Shazam: Fury of the Gods (4k UHD + Blu-Ray + Digital HD)
Blu-Ray Reviews | May 26th, 2023
Starring: Zachary Levi, Djimon Hounsou, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, D. J. Cotrona, Grace Caroline Currey, Meagan Good
Written By: Henry Gayden, Chris Morgan
Directed By: David F. Sandberg
Studio: Warner Bros
Buy On Amazon.com
The first Shazam film is one of the better DC movies in recent memory. However, its sequel, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, lacks many of the fun aspects that made the original movie so likable. If you have seen and enjoyed the first film, it is still worth watching.
The sequel takes place two years after the events of the first movie, with Billy (Zachary Levi / Asher Angel) leading his “Shazamily” and trying to help the public while keeping their identities a secret. Meanwhile, Atlas’s daughters, Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Kalypso (Lucy Liu), obtain the broken staff that Billy snapped in half in the first film and imprison the Wizard (Djimon Hounsou). At the same time, Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer / Adam Brody) continues to face bullying at school while also playing the superhero at night. He falls for a girl at school who may not be who she seems. That’s essentially the main plot of the story.
I was really looking forward to this movie since the first Shazam was such a fun and entertaining film. One of the better DC movies in the last 10 years in my opinion. Unfortunately, the sequel doesn’t live up to its predecessor, which is a common issue with most sequels. It is still entertaining and enjoyable, but it feels like something is missing. Perhaps it’s the element of Billy being a kid, as we see more of Zachary Levi and less of Asher Angel. Some of the humor feels forced this time, and the plot is relatively thin. It seems like more people were involved in the final product than necessary, at least that’s what it seems like to me. I wonder if that affected the outcome? Maybe it was a passing of the guard for DC films? I’m not sure if that had an impact or not, but something feels off.
Acting is not a problem for me. Zachary Levi is his usual goofy and funny self, and Adam Brody is a perfect fit for the older Jack Dylan Grazer. Djimon Hounsou has more to do in this film, which is well-deserved. Grace Caroline Currey stands out among the family of superheroes, and I hope to see more of her in future movies. However, I had a hard time taking Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu seriously in their roles. It’s not their fault per say; they might have been miscast. My main issues stem from some of the special effects, a lackluster plot, and missing elements that made the first film great and enjoyable.
If you love extras, then you’re in for a treat since there’s audio commentary, a making-of the sequel featurette, half hour of deleted scenes and a bunch of other featurettes. The making-of was a good one and clocked in around 24 minutes or so. The “Zac Effect” is pretty much what you think it is, with Zachary Levi messing around with the cast members. There’s a ton of deleted scenes here, with some explanations why they were cut. Some of them were pretty good and should have stayed in the movie too. There’s lots more to watch besides those select few I mentioned.
Overall, Shazam: Fury of the Gods is an okay movie and worth watching if you enjoyed the first one. However, if you expect it to be better or on par with the original, you’ll be disappointed. I enjoyed it but was hoping for more. It feels like the studio had too much involvement because there’s something off about the movie. Perhaps I’m being too critical, so you should see for yourself whether you consider this a worthy sequel or not.
Features:
Audio Commentary
Shazam! Let’s Make a Sequel
The Rock of Eternity: Decked Out
The Zac Effect
Sisterhood of Villains
Shazam! Scene Deconstruction
Mythology of Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Shazamily Reunion
Deleted Scenes
Video:
Codec: HEVC / H.265
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio:
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:
English SDH, French, Spanish
Bottom Line: Shazam: Fury of the Gods suffers from Sequelitis.
Running Time: 130 mins
Rating: PG-13
Extras Rating:
Overall Rating:
