christian movie review shazam

Reviewed by: Samiatu Dosunmu CONTRIBUTOR

What is the Occult? Answer

THE OCCULT —What does the Bible say about it? Answer

About magic and magicians mentioned in the Bible

Enchantments and sorcerers

What are DEMONS? Answer

Who is SATAN, the enemy of God and all people? Answer

Is Satan a real person that influences our world today? Is he affecting you? Answer

What does it mean to be a true HERO?

Learn about true goodness and righteousness

About ORPHANS and the Bible

Sequel: “ Shazam! Fury of the Gods ” (2023)

• S olomon - Wisdom
• H ercules - Strength
• A tlas - Stamina
• Z eus - Power
• A chilles - Courage
• M ercury - Speed

I n 1974 New York, young Thaddeus Sivana (Ethan Pugiotto) is magically transported to the Rock of Eternity, a magical temple hidden in another dimension, by the ancient wizard Shazam. Shazam explains that he has spent centuries searching for a new champion who is “pure of heart,” after his first one turned evil and unleashed the SEVEN DEADLY SINS upon the ancient world. The Sins, now trapped in statues within the Rock, and their powers, contained in an orb called the EYE OF SIN, tempt Thaddeus with promises of power.

Unable to resist the demon’s beaconing, Thaddeus nearly touches the orb. The ancient wizard, deeming him an unworthy champion, banishes Thaddeus back to Earth.

In the present, a Philadelphian foster kid named Billy Batson ( Asher Angel ) purposefully breaks the law in an attempt to gain access to a police database to locate the address of his biological mother ( Caroline Palmer ). Years earlier, he got lost in the crowd at a carnival; his mother never came to find him. Billy is placed in a group home run by Victor and Rosa Vazquez, who have five other foster kids: Mary Bromfield ( Grace Fulton ), Pedro Peña ( Jovan Armand ), Eugene Choi ( Ian Chen ), Darla Dudley ( Faithe Herman ), and Freddy Freeman ( Jack Dylan Grazer ).

Billy does not warm up to his new family, as he is still intent on looking for his biological mother.

Elsewhere, a now adult and doctor Thaddeus Sivana ( Mark Strong ) pieces together the testimonies of other people who were abducted and rejected by the wizard Shazam and returns to the Rock of Eternity. Filled with vengeance, he absorbs the energy of the EYE OF SIN, allowing the seven deadly sins to possess and control his body.

When the now frail wizard Shazam tries to stop him, he overpowers and nearly kills him. Using his new powers, Dr. Sivana exacts revenge on his father ( John Glover ) and brother Sid ( Wayne Ward ) by unleashing the SEVEN DEADLY SINS during a board meeting and commands them to murder everyone, including his father and brother.

While running into a subway to escape bullies, Billy is abducted and summoned by the now dying wizard Shazam. Chosen by the dying wizard as the champion, Billy is transformed into an adult with super-strength, speed, stamina, durability and lightning powers. Before turning to dust, the wizard Shazam warns him that the only way to defeat the SEVEN DEADLY SINS is by unlocking his greatest power. By saying “Shazam!” Billy can change back and forth between teenager and adult superhero.

Billy sets out to discover his powers with the help of Freddy; he becomes reckless and nearly kills passengers on a bus. While bringing the bus to safety, he catches the attention of Dr. Sivana, whose appetite for power increases after seeing what Shazam can do. Through a series of violent confrontations, Billy/Shazam ( Asher Angel / Zachary Levi ) learn that the power and strength that lies in family may be the only way to defeat Dr. Sivana and the seven deadly sins.

Spiritual Issues

The major spiritual issue is the repeated reference to and worship of the occult , involving the seven deadly sins. The origin of this ideology derives from Catholicism. According to Catholic theology, the seven deadly sins are seven vices (or negative character qualities) that, left unchecked, result in a host of other sins and, eventually, the death of a person’s soul. For those unfamiliar, the seven deadly sins are:

Pride —An inflated, unrealistic sense of your self-worth.

Envy —The feeling that you deserve the possessions, success, virtues, or talents of another person.

Gluttony —An excessive desire for the pleasure of eating and drinking.

Lust —A selfish focus on sex or a desire to have sexual pleasure with someone other than your spouse.

Anger —An excessive, improper desire to exact revenge.

Greed —A strong desire for possessions, especially for possessions belonging to another.

Sloth—Lack of effort in the face of a necessary task, causing it to go undone (or done badly).

The Sins have consumed Dr. Sivana, so that he has total disregard for human life and exhibits psychopathic behavior in his wrath. This is evident when he allows anger to fuel his contempt for his father and brother during their confrontation in the boardroom. Dr. Sivana throws his brother out the window of a tall building before unleashing the demonic forms of the sins to murder the remaining people in the room. In his confrontations with Shazam ( Asher Angel / Zachary Levi ) he unleashes the seven deadly sins on innocent bystanders as a form of exercising control. However, after Shazam uncovers his greatest power, he fights Sivana.

The Bible never refers to certain sins that are dishonoring to God as the deadly sins. Rather, it is stated in Proverbs 6:16-19,

“There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue , and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans , feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.”

This list can be used to categorize the many sins that exist. Romans 6:23 suggests that no sin is more deadly than another:

“For the wages of sin is death , but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” —NASB

Moviemaking quality

The movie quality is average. But I found the heavy presence and emphasis of the occult to be a major distraction in finding the positive in this film. The demonic form of the SEVEN DEADLY SINS is too disturbing and, as such, I do not recommend this film.

Aside from the heavy references to the occult , the movie lacks sufficient content.

• Occult: Very Heavy to Extreme
• Violence: Heavy
• Profane language: Moderately Heavy— •  J*sus Chr*st • “Oh my G*d” (10) • G*d •  H*ll (3)
• Vulgar/Crude language: Moderately Heavy— • f-words (4—bleeped) • sh*t-hole • other s-words (4) • pervy • “s*cks b*lls” • s*cks • d*ck • “Lay your hand on my staff” (In context, this phrase insinuates a sexual reference. The real meaning was that the ailing wizard Shazam asked Billy to lay his hand on his rod or walking stick which housed his power.) • Scr*w • b**bies • a** (4) • cr*p • d*uche-bags • p**
• Sex: • strip club scenes • suggestive material
• Nudity: None

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers .

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.

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Shazam fury of the gods, common sense media reviewers.

Funny superhero sequel has action violence, language.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

We all have a hero inside of us: "The most powerfu

Kids are superheroes, and, beyond that, are smart,

Main character Billy/Shazam (Asher Angel/Zachary L

Lots of comic book-style peril, action violence, a

Teen romance with a kiss. Expressions of a crush.

Regular use of words including "ass," "a--hole," "

Brands seen or mentioned by name or ad campaign in

Characters have sparkling wine; a hangover is impl

Parents need to know that Shazam! Fury of the Gods is the sequel to 2019's Shazam!. It revolves around six foster siblings, ages 10–19, who can transform into adult superheroes. This time around, Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel in teen form and Zachary Levi as an adult) and his "Shazamily" go up…

Positive Messages

We all have a hero inside of us: "The most powerful thing about you is you." Shows importance of having strong foundation in family, whether it's a biological one or a foster one (movie's example of loving, caring foster home is nice change from many representations). Clear themes of teamwork, courage, and compassion.

Positive Role Models

Kids are superheroes, and, beyond that, are smart, brave, caring, kind, and compassionate, and work together as a team.

Diverse Representations

Main character Billy/Shazam (Asher Angel/Zachary Levi) is a White boy/man. The Shazam team of superheroes lives with loving foster parents Rosa and Victor Vasquez (Spanish actor Marta Milans and Samoan/Jewish actor Cooper Andrews, respectively) and is made up of a diverse group of kids (and their corresponding adult versions). Freddy (non-disabled White actor Jack Dylan Grazer) is disabled, walking with an arm crutch but confidently taking on those who bully others. Other team members are played by Jewish (Asher Angel), Irish (Caroline Grace-Cassidy), Taiwanese American (Ian Chen), Black (Faithe Herman), and Salvadorian/Mexican (Jovan Armand) actors. There's also diversity in gender, body size, and sexuality. Villains are female and fierce; they're played by White British actor Helen Mirren, Chinese American actor Lucy Liu, and Colombian American actor Rachel Zegler; their ages range from teenager to over 70.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Lots of comic book-style peril, action violence, and destruction, such as a collapsing bridge and monsters taking over the city, attacking humans. Brief glimpse of a first-person shooter video game. People are impaled. Gods enslave humans by turning them into zombie-type creatures. A sympathetic character plunges to their death. Key character goes on a suicide mission. Car crashes. Humans in real peril, screaming. Terrifying dragon. Squeamish moment when a large wood splinter is slowly pulled out from under a fingernail.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Regular use of words including "ass," "a--hole," "s--t," "sucks balls," "d--k," "oh my God," and "what the hell." A child comically says "motherfu--" (cut off before the profane ending, but viewers will know what's being said).

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Brands seen or mentioned by name or ad campaign include Gatorade, Skittles, Doritos.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Characters have sparkling wine; a hangover is implied for a different character. Joke about characters being on drugs.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Shazam! Fury of the Gods is the sequel to 2019's Shazam! . It revolves around six foster siblings, ages 10–19, who can transform into adult superheroes. This time around, Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel in teen form and Zachary Levi as an adult) and his "Shazamily" go up against the Daughters of Atlas ( Lucy Liu , Helen Mirren , Rachel Zegler ). Expect comic book-style action violence, including crashes, destruction, a couple of impalings, and significant deaths. Monsters and a terrifying dragon run amok, and gods enslave humans by turning them into zombie-type creatures. Kids swear -- "a--hat," "s--t," "oh my God," and one very quotable line that ends in a cut-off "motherfu--" -- and there's a bit of teen romance. In keeping with the movie's clear message that everyone has the power of a hero inside of them, characters are diverse in terms of race, disability, identity, body shape, and economic status. Teamwork, courage, and compassion are also themes. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (16)
• Kids say (23)

Based on 16 parent reviews

Not family friendly. Disturbing “suicide” scene. Unnecessary to movie plot.

What's the story.

In SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS (the sequel to 2019's Shazam! ), Billy Batson ( Asher Angel as a teenager, Zachary Levi as an adult superhero) and his superhero foster siblings are fighting crime in Philadelphia -- although the city thinks they're creating chaos and dubs them "the Philly Fiascos." Several of the kids are also managing other, non-super issues: Mary ( Grace Caroline Currey ), now a young adult, can't afford college and isn't sure what to do with her life. Pedro (Jovan Armand/ D.J. Cotrona ) is trying to find himself. And Billy is suffering from imposter syndrome. But when the supersiblings hear that the evil Daughters of Atlas ( Lucy Liu , Helen Mirren , Rachel Zegler ) may be wielding an ultrapowerful weapon, they jump into action and put their teamwork to the test to defend the world.

Is It Any Good?

This hilarious sequel proves that Shazam is the most exuberantly empowering superhero for kids in the current DC Universe. The magic of superhero comics has always been inspiring readers to see themselves as heroes, something that's often lost in the over-musclebound, sometimes too serious, dark superhero cinematic landscape (especially where DC is concerned). But Shazam! Fury of the Gods creates the perfect canvas for that flight of imagination by helping kids from many walks of life and underrepresented groups see themselves on screen. Plus, by showing the Shazamily kids in their "adult" state, it offers a subtle "it gets better" message for any kids watching who might be unhappy with their current state of being. When the core message is delivered in the dialogue -- "the most powerful thing about you is you" -- it gets a humorous eyeroll from Djimon Hounsou 's Wizard (yes, he's somehow still alive even though he turned to dust in the first film). But as the story bears out, it's a phenomenal message for these heroes -- and young viewers.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the diverse representations in Shazam! Fury of the Gods. Did you see someone who looks like you on the screen? Why is representation important?

Do you agree with the movie's message that everyone has the potential to be a hero? What does it mean to be an everyday hero? If you were a superhero, what would your power be? In real life, what is your "superpower"?

How do the characters demonstrate courage , compassion , and teamwork ? Why are those important character strengths?

How did the violence make you feel? Was it more or less intense than other superhero movies you've seen? What's the impact of seeing violence in entertainment?

The Daughters of Atlas want to reclaim the power that was stolen from their father. Are they wrong to want that back? Tell this story from their point of view. If you're familiar with Greek mythology, what other monsters and gods are referenced here?

Movie Details

• In theaters : March 17, 2023
• On DVD or streaming : May 23, 2023
• Cast : Zachary Levi , Asher Angel , Rachel Zegler
• Director : David F. Sandberg
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Latino actors, Multiracial actors
• Studio : Warner Bros.
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Topics : Superheroes
• Character Strengths : Compassion , Courage , Teamwork
• Run time : 130 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : sequences of action and violence, and language
• Award : Common Sense Selection
• Last updated : April 1, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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• DVD & Streaming

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

• Action/Adventure , Comedy , Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Content Caution

In Theaters

• March 17, 2023
• Zachary Levi as Shazam; Asher Angel as Billy Batson; Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman; Grace Caroline Currey as Mary Bromfield/Superhero Mary; Helen Mirren as Hespera; Rachel Zegler as Anthea; Lucy Liu as Kalypso; Adam Brody as Superhero Freddy; Meagan Good as Superhero Darla; Marta Milans as Rosa Vasquez; Cooper Andrews as Victor Vasquez; Djimon Hounsou as Shazam (the Wizard); Ross Butler as Superhero Eugene; D.J. Cotrona as Superhero Pedro; Jovan Armand as Pedro Pena; Faithe Herman as Darla Dudley; Ian Chen as Eugene Choi; Derek Russo as Atlas

Home Release Date

• April 18, 2023
• David F. Sandberg

Distributor

• Warner Bros.

Movie Review

The wisdom of Solomon. The strength of Hercules. The stamina of Atlas. The power of Zeus. The courage of Achilles. The speed of Mercury.

It’s a nice summary of Billy Batson’s powers when he’s in his Shazam form. But it’s actually more than just a summary. It’s actually a categorical list of all the gods, demigods and (apparently) an Israelite king from whom Shazam takes his powers. And we learn that a previous Shazam did, indeed, literally take them (though Billy wasn’t aware of any of this), leaving the aforementioned deities powerless.

And here’s the thing—the gods don’t exactly appreciate it when you steal their powers.

They (the Greek titans and gods, that is) have been sealed away from our world by a magical staff for thousands of years, which is why we haven’t seen them—and as long as that staff remains intact, that seal cannot be broken.

You might remember that said staff made its appearance in the first Shazam! movie, when Billy and his foster siblings battled it out with the maniacal Dr. Sivana and his Seven Deadly Sins. You might also remember how Billy broke said staff in half during said battle.

And just like that —the seal is broken. The Daughters of Atlas are coming. And they’re not very happy that their father’s name is a mere letter in Shazam’s.

Positive Elements

The first Shazam! featured many positive messages about family, and its sequel is no different. In the first film, Billy struggled with believing whether or not a genuine loving family could actually exist. In the second, Billy struggles with the fear that his family is going to abandon him like his birth mother did.

That’s because he’s about to turn 18, which means that his foster parents, Victor and Rosa, will no longer receive federal aid for housing him—and according to Mary, the oldest of the foster siblings, his options are to either get a job to help the struggling parents or move out. The fear of abandonment is evident—Billy tells a man that he feels abandoned by his mother, his family and his city (the last of which thinks of the superhero siblings as “fiascos.”)

The fear of abandonment is perhaps why Billy is so focused on making sure that he and his siblings only go crime fighting as a team . But Billy’s fears are eventually assuaged by Rosa, who tells him that he “will never age out of [his] home—never.”

And, of course, there’s the positive of the six supers putting their lives on the line in order to save countless citizens. To that point, we hear a couple sentiments that it’s not the powers that make someone a hero or brave; it’s who they are as a person. Case in point: Even when Freddy isn’t in his Shazam form, he still stands up against evil.

Spiritual Elements

[The following section contains a few plot-specific spoilers]

Shazam! came bolting out of the spiritual gate in its first film, having Shazam (whose name is itself an acronym that includes some pagan gods) battle the Seven Deadly Sins—demons based on both Christian and pagan influences. With that in mind, and with the sequel’s title being Fury of the Gods , you might expect this second movie to follow suit.

You’d be right—and more so.

Fury of the Gods almost immediately stipulates that the Greek gods are the real deal. Several characters seem to suggest that every other religion got it completely wrong, Christianity included. (And speaking of, Victor’s signature dinner prayers from the first movie are entirely absent in this film). We hear mocking comments such as “A god has answered their prayers at last” and “they pray to the gods to absolve them.” Indeed, when people contemplate whether someone can be brought back to life, someone laments that “there are no gods left.”

The mythology of Fury of the Gods goes as follows: long ago, the Greek gods ruled the world, thinking of humans as nothing more than servants. One of these gods used wood from a mythic “Tree of Life” in order to create a magical staff with the ability to bestow and take away gods’ powers. Then, some human wizards managed to steal the staff, take the powers of a few of the gods (and Solomon, I guess?) and sealed the gods away in their own realm.

Because Billy broke the staff, however, the seal was broken, and the Daughters of Atlas have managed to squeeze through (why none of the other gods came with them is unknown—though there are a couple unclear indicators that they perhaps all died while locked away). These three daughters each have a different power: Hespera has the Power of Elements, primarily using her powers to heat things up and create a forcefield. Anthea has the Power of Axis, meaning she can rotate things really well. Kalypso has the Power of Chaos, and she uses it to compel people to speak and act against their will—which the movie depicts to be a quite painful and frightening endeavor for the victim.

And back to that “Tree of Life,” which has similarities to Christianity other than its name. For instance, the tree is guarded by a dragon, similar to how the Garden of Eden was guarded by cherubim (Genesis 3:24). It also produces apples (the typical depiction of the “forbidden fruit”). These golden apples have the Seed of Life and are used to plant more trees of life, which (on this world at least) sprout forth various Greek monsters, including minotaurs, cyclopses, harpies and manticores.

Furthermore, we’ll see some magical powers used. Kalypso’s Power of Chaos causes people to turn into zombie-like creatures, spreading the chaos to others. A man casts an incantation on a splinter of wood. There’s also a sentient pen and books that flap around like birds. The dragon is said to “emanate fear from its body.”

Additionally, because of his courage and powers, Billy is referred to as a “true god” by a few people—including another god. People talk about ambrosia. People lose their powers through magic.

Sexual Content

Pedro, one of Billy’s foster brothers, comes out as gay. We see him looking at a magazine that contains a man in his underwear, and he later admits his homosexual attractions to his family, who tell him they were already aware.

Billy’s mother, Rosa, is seen in a revealing nightgown. His father, Victor, is seen in boxers. A marble statue in a museum is of a nude man, and his genitals are very briefly visible.

Billy has a dream that he’s on a date with Wonder Woman, and he calls the himself and Wonder Woman the “hottie goddies.” Later, he tells Wonder Woman that he’s about to turn 18 if she can wait for him. Billy says that “the City of Brotherly Love is getting a little moist,” and others tell him that he needs to work on his word choice. Freddy makes a remark that one of his bullies has chlamydia.

[ Spoiler Warning ] Freddy shares a kiss with a girl. Just before they kiss, she tells him that she’s actually about “6,000 years old.” Because of that fact, Victor comments on the kiss, calling it a bit inappropriate.

Violent Content

The crew of Shazam siblings and the Daughters of Atlas face off in many battles, typically resulting in the near-invulnerable people being slammed through concrete. Plenty of people die, including a museum full of people who are turned into chaos zombies. The change causes their bodies to convulse before they transform. Eventually, they’re turned into statues by the Daughters, and one of them is tipped over and shattered. During that scene, one man is thrown into a glass display, and another is thrown headfirst into a marble wall with a force strong enough to cause a heavy indent in the wall.

A man, possessed by the chaos magic, is compelled against his will to commit suicide by jumping off the side of a building. We hear the resulting thump as he hits the ground. A woman is impaled by the scorpion tail of a manticore. Harpies lift people high into the sky and drop them to their assumed demise. Someone is stabbed through the chest. A man is choked to death. A cyclops is pierced by a unicorn horn. A dragon destroys many buildings. Someone is killed, and we see the badly bruised and beaten corpse.

A man pulls a long thick splinter of wood that’s wedged under his fingernail in one scene that caused our viewing audience to collectively grimace. Bullies hit Freddy in the head with a football and knock him to the ground with a punch. Freddy’s face is additionally slammed into the ground.

A bridge collapses, and general peril ensues, though people seem generally unharmed (some cars are crushed, but they appear to be empty). Cars slam into a forcefield at high speed. Tree roots tear up a city. Beings and creatures sometimes “die,” with their bodies turning to dust and blowing away.

Crude or Profane Language

The young Darla nearly uses the f-word, preceded by “mother,” once. (The full word is drowned out by the surrounding chaos.) The s-word is heard five times. “D-ck” is used once. We also hear a handful of instances of “a–” and “h—.” God’s name is used in vain 13 times, including three times where someone says “g-dd–n”. Characters say variations of “suck balls” a handful of times.

Drug and Alcohol Content

Mary, the oldest of the foster siblings, is visibly suffering the effects of a hangover in one scene. When Victor asks what the kids are doing, Freddy sarcastically responds “probably drugs.”

Other Negative Elements

Someone talks about using magic to turn into a gaseous form so they can “fly out of here like a fart.” A woman walks in on a man while he’s using the toilet. The odor from a portable toilet becomes both a plot point and a running joke.

I’ll be honest, the pagan (and specifically, Greek) gods make up perhaps the least believable religion humans have ever seriously come up with. And yet, those are the deities Shazam! Fury of the Gods tells its audience to accept.

As it turns out, the reason why you haven’t been struck down by Zeus’ lightning bolt is because some human wizards locked him and every other deity living on or near Mount Olympus into their own realm, making them no longer able to interfere in the lives of humans. But when that seal is broken, Atlas’ daughters return to punish humanity and bring the gods back to their former glory.

That spiritual side is what’s going to be the biggest pill to swallow if you’re thinking about watching this Shazam! sequel. Granted, the first film had some definite spiritual problems, syncretizing some Christian and pagan elements together to create some baddies for Billy Batson to battle. But Fury of the Gods certainly raises those issues a few rungs higher on the content ladder.

Also packaged in this sequel are a few frightening and violent scenes that mimic some of the more violent moments of the first movie, including a man who is compelled by magic to commit suicide and a museum of people who are turned to stone. Further injected into the film are two brief moments where one character indicates his attraction to men—which felt to me like Fury of the Gods wanted to gain some social credit by having a gay character than anything else. And in terms of swearing, you can expect the notch to be turned slightly up on that, too, with a partially-uttered f-word and a similar number of s-words to the previous film—amidst other swears, too.

Yes, Fury of the Gods continues its lovely story of Billy Batson’s family and their unconditional love for one another. It also talks about sacrifice and how it doesn’t take having superpowers to be a hero. But those messages ultimately come second to the film’s deep dive into pagan belief.

Kennedy Unthank

Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”

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SHAZAM! A Christian Mom Review

Should you take your kids.

Shazam! Zachary Levi! This was my sole reason for seeing this film. I love Zachary Levi in everything he has been in. However, I am not a huge superhero fan. But Zachary Levi! Besides a couple of trailers, I make sure not to watch or read anything else regarding films that I review. I rarely know who directs a film, where it was filmed, or what the critics have said before I walk in the theater. After I finish my review and post it, I then start to read what other people have said. So SHAZAM! A Christian Mom review is from the heart and not influenced by other reviews in any way. Read my criteria and how I review movies.

I do have to mention that as I watched this movie, that I began to remember a television show from the 1970s based on the character of Shazam. I don’t know why I watched it, but I remember seeing it weekly. You can actually watch the Shazam show on DCOnline

FACTS ABOUT CAPTAIN MARVEL AND SHAZAM:

From Business Insider: “Captain Marvel was another hero that made his debut in “Whiz Comics #2” 1939 published by Fawcett Comics. It featured a 12-year-old orphaned newsboy named Billy Batson who can transform into an adult superhero by shouting one word. Captain Marvel became an instant success, launching his own new independent series “Captain Marvel Adventures,” which would later go on to sell more copies than “Superman.” In fact, for a while, Captain Marvel was the most popular superhero of the time, so popular that it became the first superhero ever to be adapted into a motion picture.”

Eventually, because Fawcett Comics was sued by the makers of Superman, they ceased to exist. A new publication picked up the name Marvel after Fawcett Comics abandoned it. And DC Comics acquired Shazam, and he began to go by the word he said when he changed from boy to superhero and back again.

Synopsis of SHAZAM! (2019) Movie:

Shazam was the original Captain Marvel. But in this movie (due to the above lawsuit), he is nameless. He is called many things, but the name that seems to stick is Captain Sparkle Fingers.  

It is Christmas time in 1974, and Thaddeus Sivana is traveling with his father and brother. Magically, he finds himself at the Rock of Eternity where he encounters the wizard Shazam. The Wizard is looking for a person who is pure of heart to pass his magic on. Thad is drawn to the eye of Envy and fails the test. He is returned to his car, and he causes an accident that injures his father.

Present day, Philadelphia: A young Billy Batson (Asher Angel), age 14, is searching for his mother. He is arrested and put in another foster home, however, he still is certain that his mother wants him back. Through a series of events, Billy Batson becomes Shazam (Zachary Levi) and Sivana is his arch nemesis. Will Billy find his mother? Does Billy learn the real meaning of family? Will Shazam save the world?  

Zachary Levi and Asher Angel are both excellent in the roles. When Billy becomes Shazam, he still has the mind of a 14-year old which Levi captures perfectly.  

This movie has a great storyline. It is funny with laugh out loud moments. And did I happen to mention Zachary Levi?

WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW:

This film is rated PG-13 and fully deserves that rating. It is intense and the scenes with the seven deadly sins (which are represented as ugly creatures) are ugly and scary. My 14 year old (who is autistic) was extremely bothered and agitated by these scenes. He buried his head in my side and covered his ears. However, even my 16-year-old son was bothered by these scenes.

There are numerous instances of people being bullied. Some of this film is set in a school setting, and there are kids that are less than kind. 

There is a lot of violence in this movie. There is a car accident in the beginning of the movie. One person has their head bitten off by one of the deadly sins and is thrown through a window. Several people are shown being killed. A woman disintegrates. In addition to violence, there is plenty of peril – for instance, a bus is shown hanging off a bridge, and people slam into the front window of the bus.

There is plenty of foul language. Dick is said. Sh-t, a-s, and h-ll are each said numerous times. There are also phrases said, such as “sucks balls,” “Oh my g-d,” “butt crack.” Additionally, when a young boy angers his father, the dad says, “You miserable little sh-t, you could have killed us.” In one scene, the f word is repeatedly bleeped out.

OTHER ITEMS OF CONCERN:

Shazam goes into a Gentleman’s Club. The outside of the club is shown. In another scene, Shazam transports himself and a group of children/teens to the Gentlemen’s Club. Again, just the outside is shown, but there are comments made. One male teen says, “That is not my scene,” and the implication is he is gay.  

In addition, Shazam and a teen go into a convenience store to buy beer. They are shown tasting the beer and spitting it out.

Someone flips the finger. The scene where Billy loses his mom is shown, and this can be traumatic to some children.

MORE THINGS TO KNOW:

Stay until the end – the very end. There is more than one extra scene throughout the credits.  

MOMENTS FOR TEACHING:

While there are plenty of moments for teaching within this film: Bullying, what family means, the use of power to get what you want, etc., there are a few key elements that I think are great teachable items. In the movie, they use disgusting creatures to represent the 7 deadly sins. While the 7 deadly sins (greed, pride, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth) are not listed in a list in the Bible, they are all things that are sinful. However, they are not unforgivable. Talk about what each sin is, and how those sins look in our lives. Also, discuss how giving into those sins consumes a person. 

Another item for teaching is the pure heart. What does God say about a pure heart? Did Shazam actually have a pure heart? Obviously, as a Christian, we believe that all are sinners except Jesus Christ, but there are certainly sinners that ran after God and were considered righteous even though they fell short. 

RECOMMENDATIONS:

While there is plenty of content to be aware of, and I am conservative of my movie viewing (I rarely see a PG-13 movie), I liked this movie. Zachary Levi is an actor that always brings his A-game. If you like him, you will love this movie. But this movie is definitely not for children. It is intense. You may be thinking that your child can handle it, but I urge you to err on the side of caution. Some of these scenes would give sensitive adults nightmares. Because of the violence, evil depicted, and language, my age recommendations is 12-13 and up.

I look forward to seeing more of Shazam in the future, and they certainly left the door open for more from this once-forgotten superhero.

Reviewing movies for parents from a Christian perspective since 2005. Know Before You Go!

Christian Homeschooling mom – 30 years and counting

Autism Mom & Disney enthusiast

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The gentlemen’s club is a strip club its just a fancy way of saying it so the kids don’t know

Hi I totally agree with you..i am Christian mum..my 13 yr old daughter went to see this tonight and we actually saw a bigger pic to it as in the sins although not mentioned in the Bible..but the beasts representing them…the rod/staff the wizard used…the true in heart…id the same view as you..all round it was a bit frightening but funny movie we both enjoyed it…thanks for your review…very helpful…

I disagree shazam is not for any christains it is demonic filling kids minds with the lies from the devil it is not a family movie it is a mockery to god using the wisdom of Solomon for a letter for his name it has witch craft and demons in it the only one with a pure heart is jesus, a wizard is a warlock not of God the devil is using these movies to lure kids in take their souls.

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You’re a lunatic Marie!

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Movie Review: ‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’

NEW YORK (OSV News) – Moviegoers craving insightful drama are unlikely to patronize a film called “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” (Warner Bros.). That’s just as well because, while this sequel to the 2019 origin story for the titular DC Comics character serves up action, special effects and some humorous dialogue, it fails to make much of a lasting impression.

In part, that’s due to the fact that returning director David F. Sandberg’s extension of the series, though diverting, comes overburdened with lore about both the morally upright and villainous forces who face off in his adventure. Thus there’s almost as much backstory as present-day plot.

To begin with the protagonist, veterans of the first outing will recall that a wizard (Djimon Hounsou) named Shazam gave 14-year-old Billy Batson (Asher Angel) the ability to turn himself into an adult (Zachary Levi), also called Shazam, by saying – you guessed it – “Shazam!” Confused yet?

Once he got over the wow factor of his new persona, endowed as it was with incredible strength and speed, Billy had to learn to use his capabilities responsibly. As this second chapter opens, Billy/Shazam is still unsure of his worthiness. But he now has backup since he eventually shared his magical powers with the ensemble of fellow foster kids with whom he lives.

While Billy is fretting, the most prominent of his adoptive siblings, his best pal Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer who becomes Adam Brody), is finding love in the corridors of his high school. But Freddy’s partner in this budding romance also has a background and is not what she initially appears.

Having given a nod to Cupid, it’s time for Mars to take the field. Every superhero needs a mission and Billy acquires one when the three daughters of the titan Atlas – Anthea (Rachel Zegler), Kalypso (Lucy Liu) and Hespera (Helen Mirren) – get hold of a mystical artifact that will enable them to wreak destruction on a global scale.

There’s much for believing viewers to appreciate even as they try to keep all these details straight. Student Freddy, for example, is physically challenged and the audience is clearly intended to recognize his dignity as well as sympathize with his gamely-faced difficulties.

The latter include some cruel bullying by loutish schoolmates, to which Freddy responds with admirable patience and peaceability. The love relationship on which he embarks, moreover, is sweetly innocent and leads to a demonstration of his chivalrous qualities.

Family bonds are also celebrated in Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan’s script. Yet the term gods gets thrown around in their screenplay in a way that might be confusing for the poorly catechized.

Additionally, a minor subplot reveals, briefly and matter-of-factly, that another of Billy’s brothers, Pedro (Jovan Armand/D.J. Cotrona), is gay. This turns out to be no surprise to anyone, and the subject is left at that.

Given that a large portion of this franchise’s appeal takes the form of teen wish fulfillment, it’s a shame that “Fury” can only be confidently endorsed for grown-ups. At a stretch, however, older adolescents well-grounded in their faith may perhaps be given their share of the popcorn – and the puzzlement.

The film contains much stylized but sometimes harsh violence, brief references to homosexuality and venereal disease, a few mild oaths, a couple of crude terms and occasional crass language. The OSV News classification is A-III — adults. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG-13 – parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

John Mulderig is media reviewer for OSV News. Follow him on Twitter @JohnMulderig1.

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Shazam! Fury of the Gods: A film whose positive portrayal of family life will delight Christian parents

Charles Merritt gives a cautious thumbs up to a super hero comedy that made him laugh

The Film: Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Rating: 12A

Watch if you liked: Shazam

Running time: 130 minutes Genre: Superhero, Comedy

Overview: When the Daughters of Atlas come to regain their powers, Billy Batson and the Shazamily must work out what it means to wield their powers as well as what it means to be a family.

What you liked:  You don’t get many edgy family films anymore. The Goonies, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future - the 80s had them all*. I’m not saying this movie is on par with the examples given, but it is similar in tone and style. Mainly how it’s equal parts dark and edgy whilst balanced with plenty of heart and humour.

( *I guess the most recent example I can think of is the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. There were plenty of laughs to be had and a lot of well set up jokes with good pay offs. Some of the jokes get a bit repetitive and some feel unnecessary but on the whole the comedy mainly worked.)

The mixture of Greek myth and superhero is interesting (as previously seen in another DC film, Wonder Woman) and adds an extra level to the story telling. Helen Mirren could have easily phoned in her performance as one of the daughters of Greek god, instead she plays the role with so much vigour it’s beautiful to watch.

Representation is actually one of this film’s strengths. Both age and race were on full display here and it’s not played for applause, it simply exists and it’s lovely.

The family of foster kids are brilliantly played by their young actors. Just like the first film, Freddy Freeman steals the show (played by the charismatic Jack Dylan Grazer) and it’s good to see him have a lot of screen time again. Grace Caroline Currey, the only actor to play both their non-superpower and super-powered version of their characters, also does a great job and I think she has a chance of landing some bigger roles in the future.

What you didn’t like

It’s a little confusing. I just about kept up with the plot but I can imagine those younger struggling to fully understand what was going on - especially when it came to the mythic lore.

As much as I think it is a good movie, and it is a good movie, it’s not the greatest movie of all time. There are definitely pacing issues and some moments that feel slightly too long or drawn out.

Unfortunately, the mid-credit scene left a bad taste in my mouth. I won’t bore you too much but DC Films is changing hands. Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad director/ writer, James Gunn, is taking over as Head of DC Films. This either means that any hint of future sequels or plot lines are not going to go anywhere or they are and they’ll focus on the characters that James Gunn has already invested in. Personally, although a big fan of his work on the Guardians of the Galaxy films, I haven’t enjoyed his take on the DC universe as of yet and so am not 100% he’s going to take it in the direction I would have liked. It also makes another cameo that takes place in the film, feel questionable. You’re left wondering whether this is the last time we’ll see this character as portrayed by their actor/actress (I won’t spoil who it is - but you may know as Warner Bros made the baffling decision to show it in a recent trailer…) and if it is, it’ll be an underwhelming exit for such a pivotal role.

Thoughts for parents

Some quick housekeeping before we enter the meaty faith discussions. There’s some bad language in the film and there are slightly scary moments (as discussed with the 80s family film comparison). It’s perfect for 12 plus, but I doubt you’d want to let any children under that age watch it. I would say it’s not as scary as the first film but still might give kids nightmares depending on their scare levels.

Faith wise, then, what does Shazam have to teach us?

As someone whose parents foster, I love the family aspect of both Shazam films. It’s great to see a positive portrayal of foster families and children.

Whereas in the first film, Billy learns to accept the love of his new family, this film he explores how to manage being part of a family. He’s terrified of being rejected by his new family that he has grown to love. There’s a particular fear of letting go of people so that they can grow and develop by themselves, and Billy starts to fall into the trap of being a very controlling sibling.

I wonder how we can be guilty of this in our own families? Whether biological, foster or church? In what ways do we hold young people back because we’re scared that they might not need us or want us anymore? In what way is that fear actually our own insecurity and not in the young person’s best interests?

Billy’s biggest problem is imposter syndrome. He’s become this superhero but hasn’t a clue about what his powers really are, what he’s meant to be doing and how he’s meant to lead his siblings. There’s a really funny joke about Solomon that I won’t ruin but still has me chuckling now. I think it’s probably safe to assume that most of us have suffered with ‘imposter syndrome’ at some point in our lives. Or on a daily basis?

 It all comes down to what it means to be worthy, a theme continued from the first film. The Wizard tells Billy towards the end of the movie, “Anyone can be worthy, if given a chance.” How quick are we to judge other people and deem them as unworthy of God’s love? What opportunities do we give others for them to know that in God’s eyes they are worthy of the ultimate sacrifice? Especially as we approach Easter, it’s important to hold that in our hearts. Jesus died for you because he believes that you are worth saving, even if you or those around you don’t.

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Shazam! Fury of the Gods Movie Review | Safe for Kids?

March 16, 2023 Written by Christie | Join the conversation | Entertainment  & Movie Reviews

Is Shazam! Fury of the Gods safe for kids? Is Shazam! Fury of the Gods OK for children? Read the Shazam! Fury of the Gods Movie Review | Safe for Kids?, an honest parents guide and mom review of the all-new Shazam 2 DC Super Hero film sequel from Warner Bros., starring Zachary Levi. No spoilers! #ShazamFuryoftheGods May contain commissioned links.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods Movie Review | Safe for Kids? Parents Guide

Does lightning strike twice for DC?

Of all of the DC super hero films, I have to admit that Shazam is probably my favorite. But knowing DC’s history of ruining solid films (cough, cough Wonder Woman 1984 ), I certainly had my doubts that Shazam! Fury of the Gods would pull through as a strong DC sequel.

But can this diamond in the rough super hero save the DC Universe from itself? In this Shazam! Fury of the Gods Movie Review | Safe for Kids?, I’m breaking down the visuals, the story, a full PG-13 age rating explanation for violence, adult themes and language, and what kids’ age recommendation is suggested to watch in this new 2023 Shazam Fury of the God parents guide to the new DC super hero Shazam 2 sequel film. A no-spoiler parent review of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, does Zachary Levi Sham-WOW us once again? Or is it time to hang up the cape?

The Visuals

Holy CGI, Batman! From gods to monsters to downtown Philadelphia, Shazam! Fury of the Gods really steps up the CGI technology for this Shazam sequel. But as big and bad as the visuals are for Shazam 2, it’s almost to the movie’s detriment. Bigger is not always better as CGI monsters and landscapes overshadow the story – with no real purpose other than “hey, DC can make creepy, cool looking monsters.”

Photosensitivity Warning . With strong CGI and a super hero who can conjure lightning – yeah, you’d better believe that there are multiple scenes of flashing lights, along scenes in darkness that could be triggering for viewers with seizure sensitivity.

“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” stars returning cast members Zachary Levi (“ Thor: Ragnarok ”) as Shazam; Asher Angel (“ Andi Mack ”) as Billy Batson; Jack Dylan Grazer (“ It Chapter Two ”) as Freddy Freeman; Adam Brody (“ Promising Young Woman ”) as Super Hero Freddy; Ross Butler (“ Raya and the Last Dragon ”) as Super Hero Eugene; Meagan Good (“ Day Shift ”) as Super Hero Darla; D.J. Cotrona (“ G.I. Joe: Retaliation ”) as Super Hero Pedro; Grace Caroline Currey (“ Annabelle: Creation ”) as Mary Bromfield / Super Hero Mary; Faithe Herman (“ This Is Us ”) as Darla Dudley; Ian Chen (“ A Dog’s Journey ”) as Eugene Choi; Jovan Armand (“ Second Chances ”) as Pedro Pena; Marta Milans (“ White Lines ”) as Rosa Vasquez; Cooper Andrews (“ The Walking Dead ”) as Victor Vasquez; with Djimon Hounsou (“ Guardians of the Galaxy ”) as Wizard.

Joining the cast are Rachel Zegler (“ West Side Story ”), with Lucy Liu (“ Kung Fu Panda ” franchise) and Helen Mirren (“ The Hundred-Foot Journey ”).

A sequel to the 2019 Shazam film , Billy and his family take on a new set of villains as Shazam! Fury of the Gods builds upon the DC mythology. Billy grapples with growing up, along with being a super hero leader, foster kid trauma, and family acceptance. And honestly, this is where the story loses it’s magic.

Light on the jokes, the teenage tropes and the lighthearted DC super hero fun that Zachary Levi brought in 2019, Shazam! Fury of the Gods felt a little too long, a little too “sequel-ly,” a little too product placement ad, a little too DC Universe expected. Somewhere between flawed one-note villains, heavy CGI monsters, disjointed action sequences, and unrealistic character relatability, Shazam has lost that lovin’ feelin’. Not quite the same sentiment that I had for the first Shazam.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods PG-13 Rating Explained

Is Shazam! Fury of the Gods safe for kids? For me, the 2019 Shazam film was a little too vulgar, a little too foul, a little too scary and graphic for a DC super hero film. Should we expect even more from Shazam 2? It’s no secret that I am highly skeptical of all MPAA ratings (um hello, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker not disclosing any language??). And as we know, not all movie and TV age ratings are the same.

As a parent, it’s been rather heartbreaking to witness how ratings have shifted over the years with a G-rating no longer an option. PG ratings now oscillating between Turning Red intense to Christopher Robin calm, and even PG-13/TV-14 age ratings teetering on the edge of R or MA ratings ( Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and Werewolf by Night , I see you!), there’s a wide range between the age of 0-13 years old for parents to consider. Having fully disclosed parent guidelines can help determine if a movie or show is kid friendly – and safe for the whole family to watch together.

Why is Shazam! Fury of the Gods rated PG-13? In this Shazam! Fury of the Gods Movie Review | Safe for Kids?, this 2023 Shazam 2 sequel film is rated PG-13 for “ sequences of action, language, violence. ” With film and TV ratings also unpredictable these days, having fully disclosed parent guidelines can help determine if a movie or television show like Shazam 2 is kid friendly. Is Shazam! Fury of the Gods too scary for kids? Let’s breakdown that PG-13 age rating in this Shazam! Fury of the Gods parents guide.

Violence/Suspense. Overall, I would say that Shazam! Fury of the Gods toned down the violence and suspense for this sequel when compared to the original. Nothing quite as intense as the board room scene, but one scene with a graphic impaling. Mild blood and gore, use of weapons, possessed-looking people, scary monsters, fight sequences, death and implied death, and torture also present.

Adult Themes. Also happy to see that the sexual innuendo is also calmed down for this sequel. Adult themes for Shazam! Fury of the Gods include discussion of mental health, foster child trauma, bullying, potty humor (nothing shown), one reference to “vaping on TikTok,” and one scene of implied hangover (no alcohol consumed).

FYI, the MPAA did not disclose ANY sexual content in their rating – yet here we are. Sexual content in Shazam! Fury of the Gods includes one reference to “chlamydia,” one reference to being “gay,” shirtless man pic in magazine, one reference to “pimping,” hugging, holding hands, and one kiss. Again, overall Shazam 2 has LESS adult themes than the original film.

Language. Overall, Shazam 2 is about the same level of foul language – maybe slightly less vulgar that the original Shazam. Curse words/swear words include 1 “d!cks,” 3 “@ss,” 1 “@sshole,” 4 “sh!t,” 2 “g-d damn,” 5 “H-E-double-hockey sticks,” 1 “mother f—” (cut off), and 1 “holy sh–” (cut off).

Other mild insults and bad language phrases include “suck balls,” “sucks,” “idiot,” “screw it,” “shut up,” “freak out,” “geeze,” “fart,” “Oh my g-d,” “g-d darn,” “oh my gosh,” and “holy moly.”

Shazam! Fury of the Gods Movie Age Rating for Kids

At a runtime of 2 hours 10 minutes , Shazam 2 is a little on the lengthy side for a DC super hero film. Throw in a fractured story, heavy mythology back story, heavy dialogue, less humor, less action, and one-note villains, this is not a WOW Shazam sequel for kids. But kids who loved the first Shazam movie will be entertained – but not at the same level as the first film. Overall Shazam! Fury of the Gods is MORE kid friendly than the original 2019 Shazam film, with less innuendo, less bad language and less graphic violence.

Shazam 2 is comparable to Black Adam and the original 2019 Shazam film .

Yes, 2 end credit scenes ! Stay in your seats DC Universe fans, because Shazam 2 has one mid credit scene and 1 end credit scene that your family will want to stick around for.

Based on my Shazam! Fury of the Gods parents guide and mom review above, this parent movie reviewer would not recommend Shazam! Fury of the Gods to kids younger than the age of 11-12 years old .

Considering the full PG-13 rating breakdown above, this parent movie reviewer would not recommend Shazam! Fury of the Gods to kids younger than the age of 11-12 years old . This Shazam! Fury of the Gods PG-13 rating is pretty spot on and easily comparable to the 2019 Shazam movie and Black Adam . Overall, I would say that Shazam! Fury of the Gods is more kid friendly than the original – with less language, less violence, and less adult themes when compared to the original. I still recommend parents to prescreen Shazam 2 for multiple adult innuendos, language, and graphic super hero violence.

The Overall

It was better than what I was expecting for a Shazam sequel. But honestly, that’s not saying much. Does lightning strike twice for Shazam! Fury of the Gods? Well, not exactly. But I could certainly “taste the sequel.”

Big plot holes, flawed villains, unrealistic continuity, disjointed action, and a detachment from the original, unique, sarcastic but funny Billy we fell in love with, Shazam! Fury of the Gods doesn’t quite connect the dots for me. An overall decent, watchable sequel (especially when compared to certain DC Universe failures), but Shazam lost some of his magic.

Follow Shazam! Fury of the Gods on social media:

• Website: https://www.dc.com/shazam
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShazamMovie/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShazamMovie
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ShazamMovie/
• #ShazamFuryoftheGods

Looking for more parent movie reviews and TV reviews like Shazam! Fury of the Gods Movie Review | Safe for Kids? Check out these popular posts:

Shazam! Fury of the Gods, the all-new 2023 DC Super Hero sequel film is flying into theaters starting Friday March 17, 2023. Will your family be watching?

I was invited to screen the 2023 Shazam 2 sequel film in exchange for this Shazam! Fury of the Gods Movie Review | Safe for Kids? Parents Guide. All photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Be sure to follow Raising Whasians for more movie updates, celebrity interviews, entertainment and behind-the-scenes info!

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There’s a certain reputation that comes with Marvel and DC films. The MCU quickly discovered that a light-hearted joke-riddled tone worked well with their superhero content, whereas the DCEU attempted a darker, more gritty approach to their cinematic adaptations. Viewers found the DCEU to be too serious for its comic books roots, favouring the MCU instead, essentially killing off the competition between the two juggernauts before it had even begun. A change of heart was noticed with Aquaman , with director James Wan introducing the element of fun back into DC film adaptations. Though it was Shazam! that really changed the overall tone of these films. It was comedy-centric and light-hearted, but it still delivered a warm message. While it contained a few references to other superheroes, it still felt like a standalone movie, demonstrating that DC was now willing to carve their own path as opposed to following Marvel’s model.

Yet while Shazam! held some importance in the wider context of DC’s direction, as a film it didn’t particularly offer audiences anything really new, mostly because viewers are getting rather blasé about any sort of superhero content due to its current prevalence in cinema. Enough time now has rolled around for a sequel to emerge— Shazam! Fury of the Gods —and the anticipation for it is noticeably mellow. Is there anything special about this particular comic book adaptation compared to the plethora of others?

Content Guide

Violence/Scary Images: For a comedy-driven superhero film, a lot of bystanders die in fairly horrible ways. Humans turn into rage-like zombies, attack each other, then are turned into stone/crumbled into dust. Scary-looking fantasy creatures (ogres, minotaurs, harpies, etc) attack people, violently flinging them about. A character is impaled. A menacing dragon is a prominent creature in the film. Some car crashes are shown. The antagonists frequently discuss destroying humans. Comic-book style large action fights where characters bash each other with no real consequence (except for the destruction of the surrounding environment). Light gore as a character removes a splinter underneath their fingernail. As tradition, Sandberg’s wife has a cameo and once again faces a horrible fate.

Language/Crude Humor: No f-bombs, though a little girl says “mother-“ and is audibly cut off before she can drop her f-bomb. The s-word is said, and other swears such as a** and d*ck and their variations. God’s name is used in vain. Swearing isn’t noticeably frequent.

Drug/Alcohol References: It’s suggested that a character is hungover. Characters sip wine. There are references about a character being on drugs.

Sexual Content: There is a teen romance throughout the film (although their ages are technically thousands of years apart). Two teenagers kiss. A teenage boy has a crush and dreams of dating a middle-aged woman. One character comes out as homosexual.

Spiritual Content: The entire premise of this film pulls a lot from Greek and Roman mythology. The Shazam family’s powers originate from characters of ancient lore, such as Hercules, Zeus, etc. Solomon is mentioned as a figure of wisdom, though he is lumped in with the Pagan mythology. The three antagonists are the daughters of Atlas. The story is very much about humans versus the gods.

Other Negative Content: The level of property damage (and untold death) displayed is almost on par with Man of Steel . There is a lot of deception and double-crossing, and also contempt towards human life.

Positive Content: The film digs deep into themes such as taking ownership and responsibility of your deeds, finding your self-worth, allowing the freedom of others, what it means to be a hero, and standing up for what is right despite the cost.

If you liked Shazam! then there’s no real reason why you’d dislike Shazam! Fury of the Gods . It’s more of the same, which is to be expected of a sequel. Does it surpass the original? No. Does it expand on some of the ideas of the first? A little bit. Can you watch the sequel without watching the first? Not really—you at least need to know the Wizard’s role and how Billy and the others got their powers.

Despite being set a year or two after the first, it’s clear Billy isn’t necessarily used to being a superhero. Literally too immature for the job, part of the original film’s appeal was its Freaky Friday element of watching a child roleplay as an adult with access to a huge amount of supernatural power. In Shazam! this idea was played more for laughs, but in Fury of the Gods it forms the central theme. It intriguingly brings in the topic of Imposter Syndrome, which feels like the symbolism behind Billy’s thoughts towards his superpowered transformation. Shazam is the epitome of one “faking it until they make it”. It’s one aspect that makes this story different to all the other superhero films out there, and the exploration of this theme is one of the more interesting factors in the movie. One could take the symbolism even deeper and say that it’s a wider metaphor for a teenage boy coming of age; Billy is at that awkward stage in life where he is no longer a child, but not quite yet an adult, and that dissonance between the two mindsets is nicely represented with Billy feeling inadequate when he is Shazam. For such a light-hearted romp, there is some thematic depth here if you’re willing to dig for it.

The film contains the warm glow of a heart and soul, though there are times when it feels absent. Yes, Shazam! was comedic, but the original film’s real strength was found more in its family drama. Sometimes Fury of the Gods tries too hard to shoehorn in its brand of humour, and unfortunately its childish jokes wear thin rather quickly. This might be because the screentime of the cast is inverse to what we saw in Shazam! In the first movie, the audience spent more time with the child actors and explored the issues in their teen world, whereas this sequel spends more time with the superhero alter egos and the problems they’re facing as heroes. Since their problems are less relatable, the story feels less grounded and more silly as there’s a higher percentage of watching adults behave like children.

Yet when the younger actors are on screen, their scenes hit their intended emotional highs. Just like the first, Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy carries a lot of the film, and whenever he is on screen he just injects more energy and fun into all of his scenes. Asher Angel sadly isn’t seen too often, but he brings a lot of emotional weight to his role, and Zachary Levi works well as his older counterpart. Mary also plays a larger role this time around, with both versions of the character now being portrayed by Grace Caroline Currey.

One might have hoped the sequel explored more of Pedro, Darla, and Eugene’s characters considering how underdeveloped they were in the first. While Fury of the Gods mentions within the opening act what each character has done over the years and how their small actions have contributed to the team, alas, once the catalyst for the story occurs, all three are sidelined once again. To be blunt and to say the quiet things out loud, they do feel like diversity hires due to the script leaving them with little or nothing to do, seemingly making their characters exist purely to tick off some diversity checklist in order to gain brownie points from those that follow that metric. It’s a shame, as Eugene’s new hobby in particular sounds like it would have been fun to see in action if the film was allowed to indulge itself for a few minutes. Even more cringe-inducing is that one character comes out as gay. Of course, the news has no impact on the plot, it doesn’t service the story, but it exists briefly to pander to whoever it’s meant to impress in a short scene that can be easily edited out for problematic overseas audiences. Much stunning. Such brave. Wow.

There is one moment in the film that will be sure to divide audiences, and that is the massive product placement that occurs as an integral part of the plot. The product is seen and used. The slogan is even quoted. It’s the best form of cinema advertising a company could ever wish for. Cringe or funny? I’m personally undecided.

Yet that’s as bad as the film gets. Most of the time the movie feels innocuous and unobtrusive, easily coasting along as mild entertainment. There’s not a whole lot to hate about it. It’s a delight to watch Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, as while they ultimately come across as generic villains, they are seeming to have fun in their roles. Rachel Zegler continues to be a bright star, oozing charisma whenever she’s on screen. If you’re a sucker like me for mythical creatures, then you’re in for a special treat, as the entire third act is littered with the beasts, and the cool factor is always upped whenever a dragon is included in the narrative.

For Christian parents that might be worried about the pagan content due to the heavy referencing of ancient Greek and Roman lore, while Shazam’s powers are rooted within this mythology, the film certainly doesn’t encourage belief in this system. Among others, Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu play gods, and they’re not ones to worship—in fact they are openly antagonistic towards humanity and show complete disdain for our species. If anything, the film will provide savvy parents a great juxtaposition to the way God interacts with humanity, and some fantastic discussions could be generated after this film if children are questioning the dedication of God’s relationship with us. The use of magic is present in the film, but it’s very comic bookish, and aside from kids maybe wanting to scream “Shazam!” every so often, there aren’t any spells or occult practices for children to foolishly replicate.

If there’s one aspect that might give parents pause, then it’s the film’s sexual content. Billy and Freddy are older teens, and they are therefore wishing to form relationships with the opposite sex. Freddy’s romance, whilst it comes with a caveat, feels rather standard within the world of mainstream cinema, but Billy’s character appears to have a crush on Wonder Woman. It’s a little creepy given the age difference, to the point where some of the supporting cast ponder whether it’s appropriate. The scenes are not explicit and are played for laughs, so it will go over most children’s heads, though adults will pick up that Billy obviously has lust-fueled fantasies about the older woman. The film is too scary and edgy for the littlies anyway; pre-teens and older are more suited.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a fun romp that feels like a natural addition to the first. It’s not a bad film, but there’s nothing ground-breaking or anything particularly memorable either. There are better movie choices screening in cinemas right now, but it’s an easy way to pass two hours of your time should you wish to catch this sequel on the silver screen.

+ Fun tone + Hits its emotional beats + Some symbolism if one wants it + Cool to see mythical creatures + They have a dragon!

- Too many characters with nothing to do - Sometimes too childish - Randomly inserted Woke agenda and product placement - Too scary and heavy on the sexuality to be considered truly family-friendly

The Bottom Line

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is nothing spectacular, but it is entertaining and raises one or two interesting themes for a run-of-the-mill superhero film.

Juliana Purnell

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An effortlessly entertaining blend of humor and heart, Shazam! is a superhero movie that never forgets the genre's real power: joyous wish fulfillment.

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David F. Sandberg

Zachary Levi

Mark Strong

Asher Angel

Billy Batson

Jack Dylan Grazer

Freddy Freeman

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Any lifelong fan of superheroes has at one point wanted to be one—to suddenly have superpowers, to fight evil, to do what ordinary humans can’t do. It’s a fantasy that’s directly entertained by “Shazam!”, as director David F. Sandberg puts the premise of “Big” into the DC Cinematic Universe as it continues to expand and lighten up. But while “Shazam!” is goofier (and darker) than it may look, you'll wish its superhero came with a little more spark.  

Before its heroes and villains, “Shazam!” is all about family. Asher Angel ’s Billy Batson is the most clean-cut troublemaker you can find in movies these days, pranking Philadelphia cops and causing a ruckus for social workers. He’s soon welcomed into a foster home by parents Rosa ( Marta Milans ) and Victor ( Cooper Andrews ) who have a supportive and spunky makeshift family of their own, including the precocious Darla ( Faithe Herman ) and the video game-addicted Eugene ( Ian Chen ). Billy shares a room with the sarcastic Freddy (Jack Dylan Glazer), who is a DC super fan, and even has some Superman and Batman paraphernalia. And yet in spite of the love around him, Billy’s biggest goal is to break out and find the biological mother who abandoned him years ago. Mixing Billy’s pain with the warmth of his new home, “Shazam!” creates a sweet message about how you choose the family that’s around you, not unlike Hirokazu Kore-eda ’s Oscar-nominated “ Shoplifters .”  

Superpowers come into Billy’s life randomly, and that’s just how “Shazam!” functions—while escaping on the subway from some bullies who picked on Freddy, Billy is transported to the Rock of Eternity, the lair of the Wizard Shazam ( Djimon Hounsou ). The stoic, incredibly serious wizard transfers his powers to Billy because he finds Billy “pure of heart.” When Billy says the wizard’s name, Billy can transform from a teenager into a classic-looking hero ( Zachary Levi ) with red spandex, a bright lightning bolt on his chest and a cape, not to mention a bunch of powers that Billy figures out with the help of Freddy.  

Billy isn’t alone, though. The maniacal Dr. Thaddeus Sivana ( Mark Strong ) has found a way to the wizard’s cave without having to be invited, after experiencing his own random selection as a young boy in a very striking opening sequence that ends with a car accident and him hating his brother and father. After creating his own portal out of thin air (one of many scenes where the special effects here are aces), Dr. Sivana unleashes the Seven Deadly Sins that sat dormant in the lair, the seven spirits changing from their large gargoyle-like presence into an evil that Dr. Sivana can carry around in his right eye. When he finds out that someone has similar powers to his own, he starts to hunt Shazam down, not knowing Shazam is actually a teenage boy.  

Levi has the very tricky role of playing a literal image of arrested development, pretending to be a teenager whenever Billy activates the Shazam identity. He doesn’t exactly pull it off—I had to remind myself more than a few times that he’s meant to be thinking and acting like a teenager, instead of how he presents himself, as an excitable, slap-happy adult whose voice squeaks in the face of shenanigans or danger. Some jokes about Shazam’s self-discovery do work, and when he’s bouncing off the unamused intensity of Mark Strong, it has a noteworthy comic balance. But one can see how the action and comedy of “Shazam!” would work better if Billy felt like a shared idea between both actors.  

Like Levi’s performance, “Shazam!” tries to charm by being a little extra. When Dr. Sivana goes to a family company meeting it ends with heads being ripped off; when bullies pick on Freddy at school they clip him with their truck first and then leave it parked in an illegal spot; when Billy finds out he’s invincible to bullets, he asks would-be convenience store robbers to shoot him in the face. It’s an attitude that makes for an entertaining, rambunctious, and unpredictable first half—you could step out for popcorn during a foster family bonding moment, and come back to a deadly-serious, ‘80s-tastic fantasy wizard scene. But it’s a testament to the scope of the “ Annabelle: Creation ” director that no ingredient feels out of place, that the bright red of Billy’s hoodie used to foreshadow his superhero costume is as much a definitive part of the color palette as the creepy darkness that Dr. Sivana brings with him to every scene. When it’s all mixed together, they make “Shazam!” into a whole lot of movie.

But there’s a wholesale quality that nearly defeats “Shazam!”, regardless of whether some lore is related to previous iterations of the character. Were the Seven Deadly Sins the only ones available from the villain rolodex? And why are they so rote, these gloopy gray-green demon beings who look like someone didn’t finish visualizing them? Then there’s Shazam’s dull powers, that he can run really fast, has super strength, or he can fly—the super basics. “Shazam!” tries to get around this void with its discovery-of-maturity “Big” storyline, and guidance from motormouth Freddy in how to be a superhero, but it all plays like “ Deadpool 2 ” and “ Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse ” before it, where another script expects big laughs for making the heroes self-aware, and only gets a few chuckles in return.  

And it’s no coincidence with the recent “ Captain Marvel ” that “Shazam!” goes without an official name for its superhero until the very end, as it’s all related to a headache in comics history regarding his original name, Captain Marvel, and Marvel’s “Captain Marvel.” Here, the name-goof highlights a generic quality for a superhero whose most stand-out element is his secret identity—a boy who wants to find his biological mother almost more than doing proper superhero stuff. He’s a placeholder that DC wants to frame as an underdog; keep an eye out for how many Batman or Superman backpacks you see in Billy’s school, or mentions of the heroes when it comes to describing what makes a superhero. Shazam’s name might be the title, but even the movie’s final note has him playing second fiddle.  

About that third act—part of the intrigue in “Shazam!” is in watching a young person who doesn’t know much better learn to use their powers for good and not just yuk-yuks, like when Shazam does tricks for tips shooting lightning out of his fingers. When the movie confirms how it will make a sequel about this same storyline for new characters, "Shazam!" takes its full cheesy form, as much as Sandberg's camera swoops around a Christmas carnival-turned- battleground set piece like it's been attached to the scrambler ride.  “Shazam!” slows down when it should be ramping up, its action proving to be less inspired than the zippy dialogue between Billy’s makeshift family, or moments in which Dr. Sivana goes all-in on being evil. The big showdown between Dr. Sivana and Shazam especially is as mindless as when a kid nearby is shown smashing Batman and Superman action figures together, one of that final battle’s visual moments of comic relief.  

Still, there’s a fair share of fun to be had with “Shazam!” as a comedy about superhero growing pains from a comic book company also figuring itself out cinematically. But while it’s a nice step away from the blunt machismo of earlier DC fare, it’s a noticeable downgrade in imagination from James Wan ’s “ Aquaman " and that film’s $200 million-version of daydreaming while playing with your toys in a swimming pool. Compared to any of its super peers, “Shazam!” is more straight-forward with its purpose and significance: it’s the blockbuster version of plopping down in front of a Saturday morning cartoon, watching an archetypal caped crusader save the day. All the while you slurp your sugary cereal, an act of killing time before the next major superhero story comes to theaters.  

Nick Allen is the former Senior Editor at RogerEbert.com and a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Film credits.

Shazam! (2019)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action, language, and suggestive material.

132 minutes

Zachary Levi as Shazam

Asher Angel as Billy Batson

Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman

Mark Strong as Doctor Thaddeus Bodog Sivana

Djimon Hounsou as The Wizard

Grace Fulton as Mary Bromfield

Faithe Herman as Darla Dudley

Ian Chen as Eugene Choi

Cooper Andrews as Victor Vasquez

Marta Milans as Rosa Vasquez

• David F. Sandberg

Writer (Shazam created by)

• Bill Parker

Writer (story by)

• Henry Gayden
• Darren Lemke

Cinematographer

• Maxime Alexandre
• Michel Aller
• Benjamin Wallfisch

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Shazam! Fury of the Gods Parent Guide

More nuanced than the original film, this instalment delivers lots of action and violence, some laughs, and plenty of character growth..

Theaters: When angry gods come to Earth in search of the powers stolen from them long ago, Bill Batson and his family of fellow foster kids have to learn how to use their own powers to save the world.

Release date March 17, 2023

Run Time: 130 minutes

Get Content Details

The guide to our grades, parent movie review by kirsten hawkes.

When Billy Batson (Asher Angel) unexpectedly gained superpowers at fourteen years of age, he and his foster siblings saved the world from a demented super-villain, but their actions unexpectedly opened the gates for future mayhem. Four years later, Billy anxiously anticipates aging out of foster care, but bigger problems lie ahead.

The three daughters of the Greek Titan, Atlas, are determined to restore magic to their divine realm and wreak revenge on the wizards and humans they blame for their long decline. To succeed, they must steal the wizards’ staff to regain their powers and then find a magical golden apple so they can plant the Tree of Life on earth. Since it’s not intended for terrestrial soil, the Tree will unleash terrifying destruction and will eventually end life on Earth.

Parents should be warned that violence is a defining feature of this movie. There are frequent scenes of people being punched, kicked, thrown into walls, impaled, and turned into stone or vaporized to dust. In one scene, a man’s mind is controlled and he jumps off a roof. Main characters die – and sometimes stay dead. A dragon terrorizes people and gruesome legendary monsters roam the streets of Philadelphia, killing and injuring the residents. On the non-violent end of the spectrum, adults may be unenthused with the movie’s product placement for Skittles. It’s not every day a corporation can get its product and advertising tagline into a movie, so this is a win for the Mars Wrigley company. Parents might feel like they are losing out when their kids start demanding to “eat the rainbow”.

The 2019 Shazam! release succeeded thanks to its over-the-top goofy vibe. It got lots of comic mileage out of challenges faced by kids and teenagers who suddenly found themselves in adult bodies with superpowers. There were lots of laughs and moments of growth. This sequel has fewer laughs and the goofiness is toned down. That doesn’t make the film boring, but it is more nuanced. The foster sibs are now dealing with the challenges of growing up in the real world as well as trying to save it. Their journeys deliver strong positive messages about love, loyalty, courage and self-sacrifice. The best part of the film, however, is Helen Mirren as Titan’s daughter, Hespera. Dame Helen is British acting aristocracy and she takes complete command of the movie anytime she’s on screen. She manages to imbue her mythical character with believable emotions and changes of direction, reminding us that no person is one-dimensional. The superhero movie market is heavily over-saturated but the Shazam! series thus far manages to stand out in the field by succeeding in the difficult balancing act of being sincere and tongue-in-cheek at the same time.

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Shazam! Fury of the Gods Rating & Content Info

Why is Shazam! Fury of the Gods rated PG-13? Shazam! Fury of the Gods is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sequences of action and violence, and language.

Violence: People are punched, kicked, tossed around, thrown into hard objects, vaporized, and turned into stone. Mind control is used on people, causing fights, and forcing one man to jump off a roof. A woman tortures people with her mind control skills. A bridge collapses, putting people into situations of extreme peril: many are saved by superheroes. A gigantic tree grows at a tremendous rate and spreads roots and vines throughout a city. Mythical creatures erupt from the tree’s nodules and attack city residents. A giant force field traps people inside a city. A person uses powers to spin and move large buildings: no injuries are shown but a significant number of people would inevitably be killed or injured in this kind of event. A dragon destroys a house and attacks people with claws and fire. Main characters die on screen; one is seen with serious injury detail. A person’s hands are cut by shards of glass. Sexual Content: A teen boy and girl kiss. A character announces, with no detail, that he is gay. Profanity: There are sixteen uses of profanity or crude language in the film, including three scatological curses, a half dozen crude anatomical terms, three terms of deity, and four minor profanities. Alcohol / Drug Use: A character is apparently hungover, but she is never seen drinking and the cause of her discomfort is discussed in coded language. 

Page last updated January 23, 2024

Related home video titles:

Shazam!, the first film in the series, introduces audiences to the wizard, Billy Batson, and his stepsiblings.

Another light-hearted take on the superhero genre is Spider-Man Homecoming . Younger superhero fans can enjoy the animated adventures of the web-slinging hero in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Another superhero fights a dragon in Shang-Chi and the Ten Ring s .

A main character sacrifices himself for the sake of his friends in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , A scene from this movie is referenced in Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS

"myth conceptions".

What You Need To Know:

Miscellaneous Immorality: Teenage girl deceives teenage boy, villain deceives superheroes, two boys bully another teenager who has a game leg and walks with a steel cane.

More Detail:

SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS continues the story of teenage Billy Battson who’s transformed many times into an adult superhero when he says a magic word and now must stop the vengeful, powerful daughters of the Greek god Atlas from destroying Philadelphia. SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS is exciting and contains some strong heartfelt, uplifting moments celebrating family and sacrifice, but the movie accepts the false polytheistic Greek mythology of multiple gods and has a fair amount of foul language and a politically correct moment where a teenage boy admits he’s homosexual, and his family totally approves.

The movie opens with the two daughters of Atlas, Hespera and Kalypso, invading a museum in Greece and stealing the magical staff that Billy broke in half in the first SHAZAM! movie. Before they leave, they turn everyone in the museum to stone. They return to another realm to which they had been banished, until Billy broke the staff that held them there. After Billy broke the staff, Hespera and Kalypso kidnapped the Wizard who gave Billy his superpowers. So, now they force the old Wizard to heal the broken staff.

Cut to Billy and his four foster brothers and sisters leaving the house and transforming into superheroes to save scores of people trapped on a large bridge that’s starting to collapse. They save all the people, but the “news” media just blames them for not stopping the bridge from collapsing. They’ve even nicknamed the “Philly Fiascoes.”

Billy has established a rule for his foster siblings, “All or none.” Either they all transform as superheroes to save people and stop crime, or none of them transforms. However, he has trouble keeping the others to abide by that rule, especially Freddy. As his normal self, Freddy walks with a steel cane to support his left leg but likes to go out at night alone as his superhero alter ego to stop criminals and save people in danger.

The two daughters of Atlas, Hespera and Kalypso, come to Philadelphia looking for the superheroes who were seen using the magical staff. It turns out they want to gain access to the magical realm of the Rock of Eternity, which Billy and his siblings now control. The magical realm of the Rock contains a seed from the Tree of Life. The daughters want to use the seed to restore their tyrannical father’s kingdom and exact revenge on the human race which destroyed it long ago with the Wizard’s help.

With the help of a third sister, Hespera and Kalypso use the magical staff to drain Freddy’s powers and kidnap him. Billy has a plan to turn the tables on them and get Fredy back, but his plan backfires. Now, all the people in Philadelphia are in danger.

SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS is exciting, but the movie’s real strength lies in the strength of its characters, including their humor. Thus, the movie contains some strong heartfelt, uplifting moments celebrating family and sacrifice. It’s the bonds between Billy, his siblings and their adoptive parents, Rosa and Victor, that become the heart of the movie’s climax. The highlight of the movie’s humor involves a sequence where Billy’s young foster sibling, Darla, establishes a special kind of rapport with some scary-looking unicorns that appear in the second act.

FURY OF THE GODS celebrates family and sacrifice, and even acknowledges the benefits of the “Wisdom of Solomon.” However, its mixed worldview also accepts the false, polytheistic Greek mythology of gods. The three daughters of the Greek god Atlas are goddesses. Also, one of the daughters, played by Helen Mirren, ends up calling Billy a god when he shows the strength of his character, which finally matches the superpowers that the Wizard gave him. None of these “gods” demand worship, but the movie never acknowledges the One True God of Civilization’s biblical heritage.

SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS also has 23 obscenities and light profanities and lots of action violence, including scenes where a person’s chest is pierced by a dragon’s claw and the chests of two or so monsters are pierced by a unicorn’s horn. Finally, one of Billy’s brothers, Pedro, comes out to the family as homosexual, and the other family members happily accept his homosexual sin. As Proverbs 8:13 says, “To fear God is to hate evil,” not accept it, much less to promote it.

Unlike the first SHAZAM! movie, FURY OF THE GODS doesn’t have any overt Christian references. It replaces that positive redemptive content with the overt Greek mythology cited above. If the movie was set in Ancient Greece, like the old Hercules movies, such myth conceptions might be more acceptable. However, setting them in the modern world is a real problem, especially if there’s no overt positive references to the One True God, Jesus or biblical ideas or stories to counter them. So, MOVIEGUIDE® rates the movie as unacceptably excessive.

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‘Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ Review: Yells Like Teen Spirit

The problem with this sequel is that the character used up his best ideas in the first movie.

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By Amy Nicholson

Over the next three months, Warner Brothers will release two separate blockbusters starring super-dudes who zip around in red suits emblazoned with lightning bolts. “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” a sequel that trips over its desperation to amuse, needs the running start over “The Flash.”

Not only does its lead character have lower brand recognition because of his inability to outrun a speeding trademark lawyer, he’s also spent eight decades searching for a reason to exist. In 1941, two years after he was created, the character (known then as Captain Marvel) was the subject of a copyright infringement lawsuit by the publishers of Superman, who claimed that he was a knockoff with identical powers. Decades later, when he attempted a comeback, Marvel Comics stripped away his name with a cease-and-desist. Even here, within the safe space of his own overlong and clangy movies, he flails for an identity. Should he go by Thundercrack? Zap-tain America? The returning director David F. Sandberg’s one good idea is centering the character’s anxiety on his redundance — a super-clone weighed down by impostor syndrome. Spin the jagged M of his lightning bolt horizontally and Sandberg could claim it stands for Captain Metajoke.

Two hours into his second movie, our hero (Zachary Levi) finally adopts the moniker Shazam!, which stands for his ability to channel the combined abilities of the gods Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles and Mercury. Tweedy types, myself included, might grumble that Solomon and Achilles aren’t technically gods — and that, for consistency, Mercury should really be Hermes — but what’s the point when a guy with the supposed wisdom of Solomon opens the movie bleating, “I’m an idiot!”

The problem with Shazam! — let’s do without the spirit fingers for the rest of this review — is that the character used up his best ideas in the first movie, which came out in 2019 . For his debut, Sandberg and the screenwriter Henry Gayden were graced with low expectations and a wallop of tenderness and wit. All they had to do was endear us to young Billy Batson (Asher Angel), a 14-year-old runaway who ka-pows into his magical alter ego (Levi) whenever the boy yells, well, you know. The heart came from watching the lonely child embrace his foster family and, ultimately, share his powers with five other orphans; the laughs came from the body-morphing comedy of seeing a teen in an adult-size skin suit realize that with great power comes the ability to buy booze. If the Avengers are swaggering mall cops who maintain order for the purpose of selling T-shirts and toys, Shazam is the juvenile delinquent shoplifting their dignity.

Levi boasts a dopey, roguish charm associated more with Super Bowl beer commercials than super-tights. He’s a good physical comedian, especially when he gnaws a breath mint like a bunny. Yet, as the child version of Shazam nears 18, the character can’t stay moronic forever — and there won’t be anything interesting about him once he matures. To stall for time, his character arc is merely a bunt. (As best I could figure, he has to either unite his family … or learn to let them go?) The script, by Gayden and Chris Morgan, a longtime “Fast & Furious” scribe, clutters the bases with over a dozen distractions: six super-siblings at two age stages, three Greek gods, a half-dozen breeds of mythological beasties, two parents, one wizard, and one weak romance between the goddess Anthea (Rachel Zegler, who spends the running time fretfully furrowing her brow) and Billy’s brother Freddy Freeman, played by Jack Dylan Grazer, an intense, moody actor with the potential — and connections — to be a serious star. (His uncle is the producer Brian Grazer.)

Drama starts when two daughters of Atlas, Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Kalypso (Lucy Liu), storm into an Athenian history museum to steal an ancient staff that will restore their celestial ability to raze and smash. I’d credit Mirren for the flourish when her character claws at the staff’s display box like a cat pawing a fish tank, but I’m not entirely sure it was her under the pixels. Once empowered, the immortal sisters reduce the museum’s treasures (and its tourists) to rubble, having as much reverence for human artifacts as we might have for an Ikea couch. Then the pair sets out to squeeze extra god juice from Shazam and his cohorts, who are, as one might expect from untrained children, so awful at hero-ing that their hometown, Philadelphia, has nicknamed them the Fiascos. (Still, to a city that treasures misfit mascots like Gritty and the Phillie Phanatic, that name may be somewhat affectionate.)

The quippy script doesn’t take much seriously. The score, by Christophe Beck, insists that we do. It’s an ungainly mishmash of tones that comes together only in one bizarre, wonderful gag when a graying wizard (Djimon Hounsou) barges into Billy’s erotic dream to deliver some very serious exposition with his head fused to Wonder Woman’s bronze-plated breasts.

Performance-wise, the film is cleaved into two camps: teens versus titans, or really, relentless wisecrackers in on the overall joke versus stern grande dames who treat the joke as sophomoric. The closest Liu comes to a smile is a twitch of anticipation just before she blasts someone with a laser beam. Mirren, looking otherworldly in white mascara and a taloned crown, only bothered to bring one expression to set, a non-emotion best described as “hypnotic cobra face.” When Mirren allows herself to be body-slammed, the shock of seeing the cinema’s queen thwacked into concrete makes it impossible to focus on the stakes of the scene. Instead of thinking about the division of god and mortal, we’re distracted by the blurring of actors and wrestlers.

Sandberg started his career in small horror films, and doesn’t seem to have much ambition to scale up. Most of the sequences are cut from medium shots strung together without much style — they may as well be a “Saturday Night Live” sketch. The fight scenes are a repetitive headache of lightning zaps and crushed cars. (Twice, a bridge gets destroyed.) One team meet-up is staged, randomly, at an auto junkyard; it’s as though these serial sedan-killers want to lord it over the corpses. The look is bold and blah, either blue-gray gloom or a shellacking of amber magic-hour glow. Whenever there’s an image with visual awe — say, Shazam battling through a blaze of electricity — the movie hastily cuts away, as if embarrassed by its own aspirations. Relax, super-bro. You’re not going to get sued for striving to be more than a runner-up.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods Rated PG-13 for C.G.I. action smashery. Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes. In theaters.

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Shazam! Fury of the Gods review – second dose of DC’s impostor-syndrome superhero

Zachary Levi returns as the hapless, self-involved crime-fighter in a zesty sequel that, though funny, doesn’t entirely shatter the superhero-movie template

The first Shazam movie from 2019 was praised for its lighter, brighter worldview, its Gen-Z brio and for being generally unencumbered by the portentous and spurious gloom of earlier DC films. This is true of this sequel too, only it’s hard not to notice that it could simply be fitting into another boilerplate model (there’s a cheeky gag about The Avengers ). A group of superheroes, all with cartoony character traits and a sprinkling of funny lines, wind up battling an intergalactic invasive menace, culminating in the usual spectacular but unserious CGI urban apocalypse, with people saying things like: “This ends tonight!”

Billy Batson, played by Asher Angel, is the teen kid in Philadelphia living with foster parents and foster siblings, who with the cry of “Shazam!” has the ability to transform himself into a clean-cut but anxious superhero whose impostor syndrome worries are not helped by the fact that he often makes an awful mess of crime-fighting. He is played by Zachary Levi with the chiselled look of Mad Men’s Don Draper . With him is disabled friend Freddy Freeman, played by Jack Dylan Grazer, who like all the kids has a superhero alter ego: his is smirkingly self-aware Captain Everypower (Adam Brody). Interestingly, it is Freddy who appears almost always as his vulnerable non-superhero teen self and so upstages Billy/Shazam.

Billy and his friends must battle two Greek gods, daughters of Atlas, who want absolute control over planet Earth: they are Hespera and Kalypso, played by Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu with their own absurd outfits and pointy headdresses. Back in high school, Freddy is being bullied by giant blond jocks but falls hard for new classmate Anthea (Rachel Zegler, from Spielberg’s West Side Story ), who has a secret of her own.

This new Shazam film is cordial, with a puppyish good nature and an awareness of its own silliness; it gestures towards diversity with a gay character (although we might not stop at one as the Shazam franchise develops). There are some nice lines here and Mirren, Liu and Djimon Hounsou (as the ancient wizard) have some fun with their roles – albeit while looking as if the subject of what they’re having for supper after the day’s shooting isn’t far from their minds. I have to say that we don’t entirely break free of the superhero-movie template, but Shazam two has a just-out-of-the-fridge orange juice taste that makes it likable.

• Superhero movies
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• Helen Mirren

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Film Review: ‘Shazam!’

As a teenage kid in a superman's body, Zachary Levi is pure pop charisma in a comic-book saga that walks a deft line between satire and sincerity.

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

Chief Film Critic

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In “ Shazam !,” Zachary Levi brings off something so winning it’s irresistible. He plays a square-jawed, rippling-muscled man of might, with a cheesy Day-Glo lighting bolt affixed to his chest, who projects an insanely wholesome and old-fashioned idea of what a superhero can be. But he’s also playing a breathless teenage kid on the inside, and the result of this body-morph balancing act is that the character, Shazam, is at once boyish and manly, wide-eyed and wizardly, ridiculously corny and heroically hip.

Levi, the 38-year-old actor best known for his roles on “Chuck” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” has always seemed a bit on the generically handsome side, but in “Shazam!,” wearing a 1950s-looking red-spandex body suit set off by a white cape with gold piping that looks like a restaurant tablecloth, he’s a walking piece of pop art, with eyes that (literally) pop, hair so absurdly dark and lacquered it’s simply perfect, and a slightly abashed shit-eating grin that says, “I have no idea if you’re buying this, because even I can’t quite believe I’m a superhero.”

It’s the sort of look and attitude you could imagine an actor like Ben Stiller summoning if he were holding down the middle of a comic-book spoof. But the cheeky, balsa-wood trick of Levi’s performance is that he’s not making fun — he’s totally sincere. It’s just that he’s playing a superhero with a major case of imposter syndrome. At “Shazam!,” we seem to be watching a knowing satire of a comic-book film that is also, in every frame, the genuine article. The movie is dunked in mockery, but Shazam’s feats of amazement play as cosmic jokes mostly because they’re amazing to him .

The movie, directed by David F. Sandberg (“Annabelle: Creation”) from a screenplay by Henry Gayden, is built upon a fairly standard chassis. The hero, Billy Batson, is a street urchin, played by the winningly brash and ingenuous Asher Angel, who was abandoned by his teenage mother and has been through half a dozen foster homes by the time the movie gets rolling. He’s not a bad kid, just full of resentment at the raw deal he’s been handed. So when he lands in a shabby-cozy group foster home full of orphaned misfits, and does all he can not to fit in with them, he’s the mildest of rebels.

So is Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), the furious orphan with a disability who teaches Billy all about superhero lore. That’s a good thing, too, since Billy is soon pulled into the mystic cave of The Wizard (Djimon Hounsou), a bearded soothsayer looking for “the one soul who is worthy,” and Billy turns out to be that soul. He is chosen, as if by fate, to be Shazam, who he embodies as a junior Superman with a far more neurotic attitude.

“Shazam!” is hardly the first comic-book film to adopt a tone of breezy postmodern irreverence. The “Deadpool” movies, with their Mad-magazine snake-tongued nihilism, got there a while back, and before them there was Robert Downey Jr.’s ironic-quip-spewing Tony Stark, and if you go back to the 1978 “Superman,” part of that film’s timeless charm is that it was already too late in the 20th century to play Clark Kent’s Adonis-in-glasses stumblebum gawkiness entirely straight (and Christopher Reeve’s performance was pure screwball). “Flash Gordon,” in 1980, presented its space-jock hero as a delicious beefcake joke (the fact that you could scarcely tell whether Sam J. Jones was an actor or a high-school gym teacher was part of it). And then, of course, there was “Batman,” the ’60s TV series that started it all — a show that had its tongue planted so firmly in its face mask that it practically invented the mainstreaming of camp.

So there’s a great, grinning tradition of demigod-in-spandex movies that don’t take themselves seriously. But maybe the reason “Shazam!,” in its fluffy-tasty origin-story way, feels like a perfectly timed tonic is that the universe of comic-book movies — not just the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or the DC Extended Universe (of which this is technically a part), but the whole omnivorous universe of big-budget comic-book films that is now threatening to eat cinema, if not our souls — has grown so top-heavy with its own fateful importance. A few of the individual films are dandy, but they’re part of something larger that feels fraught and diffuse, with a too-muchness built into its aesthetic fiber.

“Shazam!,” on the other hand, is just a light, funny, grounded, engagingly unpretentious sleight-of-hand action comedy about a boy in a (super)man’s body. The movie, in other words, is “Big” in tights. And it’s Zachary Levi who makes that work, in much the same way that Tom Hanks did. Levi doesn’t play Billy as a callow kid; quite the contrary, he’s intelligent and jackknife fast. But Billy completely lacks an adult’s sense of guile, and Levi uses that innocent quality to take the superhero stuffing out of the material — and to let Shazam discover his identity in a way that makes this the freshest origin story in some time. There’s an infectiously witty montage, set to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” (a nod to the Queen-scored “Flash Gordon”?), in which Shazam tests out his powers in a series of YouTube-ready videos. Even though the powers themselves are standard (bullets bounce off him, he can fly, he hurls lightning flashes like Zeus tossing Frisbees), his experimentation of each feels unprecedented.

The villain in a movie like this one sets the stakes, and Mark Strong, as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, is playing a bad guy who’s a misunderstood kid himself — in fact, the film’s entire opening chapter is devoted to his origin story. He’s a bald bruiser with a laser eye and a cauldron full of daddy issues. But mostly he’s just jealous that the Wizard didn’t pick him, and that envy has given him an obscene strength, whether he’s busting into a board meeting to toss his father’s executives out a skyscraper window or summoning the slithery ghost-goblins he commands as his personal army of Seven Deadly Sins: highly photogenic CGI monsters (the best has a tentacle for a tongue) who scarf people alive. Strong, a fine actor, brings a wounded humanism to this rotely outlined character. The climactic showdown between himself and Shazam, set at a carnival, is a pretty good duel of can-you-top-this FX, but the reason it works is that it always feels personal.

It’s no accident that the character of Shazam looks absurdly old-fashioned. He first appeared in the comics in 1939, and in the ’40s he reigned as America’s most popular comic-book superhero, outpacing even the Man of Steel. He was originally known as Captain Marvel (which is one reason he dwindled over time — the branding became understandably confusing), and when he was brought back in 1972, it was with an added wink of japery. “Shazam!” takes that wink and runs with it. Yet the fact that everything Shazam does, from taking bullets in the face to popping in and out of his superhero identity by barking the word “Shazam,” seems both valiant and slightly daffy is part of the film’s change-up charm. “Shazam!” suggests that if you’re taking a superhero’s powers deadly seriously, you may not be totally connecting with the spirit of the comics. The movie says: You’ve got to giggle at this stuff. That’s part of the adventure.

Reviewed at AMC Lincoln Square, New York, March 13, 2019. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 132 MIN.

• Production: A Warner Bros. release of a DC Films, The Safran Company, Seven Bucks Productions, Mad Ghost Productions production. Producer: Peter Safran. Executive producers: Jeffrey Chernov, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia, Dwayne Johnson.
• Crew: Director: David F. Sandberg. Screenplay: Henry Gayden. Camera (color, widescreen): Maxime Alexandre. Editor: Michel Aller. Music: Benjamin Wallfisch.
• With: Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou, Grace Fulton, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Faithe Herman, Cooper Andrews, Marta Milans.

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Review: New ‘Shazam!’ has more everything, but less charm

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Ross Butler, from left, Adam Brody, Grace Caroline Currey, Zachary Levi, Meagan Good and D.J. Cotrona in a scene from “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Zachary Levi, left, and Helen Mirren in a scene from “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Zachary Levi in a scene from “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Grace Caroline Currey, center, Meagan Good, left, and D.J. Cotrona in a scene from “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Lucy Liu, from left, Helen Mirren and Rachel Zegler in a scene from “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Djimon Hounsou in a scene from “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Rachel Zegler in a scene from “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Rachel Zegler, left, and Jack Dylan Grazer in a scene from “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Meagan Good, left, and Ross Butler in a scene from “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Jack Dylan Grazer, left, and Asher Angel in a scene from “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

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Sequels, by nature, are more. Whatever the original had, just add more, the rule seems to be. Even more words in the title — how often is a sequel’s title shorter than the original?

And so, exactly four years after the original DC superhero pic “Shazam!” surprised with its clever blend of innocence and silliness, and enough wit to blunt the inevitable ridiculousness of plot, we have “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” It brings five times the title wordage, more action, more villains, more monsters and more star wattage — Oscar winner Helen Mirren, for example.

But not more charm. The sequel, again directed by David F. Sandberg, feels less breezily funny, less fresh, less fleet of foot. (At two hours and 10 minutes, it’s actually two minutes shorter than the original, but doesn’t feel shorter).

In its favor, though, are some elements that lent the original its pleasures, especially Zachary Levi and his goofy efforts (if perhaps more frenetic) to play a youngster in an adult superhero body, and Jack Dylan Grazer as fast-talking, always-thinking best bud (and foster brother) Freddy — this time given a love interest in appealing Rachel Zegler. It also smartly drops colorless villain Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, who’s apparently still in that lonely cell.

First, a plot refresher. We’re back in Philadelphia with teen hero Billy Batson (Asher Angel), the foster kid who was bestowed in the original with magic powers by a wizard (Djimon Hounsou) and learned that the word “Shazam!” turned him into a strapping superhero (Levi). But now, his foster fam (well, just the siblings) has joined the superhero biz.

It’s not going great, though. The group is known in the City of Brotherly Love as the “Philadelphia Fiascoes,” because of frequent youthful mistakes. We know teenagers have only partly developed brains, right? No matter how many buses or train cars they can hold with one arm.

And there’s a big new villain to fight — actually three, the ancient Daughters of Atlas, who arrive in the human world to reclaim their stolen magic.

Turns out the mythical staff of the gods, which Billy/Shazam had broken at the end of the first film, lies in a museum, and let’s just say the visitors are not in for a good day when two daughters of Atlas appear — Hespera and Kalypso — ready to annihilate anyone in their way. They’re soon revealed as Mirren and Lucy Liu, adding some real mean goddess vibe to the proceedings.

Meanwhile, Billy/Shazam is in a therapy session, saying he feels like a fraud. (He’s mistakenly gone to a pediatrician, but it’s not hard to diagnose impostor syndrome.) Soon, though, he and his siblings are called upon to save the city from a collapsing bridge.

The funniest parts of “Shazam!” and now its sequel involve the overlap between teen-human and superhero life. Witness the teen-designed secret lair, complete with all the Skittles and other junk food anyone would want (Skittles will play a key role at one point.) There, we also learn what’s currently occupying each of the siblings. The oldest, Mary, who studies organic chemistry for fun, is aching for college over superhero life. And Freddy wants to forge his own identity.

But Billy, abandoned as a child by his parents, wants family unity at all costs. Mary tries to tell him nothing lasts forever — plus, soon he’ll be 18 and checks to his foster parents will stop coming. Then what? (Ya think we’ll have a scene later where someone assures him family lasts forever?)

Meanwhile, the Daughters of Atlas, accompanied by a big old dragon and some other monsters, are on the warpath. Where’s the third, you ask? Ah, she’s masquerading as human, and she’s taken a shine to Freddy, who cannot believe his luck.

That’s all you need to know to understand the action. And there’s lots. Still, the best moments are when the wit of the original shines through — like when Hespera (Mirren) reads aloud a letter that’s been dictated by the young superheroes to a magic quill pen, who like a smartphone catches the extraneous dialogue, which means she’s repeating gravely: “Anyone else want a Gatorade?” (Would that Mirren — and Liu, too — had more such comic moments.)

The action, laden with CGI battles, could fatally weigh down the film if it weren’t for Levi, who brings the nimbleness of a musical theater performer (ever see him sing while cartwheeling on Broadway? ) and Grazer, a bit older but still irascible, not to mention singleminded (“We can’t let her die, she called me sweet!”).

Angel still makes an appealing teen Billy, and Hounsou gets a dashing fashion moment. The family’s all back, and foster mom Rosa gets at least one good line amid apocalyptic destruction: “I am not entirely sure how to parent here.”

Oh wait, we forgot the unicorns!

Did we need a dragon AND unicorns? Well, of course we did, because in a sequel, there’s always more.

“Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” a New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. release, has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America “for sequences of action and violence, and language.” Running time: 130 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.

MPAA Definition of PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Shazam! Review

There have been some shining examples of ideal casting in the superhero genre over the years. Christopher Reeve as the original on-screen Superman. Hugh Jackman and his masterful run through the X-Men saga as Wolverine. And the bulk of the original Avengers, with an emphasis on Robert Downey Jr .’s Tony Stark and Chris Evans ’ Steve Rogers. To that list, we now add Zachary Levi ’s Billy Batson, a teenage boy who transforms into a mighty, bulky hero (cape and all) by shouting the magic word “Shazam!”

The gimmick? Billy remains a teenage boy, even though he’s in the body of a man. And it’s there where the natural innocence and boyish charms of Levi make Shazam a winning, flawed and inspirational character, and Shazam! a rousing comic book origin story that stands apart from the pack.

Asher Angel actually plays Billy Batson in teenage form, an orphan who has bounced from family to family, mainly because he’s hellbent on finding the mother he lost at an early age. They were at a carnival together when Billy, then an adolescent, got lost in the crowd. Now he uses every resource available to track his mom down – even if that means breaking into a police officer’s car to access their dashboard computer.

Billy gets another (and possibly his last) chance when he joins a foster family led by the caring and sympathetic Vasquez couple, Victor (Cooper Andrews) and Rosa (Marta Milans). They welcome Billy into their motley crew of castoffs, including the college-bound Mary (Grace Fulton), the tech-savvy Eugene (Ian Chen) and the nosy Darla (Faithe Herman).

But Billy gets a shadow in his counterpart, Freddy Freeman ( Jack Dylan Grazer ), a handicapped smartass who’s obsessed with the DC superheroes who exist in this universe. Freddy has a replica Bat-arang, an Aquaman t-shirt, and a bullet that allegedly was fired into Superman’s chest. Freddy cares about superheroes as much as Billy cares about finding his real mom, which is to say, “A lot.”

That comes in handy one day when Billy is recruited by a Wizard ( Djimon Hounsou ) to assume the mantle of Shazam – yes, it’s a comic-book movie, but trust me, this makes sense in the context of the story. The Wizard has been searching for a worthy heir to his power for generations. He thought he found his successor in Dr. Thaddeus Sivana ( Mark Strong ). But Sivana failed the Wizard’s tests, and now is being manipulated by The Seven Deadly Sins, smoky and scaly demon creatures that are influenced by the sins upon which they are named.

So yeah, there’s a substantial amount of backstory that’s juggled in Shazam! , and to the credit of David F. Sandberg , none of it ever feels rushed or shortchanged. The movie actually starts with the story of Sivana and the Wizard, then catches Billy Batson up with that world while we also find out about his orphan past. The pacing may be choppy at first, but Shazam! eventually finds its groove.

In fact, the movie truly starts to soar the minute young Billy turns into Shazam, as Zachary Levi slips effortlessly into the role of a child in a man’s body, and never loses the self-confidence that stems from immaturity. Shazam isn’t a professional crime fighter like Batman, or a noble warrior like Wonder Woman. He’s a kid who’s frequently in over his head, and Shazam! never lets its lead – or the audience – forget that.

The spectacular casting extends beyond Levi, though. Grazer (who people met in IT ) is the ideal sarcastic sidekick to Levi’s overmatched superhero. Billy’s new foster family is loaded with gems, though the standout has to be Fulton as the motherly Mary. And there’s a theme of “family” in the Vasquez clan that receives a wonderful, heartwarming payoff when all is said and done.

Like Aquaman and Wonder Woman before it, Shazam! benefits tremendously from being allowed to operate outside of the DC Universe, while also acknowledging that it exists alongside movies like Man of Steel and Justice League . In comparison to those efforts, however, Shazam! can actually feel small. The stakes of the plot are relatively low, with Sivana being a threat to our hero but less of a danger to the world at large. Where Aquaman was intentionally epic in scope, Shazam! always maintains the feel of a neighborhood story, for better and for worse.

Still, instead of wasting time forcing connections to pre-existing features, David F. Sandberg and his creative team are able to flesh out Billy’s compact world, strengthening his relationships to his new “family.” And for those who need it, the screenplay also establishes a necessary foundation of magic and wizardry that can be explored in Shazam! sequels (and there’s a doozie of a tease in the mid-credits, so stick around).

More Shazam! movies will be welcome, so long as Zachary Levi remains in the suit. He’s the right lead for this blend of action and comedy, and while it doesn’t mean that every DC movie moving forward needs to embrace the lighter tones and smaller scale on display in Shazam! , I’m grateful that Sandberg brought that touch to this delightful material.

Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.

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• Christian Movie ‘Unsung Hero’ Smashes Expectations in Box Office Release

Posted by Zachary Mettler | May 3, 2024 | Culture

The new Christian movie Unsung Hero has rocketed to box office success, becoming the number two movie in America after its release on Apr. 26.

The faith-based film, from the Kingdom Story Company – the same studio behind Jesus Revolution and I Can Only Imagine – has grossed over $9.2 million so far on its $6 million budget. The movie only came in behind the R-rated Challengers which has grossed $29.2 million on a $55 million budget.

The movie tells the story of the Smallbone family, with brothers Luke and Joel Smallbone from the Grammy Award-winning Christian band for KING & COUNTRY, and their sister Rebecca St. James.

According to a description of the movie,

When David Smallbone’s successful music company collapses, he moves his family from Australia to the United States in search of a brighter future. With nothing more than their six children, their suitcases, and their love of music, David (for KING + COUNTRY’s Joel Smallbone) and his pregnant wife Helen (Daisy Betts) set out to rebuild their lives from the ground up. Based on a remarkable true story, a mum’s faith stands against all odds; and inspires her husband and children to hold onto theirs.

You can watch the trailer for the film below:

Joel Smallbone wrote a post on Instagram, thanking fans of the movie for their support.

“The 10-year-old Joel Smallbone would never have believed that he’d have the chance to put his family’s life story on the silver screen. Let alone make it to being the second-most seen movie out of the 500 films or so that are released to theaters every year,” he wrote.

“Thank you for believing, for putting moms, miracles and family in front of America and the world.”

You can purchase tickets for Unsung Hero here .

You can read Plugged In’s review of Unsung Hero .

If you want to learn more about Rebecca St. James, and Joel and Luke Smallbone from the band, For King & Country, check out the latest episode of Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, “ Trusting God as a Family Through Adversity .” They share how God provided for them in their time of need through family prayer and the support of other believers.

Related articles and resources:

Trusting God As a Family Through Adversity

Focus on the Family: Unsung Hero

Unsung Hero

Photo from Unsung Hero.

About The Author

Zachary Mettler

Zachary Mettler works as a staff writer and communications liaison for the Daily Citizen at Focus on the Family. In his role, he writes about current political issues, U.S. history, political philosophy, and culture. Mettler earned his Bachelor’s degree from William Jessup University and is an alumnus of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. In addition to the Daily Citizen, his written pieces have appeared in the Daily Wire, the Washington Times, the Washington Examiner, Newsweek, Townhall, the Daily Signal, the Christian Post, Charisma News and other outlets.

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Bruce Wayne Must Destroy the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh in DC's New Comics This Week

Bruce Wayne is running out of time to stop the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh from destroying Gotham in DC's new comics this week.

Batman 's grim "Dark Prisons" storyline continues as he tries to find a way to stop the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh in DC's new comics this week.

In Batman #147, the Dark Knight is weaponless, and his hope is dwindling. As grim as things may seem, help may be more accessible than he believes. Meanwhile, Damian Wayne's Robin is stuck with the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. DC's preview reveals that the doppelganger seemingly has him fooled. However, it is unlikely that Damian will continue to be bamboozled by his father's evil impostor.

One of the Best Batman Stories Is an Animated Crossover Movie

Batman #147.

• Written by CHIP ZDARSKY
• Art by JORGE JIMENEZ
• Colorist TOMEU MOREY
• Letterer CLAYTON COWLES
• Cover by JORGE JIMENEZ and TOMEU MOREY
• Variant Cover Artists YASMINE PUTRI, JORGE JIMENEZ, KENDRICK “KUKKA” LIM and STEVAN SUBIC

Kneel Before Zod #5

• Written by JOE CASEY
• Art by DAN MCDAID
• Colorist DAVID BARON
• Letterer TROY PETERI
• Cover by JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER
• Variant Cover Artists LUCIO PARRILLO and JOHN GIANG

The Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries #5

• Written by MATTHEW CODY
• Art by PUSTE
• Colorist CARRIE STRACHAN
• Letterer SAIDA TEMOFONTE
• Cover by PUSTE and CARRIE STRACHAN

Poison Ivy #22

• Written by G. WILLOW WILSON
• Art by HAINING
• Colorist ARIF PRIANTO
• Letterer HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU
• Cover by JESSICA FONG
• Variant Cover Artists FRANK CHO, SABINE RICH, R KIKUO JOHNSON and ELIZABETH TORQUE

The Boy Wonder #1

• Written by JUNI BA
• Art by JUNI BA
• Colorist CHRIS O’HALLORAN
• Letterer ADITYA BIDIKAR
• Cover by JUNI BA
• Variant Cover Artist CLIFF CHIANG

New Suicide Squad Series Reveals Amanda Waller's True Colors

Suicide squad: kill arkham asylum #4.

• Written by JOHN LAYMAN
• Art by JESUS HERVAS
• Letterer ANDWORLD DESIGN
• Cover by DAN PANOSIAN
• Variant Cover Artists ARIEL OLIVETTI and DAVID NAKAYAMA

Birds of Prey #9

• Written by KELLY THOMPSON
• Art by JONATHAN CASE and GAVIN GUIDRY
• Colorist JORDIE BELLAIRE
• Cover by LEONARDO ROMERO and JODIE BELLAIRE
• Variant Cover Artists CHRISTIAN WARD, EJIKURE, PHILLIP TAN, ELMER SANTOS and CHRIS NG
• Written by JOSIE CAMPBELL
• Art by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO
• Colorist TRISH MULVIHILL
• Cover by DAN MORA
• Variant Cover Artists SERG ACUNA, TED BRANDT and ROE STEIN