods we find reasoning on issues such as belonging, family, ties with others, the search for oneself, and one’s identity in the world. Even if our protagonists have grown up, they are still kids with difficult pasts (even if we only know Billy’s in reality). 

The powers acquired in the first film are central to telling each of them, precisely through the contrast they create. Just say a word and these guys with problematic traits become super strong, super fast Adonis, and with everything in between. Managing such a dynamic is not easy at all, and each of them finds himself reacting in a completely different way to the situation.

In all of this, we find a Billy who tries in every way to control this newfound group of super, without ever really succeeding. His leadership is driven by a heart that has been broken many times throughout his life, inspiring a blatant insecurity that drives him to act more like some kind of despot without the necessary means, than as an actual leader. 

To all this, we must add that the protagonists of Shazam! Fury of the Gods is teenagers or children, finding themselves at a time in their lives where not even they are fully aware of what they want. The film, therefore, manages to perfectly channel this particular dynamic, presenting characters far from perfection, completely ignoring the responsibilities they have agreed to take once they obtain these powers.

All of this takes over the story behind the magic that made them such and the fact that no one has ever really prepared them for what they will have to face, explaining the reasons for their task. Here the film becomes a real research journey, not from a physical point of view, but from a conceptual and intimate point of view. 

The characters must understand the weight of the powers they are using not as superheroes, but as Champions, referring back to the Greek epic with the reasoning that exploits the most famous stories of Homer and other singers of the past, to outline a rather interesting and full of ideas.

Tell something lightly

As mentioned above, one of the hallmarks of Shazam! Fury of The Gods is precisely its underlying lightness, ready to question the stereotypes of the case. David F. Sandberg builds a narrative through images that he certainly knows how to entertain and amuse, exploiting the colorful photography of Gyula Pados in a riot of screen elements that know how to keep one’s mouth open.

The choice of Zachary Levi remains a trump card in this sequel too, bringing to the stage a character who continually oscillates between potential ethics and a certain childish insecurity that works perfectly. This particular dynamic also returns to the other characters, first of all, Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer/Adam Brody), allowing the director and screenwriters to stage the classic adolescent worries, projecting them into a context that is always and in any case on the genres.

From the point of view of the antagonists, we are faced with two very interesting figures with considerable weight both in the story and on the set itself. Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren are much more believable as villains than we’ve seen in the past. 

Theirs is a story with a much clearer and more impactful motivation, driven by a series of reasons that are linked to the past of the story itself, with a stage presence that is felt in every single shot (we saw the film in the original language), and an acting verve that knows how to capture attention with epic moments that remain indelible. 

At their side we find Rachel Zegler; her interpretation further dynamizes the negative dimension of the film with the positive one, bringing on stage a series of feelings that further facet the situation. One last not-to-be-negligible element of Shazam! Fury of The Gods is the soundtrack by Christophe Beck, always ready to make the most of the individual developments of the film. We remind you that the film will arrive in Italian cinemas from 16 March.