As Billy Batson and his foster siblings use their newfound powers to aid the citizens of Philadelphia, three sisters descend to Earth to take up the legacy of their father, the god Atlas.
Lots of kids love superheroes, but there aren’t that many superhero movies for kids. Shazam! and its new sequel, Fury of the Gods, both by David F. Sandberg, are aimed more at a young audience. Especially since the main characters are between 10 and 20 years old… although Zachary Levi, 42, plays the leading role. Before going any further, let’s go back to the beginning.
In Shazam!, Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is a young teenager. Without being evil, he moves from one foster family to another and inherits Shazam’s ancestral powers when he has just moved in with his new parents, who are already hosting three boys and two girls. Billy only has to shout “Shazam” to get wisdom from Solomon, strength from Hercules, stamina from Atlas, lightning from Zeus, courage from Achilles and speed from Mercury – which forms the acronym SHAZAM. In addition, his appearance changes to that which he would have at his full potential, that of a man in his late thirties – huh? In the end, the young superhero in the body of Zachary Levi manages to defeat the villain Dr Sivana with the help of his siblings, who also got superpowers.
The Press didn’t have a review when it was released in 2019. Here’s a quick one: it’s average, say 5/10. The action is tentative, the quality of the acting is uneven, and the humor is simplistic. But, as we pointed out, this film is for young people. It fails, however, to entertain adults the way most of Pixar’s work does so well.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY WARNER BROS. PICTURES
Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu portray sisters Hespera and Kalypso, respectively.
In this chapter, Fury of the Gods do better. The addition to the distribution of the excellent Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu certainly has something to do with it. With Rachel Zegler (revealed in West Side Story), they form a trio of sisters with very different personalities. Their dynamic is one of the strengths of the screenplay by Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan.
The children have now grown and their personalities have developed. Schoolyard conflicts gave way to the joys and sorrows of adolescence. Jack Dylan Grazen, who stood out as Freddy Freeman in the first chapter, inherits a bigger role this time around; a good decision.
Among the “adults”, Meagan Good is particularly amusing in the role of the youngest of the family, Darla. Zachary Levy remains the one who best manages to play 15-year-old kids. By his energy and his enthusiasm, the actor that we have seen for a long time in the series chuck manages to convince us that his family is really close to his heart and that being a superhero is not easy.
The need for attachment and affirmation are among the beautiful messages conveyed in Fury of the Gods. At least it’s not too heavy. However, the main issues of the story are uninteresting. It’s also hard to believe that three goddesses and their dragon wouldn’t crush a handful of youngsters in an instant.
The action and combat scenes are more numerous than in the first part, although they are more comic than spectacular. About the humor, precisely, some dialogues make you smile, nothing more. But laughter is contagious, so might as well see Shazam! Fury of the Gods with children.
Finally, it should be noted that Montrealer Jean-Christophe Beck signs the music, as he had done for Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.
Indoors
super hero movie
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
(VF: Shazaam! The rage of the gods)
David F.Sandberg
Starring Zachary Levi, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu
2:10 a.m.