When the DC and Marvel film universes were just beginning, the following stereotype formed among fans. DC was perceived as something as pathetic and serious as possible (in large part thanks to the works of Zack Snyder), and Marvel won millions of hearts with a combination of action and humor. Over time, the comedy component of the MCU went somewhere completely wrong, starting to cause a feeling of shame instead of admiration all too often.
At the same time, the filmmakers of DC seem to have quite successfully looked at neat doses of jokes in their projects. “Shazam! Wrath of the Gods” is designed to demonstrate how funny movie comics can be. We tell you in the review below how successful this film turned out to be.
“Shazam! Wrath of the Gods” / Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Superhero action genre
Directed by David F. Sandberg
Starring Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Rachel Zegler, Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren
Premiere cinema
Release year 2023
IMDb site
Two years have passed since the defeat of Doctor Sivan in the first part of Shazam. Gaining the powers of the gods and sharing them with his siblings, teenager Billy Batson continues to explore the joys and challenges of the superhero life. But coming of age and problems in relationships with loved ones do not allow Billy to experience the joys of life. Only when a threat appears on the horizon, coming from the daughters of the titan Atlas, the boy will have to gather to protect the things that are important to him.
The DC Comics movies coming out right now are in a bit of a weird position. The direction’s new creative director, James Gunn, has openly announced the upcoming complete reboot of the film universe. That said, all the superhero movies coming out right now don’t have a particularly strong bearing on Warner Bros.’ future plans.
Therefore, the teams responsible for filming implement all their wildest ideas. For example, “Joker” as a result became a strong dramatic statement, which is compared not with other superhero thrillers, but with cinematic masterpieces of the level of “Taxi Driver” by Martin Scorsese. And “Black Adam” became a dream project for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, in which he shines and feels pleasure in every frame.
The first part of “Shazam” is a light comedy about a child in the body of a superhero who finds himself involved in events far beyond himself. This childish naivety, almost infantilism, bought me during the viewing. In the second part, the director David F. Sandberg continues to press precisely on these sentiments, only as if turning all the indicators by 200%.
Instead of just Billy, here his whole family has superpowers, while not forgetting their childish motives. One of the characters is an avid gamer, which is evident in almost every phrase he says. In another movie, it would look silly, but the whole Shazam! “Wrath of the Gods” is built in such a way that fools were bribed, moved and sympathized.
Events around the heroes unfold on such a scale that they threaten to destroy the entire world. But the children’s consciousness of the main characters seems not yet capable of understanding the scale of the problem. That is why they react to mortal dangers and interpersonal tragedies with jokes. And Billy is equally worried about the future of the world, as well as his first feeling of love.
Against the backdrop of children of superheroes, an interesting contrast is provided by the trio of main villains (Rachel Zegler, Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren). Their appearance alone causes a feeling of danger and anxiety. And their manners are such that one more time in front of the daughters of Atlas, one would definitely not want to babble too much. The antagonists in the second “Shazam” turned out to be extremely colorful and in many ways they overshadow the main characters. But it does not harm the overall impression of the film, but rather complements them.
The graphics and the general setting of the action are high-quality and moderately creative, and the motives of magic and myths of Ancient Greece create an interesting color. Although it is still worth noting something.
In terms of CG, the second Shazam looks clearly better than almost all the films in the fourth phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
On the one hand, it’s not a big deal, given Marvel’s massive (and in some ways mysterious) problems with graphics. But on the other hand, the picture is still pleasant.
Of course, the second part of “Shazam” can be criticized without problems. This is a film that is very strangely tied to the canons of the DC film universe. And some dialogues make you want to squeeze into a chair because of a feeling of shame. Cinemacomics is largely focused on the inner child of the viewer (or ordinary children). Therefore, it is definitely not worth taking the movie too seriously.
Given the current state of affairs in the DC Cinematic Universe, Shazam! Wrath of the Gods can be seen as the last trip to the amusement park that you loved as a child, but will soon be demolished. It’s a little sad that something bright and good is going into the past. But if you already liked it, then no one will take those feelings away from you.
Pros: appropriate and funny humor; competent use of ancient Greek motifs; excellent development of characters and chemistry between them; bright feeling of returning to childhood Cons: inappropriate connections with the DC film universe; not everyone will like the general stupidity and infantility of what is happening Conclusion:
“Shazam! “Wrath of the Gods” is a good movie that does not demand too much from the audience. It works as a good movie comic and as a fun action comedy. And if you don’t feel embarrassed to watch 130 minutes of mental throwing of children, then you will definitely like the movie
