Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is playing in theaters at the time of writing. Rated PG-13. Common Sense says 12.
STORY: D
Shazam unintentionally opens up a portal to another world. But it’s not one of those nice worlds where people routinely donate toys to homeless shelters, hold elevator doors for people, or randomly mail you packs of Skittles. It’s one of those worlds filled with super-extra powerful beings bent on obliterating our planet. Luckily for the earthlings of that world (but unluckily for the earthling audiences of our world), these beings possess a severe lack of organizational planning and decision making skills.
This movie should be called Shazam:!Fury of the Tropes. Like Black Adam, it’s full of tropes intended to overwhelm us in avalanches of emotion. They don’t. Tropes, by definition, happen over and over again in stories. But that doesn’t mean they work in every movie. Salt makes many dishes taste even more amazing. But that doesn’t mean I’m sprinkling it on my Frosted Flakes or throwing it back like a pack of Pop Rocks.
Just like salt needs to work in harmony with other ingredients, tropes have to mesh with all the other elements in a story. Forcing tropes makes a story feel uneven and choppy. Consider that a storytelling PSA (The More You Flow …)
PEOPLE: D+
Billy Baston has grown up since the first film. Why hasn’t Shazam? Aren’t they the same person? The two characters don’t feel like the same person at all, and that disconnect makes it difficult to suspend our disbelief.
The seasoned but spectacularly talented crew of Mirren, Liu, and Hounsou brings a massive amount of acting firepower to this movie. Unfortunately, they’re mostly shooting blanks. It doesn’t feel like they want to be at this party. And as the saying goes: if you don’t want to be at your own party, why would you expect anyone else to?
The younger cast members (meaning Grace Caroline Currey and anyone younger than her) give it their all. Their spunk and personality provide the film with some much needed life and levity.
FILM GEEK STUFF: C+
The fantastic landscapes are meant to instill awe and wonder. But just like Black Adam (and to be fair, also just like Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and almost every other film out there these days) the CGI-created worlds are cool and fine and not much more.
Not all the CGI underwhelms. The most effective use is the rendering of a pen named Steve. Steve the Pen is my favorite DC character. He’s got a wrapping of twine near his head (?), reminiscent of the clip on many pens that I always assumed was designed to keep them from sliding around NASA scientist’s shirt pockets. The twine acts as an arm, an eyebrow, and an attitude. It’s a Swiss Army knife of emotion, surprisingly effective at communicating and making us laugh.
The silver medal for CGI goes to Anthea’s city-scrambling super power where she turns the city into an amusement park ride. It’s simultaneously a little silly but totally cool looking.
OUT ON THE TONE: F
The movie’s biggest flaw is that it never seems to settle on an idea of who or what it is. It’s got the action sequences and comedy of one of those PG-13 movies that’s totally ok for ten year olds to see. That’s a fun tone - one that mostly works for the previous film.
But every so often things suddenly get aggressively dark. There is a sickening act of bullying that is horrible in and of itself, but it’s made even worse by the fact that no one in charge seems to think it’s a big thing. There’s a jolting, disturbing death scene. And don’t get me started on the splinter extraction that left me flailing and squirming in an uncomfortable puddle of disgust.
Shocks and twists are wonderful storytelling tools. But tools are only effective if they’re used with thought and care. I don’t walk over bridges built by people who didn’t use their tools with thought and care. I also don’t like my movies made that way. If a storyteller doesn’t seem to understand how their own story is built, how are we supposed to? Whether it’s plot devices or power drills, randomly chucking stuff rarely works out well.
FINAL COMMENTS:
Ultimately, every element of this film feels like a bunch of ideas thrown together without a plan. Does it want to be silly? Shocking? Inspirational? A movie can be all of these things, but only when created with care and not by committee.
The character has plenty of potential. But as of right now, Shazam just doesn’t know who he wants to be when he grows up.