Shazam 2 Review: Better Than Most DCEU Movies

Shazam 2 (Shazam! Fury Of The Gods) is still in cinemas, and I’ve only just been able to go and see the latest DC movie, which is why this review is coming in so late. Sorry about that.

It’s also going to be a slightly shorter review than normal, because, honestly, there’s just all that much to say about the Shazam sequel. I enjoyed the first movie, and I think that David F. Sandberg is a very solid director.

I actually think that “solid” is the perfect word to describe both of these Shazam movies. They are well made, fun, and a good way to spend two+ hours at the cinema, but they are also completely and utterly forgettable.

However, what I will say is that I enjoyed this sequel movie a lot more than the first one, and I think it might actually be one of the better DCEU movies, but that’s not really saying much.

Zachary Levi is great as Shazam

Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

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We’ve had some real stinkers from the DCEU over the years, so being the best of a pretty poor bunch isn’t much to write home about. That said, I really enjoyed the dynamic between Billy Batson and his “Shazamily” of foster siblings.

I thought that they were fun, and I really like Zachary Levi as the titular character. I think I might be one of the few people who actually thinks that Levi was the perfect casting for the role, and I understand why he’s on-screen more than Asher Angel, who plays Billy Batson, but not in his superhero form.

I just think that Asher isn’t as commanding a screen presence as Levi is. Out of all the younger actors, I think the one who shines is Jack Dylan Grazer. He plays Freddy Freeman in the movie, and I also really liked Adam Brody as his adult superhero form.

Then there were the movie’s villains, the daughters of Atlas. I loved seeing Helen Mirren have some fun as Hespera, and I caught that little Fast And Furious joke in the movie in which Levi’s Shazam says that it’s all about “family”. That made me chuckle.

I also liked Rachel Zegler as Anthea, aka Anne, and I thought that she and Grazer had good on-screen chemistry. I do think the whole supposed age gap between the two characters is a bit problematic, but I wouldn’t think too long and hard about it.

Shazam 2 is better than most of the DCEU movies

Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

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The only actor that I had a real issue with was Lucy Liu as Kalypso. She was hamming it up a lot, and even though I think that Liu is a terrific actor, I just didn’t think she suited the role, and I felt her dialogue was relatively poor in certain scenes.

Apart from that, I had a really good time with Shazam 2. The movie flew by, and I came out of the cinema with a big grin on my face. The thing is, I quickly forgot about the film. It didn’t stay with me for very long.

That said, that seems to be the case with most comic book movies these days. All in all, I would say that Shazam 2 is one of the better DCEU movies to have been released.

Ranking the DCEU movies

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I do think the likes of The Suicide Squad, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Wonder Woman, and Man Of Steel are better than Shazam 2. However, I think that the Shazam sequel is a lot better than the likes of the first Shazam movie, Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, Aquaman, Black Adam, Josstice League, Wonder Woman 1984, and Suicide Squad.

As I mentioned above, it’s a perfectly solid movie, which is why I ended up giving it a solid score of seven out of ten. And that’s it. That’s the review. Sorry I didn’t go more in-depth. I just genuinely couldn’t remember everything that happened in the film.

Before I completely forget, there was one thing I really didn’t like about the film, but it’s kind of entering spoiler territory. The thing is, it’s been so long since the movie was released, I think we’re OK to spoil things now.

Poor Wonder Woman cameo

Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

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I really didn’t like Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman cameo. Don’t get me wrong, I loved that they got her back, but I did think that the cameo felt really out of place. I thought it was a rather cringeworthy cameo, and I would have been absolutely fine without it.

I was a much bigger fan of the Peacemaker Season 2 tease in the post-credits scene. I loved that bit, and I think that Shazam would fit into Peacemaker Season 2 very well.

What did you make of the movie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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