Bestowed with the powers of the gods, Billy Batson and his fellow foster kids are still learning how to juggle teenage life with their adult superhero alter egos. When a vengeful trio of ancient gods arrives on Earth in search of the magic stolen from them long ago, Shazam and his allies get thrust into a battle for their superpowers, their lives, and the fate of the world.

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Gotta admit. I really loved 2019’s Shazam! It was a breath of fresh air not only in the DC cinematic universe, but in the comic book cinematic landscape at large. It was fresh, joy filled, didn’t take itself too seriously and felt like a teen angst DC equivalent to Spider-Man.

While there are some touchstones to the original film, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, while an enjoyable ride, goes down a more serious route with mixed results. 

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If you had forgotten where Shazam! left off last time there is a quick recap bringing the audience back up to speed. But the joyous charm of the original, boy becomes man with superpowers with a snap of his fingers, isn’t really expanded or built on here. 

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It feels as though the filmmakers weren’t too sure where they wanted to go - a more serious route or still sticking to the same formula of the original. This is perfectly encapsulated in Billy Batson jumping between the teenage version of himself and that of Shazam. As Shazam he’s like a goofy teenager, but ironically as the actual teenager he’s serious and all about family. 

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That’s not to say that Shazam! Fury of the Gods isn’t a fun ride. There are still plenty of chuckles from name mispronunciation to Freddy’s stumbling through his first serious crush and some Fast and the Furious jokes. The action, while not particularly innovative, is otherwise engaging. 

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 While there are some touchstones to the original film, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, while an enjoyable ride, goes down a more serious route with mixed results.