Directed by David F. Sandberg
Starring Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, and Djimon Hounsou

The wit and humour that defines Shazam returns for a second outing, years after the original, yet feeing like it came just seconds after the first wrapped up.

The superhero formular is basically perfected by now – not exactly by DC, but series like Shazam, Joker and Batman get as close as any mere mortal can to claiming the title of overall good movie while esteemed directors like Martin Scorsese are stating that superhero movies take up too much oxygen in cinemas. Well then, we can safely assume Scorsese won’t agree with the next statement I’m about to make and nor will Leigh who reviewed and preferred the first Shazam! movie to this. Shazam! Fury of the Gods surpasses the original in terms of both stakes and character development as it continues indulging in silly humour and teenage antics. Shazam 2 took me back to a time where ego, hubris and impulse controlled me, for better or for worse.

The entire Shazam! squad makes a delightful debut in this feature where the whole gang from the first flick are now able to shout that one catchy word and be thrust into a world of do-gooding. As they work to iron out the kinks of having a ‘all-or-none’ mantra in a group of six, which I must say is a pretty unique take on the super squad concept – something the Avengers certainly didn’t abide by – familiar foes return in an attempt to undo the past and erase the progress of the first Shazam!

But in all of this fun and lightning-fast action, I did find there are two sectors of distaste to note.

Firstly, was the retro throwback to endorsements that I haven’t seen since the Fast and Furious franchise, which funnily enough Shazam 2 references proudly in its promotional material. Product placement is delightfully on the nose, and it almost feels like satire with how blatantly it’s splashed before us in some cases.

The second point is somewhat more personal to me and perhaps beneath the surface. Despite Shazam! 2’s seemingly best intentions to work its inclusivity angle into the mix, it ultimately left me questioning and searching for answers. Our terrific teen group is made up of a mix of attributes, each with varying degrees of personal limitations, but once they shout that magic six letter word, their beautiful differences are all but erased. I found it disappointing to not only undo what had made the film inclusive but to also then give them the label of ‘superhero’ by doing so. In my view, those limitations they have as teens would actually have continued to make a positive contribution to the plot development as our pretty-faced heroes set forth to save the world. This is a message I would have loved the film to deliver to children in the audience watching to demonstrate that they are the real heroes – with even more value than whatever their idealised fantasy selves could ever come close to.

Despite the critique, this Shazam sequel holds up to be a nice launching pad for future sequels to continue working on their deeper message, and this burgeoning super-universe has gained audience’s trust to keep coming back, even with the looming dread of the potential hard reboot that DC’s The Flash proposes.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is showing in cinemas across Australia from March 16th.

Moviedoc thanks Universal Pictures and Warner Bros AU for the invite to the screening of this film.

Reviewed by Zak Wheeler for Moviedoc

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