Shazam: Fury of the Gods (2023) - Movie Review

[@enthnd03]

That one shot of a teary eyed Asher transforming into a smirking Zach is all you need to see to understand the discrepancy between the two.

[@hottakestuesdays7450]

or you don't. understand thaT someone might flinch before being hit by lightning

[@clarissawestbrook2203]

I just got out of watching Shazam Fury of the gods. I was a HUGE fan of the first Shazam movie and I was excited to watch this one. I still like the original one more but I still throughly enjoyed this one too. I love the character arcs and growths, the visuals, the action sequences, the mythology, the occult, the acting especially from Djimon Hounson. He is an amazing actor that deserves more credit and recognition. This was another good review Cody.

[@natedoggcata]

Agree with you 100% on marketing getting out of control with showing the entire movie before the movie even releases and in terms of horror movies, I will never forgive them for spoiling the change they made in the Pet Sematary remake. This is why I pretty much stay away from all trailers now except for maybe the first trailer released since its a quick teaser.

[@blizzard-storm97]

Yeah, Blumhouse is very guilty of this. I hate it

[@B-Dad]

Showing that didn’t ruin the movie the ending did. They broke horror movie rule numero uno! Leave one left to suffer. Quick better ending is Pascow walking Gage out into the street and down the road. Show lights of a truck coming and then stop just before the boy. Truck driver is OG Louis from first film and he brings Gage into the truck and they start to drive down the road. Then the family comes out into the street with weapons and try attacking the truck. Driver runs them down and keeps going leaving them behind. Movie ends with gage crying and yelling dead is better. TRAUMA!!

[@natedoggcata]

@@B-Dad Well it didnt ruin the movie itself but I would have loved to have not known that going into the movie. if that makes any sense

[@33dbz]

U can't even avoid it anymore, I'm just scrolling through Facebook and a, look Wonderwoman is in Shazam 2 post pops up in my face. >:(

[@B-Dad]

@@natedoggcata Yeah I agree. I just meant that movie had many more issues than just that reveal. One of which was the poor acting from the dad aka Evil terminator John Connor. People make fun of the dad from the original over how he acted but I felt when his son died. He sold the crap out of that. Also Zelda was not as scary as they wanted her to be in the remake. It was very much less than what the original gave us.

[@cryptozoo88]

(Me while watching this review ) “Deadpool was different! Logan was different!”…… (Then Cody proceeded to say the exact same thing) (Me) “I knew I liked this guy!” Keep up the great reviews Cody!

[@cmonmanyouknowthething8200]

I agree with you 100%. Cody is a dope af movie reviewer. A very fair/honest critic that’s not full of shit or pushing some type of agenda. He seems like he just enjoys it because he loves movies like a lot of us and I can respect that. ✊🏻

[@MikeCarpet16]

Only future comicbook film I'm looking forward to these days is The Batman 2 & Guardians 3

[@clintonkildepsteen3982]

Guardians 3 is gonna be the same cgi bullshit... batman 2 will be great though

[@MikeCarpet16]

@@clintonkildepsteen3982 this is the final appearance for the guardians in the mcu apparently, so I think they will give them dope send off

[@garrettmurphy2447]

@@MikeCarpet16 guardians I am looking forward to and the Batman is my favorite movie.

[@dogood8750]

I mean that may have a lot of diminishing returns but come on I'm looking forward to the Avengers movies

[@GojoTorrance]

What about Joker 2

[@LTJfan]

Well...at least we have John Wick 4 to fall back on

[@thenegativoneify]

Haha bet on the wrong horse there huh

[@申月営無営月無営有申]

Man 2023 has been a rough year for Cody. Goddam😂

[@TheJrod482x]

I feel like as a reviewer that has to watch tons of films, the mediocrity of the average movie is starting to get to him.

[@marcusfox7001]

I've seen pretty much every movie and yeah most films are very mediocre

[@wardenmagellan2643]

Great review Cody!!! I am also tired of the genre so I didn’t liked it very much. But it least it’s an harmless film, not as generic as Morbius and not destructive towards characters like Thor: Love And Thunder!

[@tiphanieseantay958]

Honestly I'm feeling this way about alot of modern films lately. They feel like they have to show the movie to get folks to the theater.

[@jarrodoakley6911]

How does Shazam get dumber as an adult than an 18 year old? He should be Billy but with the wisdom of Solomon

[@bipolarewok]

I read something about studio executives saying "the casual movie goer wants to know exactly what they're gonna see". And if trailers don't show way too much most people don't go. So, as always, the movie industry doesn't care about movie lovers as much as it cares about the casual idiot, because that's most of the audience.

[@Batman88878]

Don't casual moviegoers want to sue if trailers are misleading & don't show everything or have alternate scenes? I think that should be thrown out. Who wants to see everything before watching the movie? Why not just go on the journey with the characters & be surprised?

[@bipolarewok]

@@Batman88878 Hey man, you're preaching to the choir here. I stopped watching triailer for that same reason. The truth is, the studios know the numbers, and they know the movies whose trailers show the entire thing do better than the ones who keep it mysterious. As movie fans, you and me, we love to not know, and the teasiest of teasers is enough if done right. But thaat's not the game anymore. The Alien teaser trailer days are over.

[@bdr113080]

I think you hit the nail on the head, and while I am also in the camp of people that understand that they’re kind of doing a soft reboot, remember whether it’s flashpoint in the comics, the CW universe or the animated universe just because he does, that doesn’t mean everything is changed across-the-board. And that’s kind of where I think warner brothers drop the ball with these movies going forward. Number one if you’re going to do a soft reboot, I think they really should’ve at least waited until the flash was over to make that announcement because I completely understand people when they feel like they’re watching their favorite football team with a month left in the season but then you find out that they haven’t won enough games to go to the playoffs so they’ve got four games left but do you really care if they win them or not because it doesn’t mean anything? So I think they should’ve handled the announcement better because as someone who went and saw the movie and loved it, and if you saw the movie, you know that there was something in this movie that hints to him being the future of James Gunz, DCU, I’m trying to get people to go to the theaters and see it but at the same time I don’t blame them for not caring about any of these movies because most of the people I’ve talk to unanimously have said that Gal Gadot wonder woman in Zachary Levi Shazam are done after this movie right? So why do I care? That’s the other thing I think they dropped the ball on. The only actors we know for sure are not coming back to play. Their original rolls are Ben Affleck, Dwayne Johnson, Ray Fisher, and Henry Cavill. Actually, James Gunn has said that they are leaving the door open for Gal Gadot in Zachary Levi to keep playing these characters. Like I said earlier, just because they’re using the flash movie to reboot, the universe doesn’t mean everything’s going to change. And it’s going to be really sad if this was the movie that they were hinging everything on to see if Shazam comes back and no one’s going to see it because they think he’s gone already. As far as the movie, I really loved it, I too wish black Adam could be in the movie, but that’s really Dwayne Johnson’s fault because he was the one that fart Warner Bros. tooth and nail to not be a part of this movie. Hey, I get that he wanted black Adam to have his own movie but he’s acting like it’s an either or thing like either black. Adam has his own movie or he’s a side character in Shazam. Dude you can do both! And I think that probably was one of the big reasons Warner Bros. didn’t have a problem with just washing their hands with him because he’s trying to make sure he’s getting total control and have that character to the point he picks and chooses what movies he’s in. I think this movie is going to have the same effect with what happen with Zack Snyder. If you remember back before justice league came out in theaters, nobody gave a shit about Zack Snyder. Like Shazam, fury of the gods hardly anyone came to support man of steel in the theaters and then, when Batman V superman came out you couldn’t go to a DC fan group on social media for a full year after that movie came out without people making fun of the movie with a Martha meme. Only after the fans not showing Zack Snyder any love it all and because of that they show him the door. Do the fans decide all the sudden now they love Zack Snyder. I think what’s going to happen with Shazam fury of the gods is a lot of people are going to watch it on HBO Max, like it, see that they actually did plan for him to be a part of the DCU moving forward and then they’re going to want to do some stupid online petition. DC fans need to learn to support these movies when they’re in theaters instead of waiting three years later .

[@josephgarcia4475]

Sad I haven’t heard that many good reviews for this film I really loved the first movie

[@mrhollywood9318]

Same

[@TimeToGoGreen]

How have you now not seen good reweiws🤔

[@amimim69]

What are talking about? There are plenty of good reviews for this film

[@vincetaylor6126]

Black Adam, just didn't keep my attention. I watched it, but it doesn't have that IT factor

[@cjay5643]

Rather watch black adam than shazam

[@androyus]

17:10 It's like we're going full-circle back to the 50s & 60s where the trailers pretty much tell us what will happen in the movie all the way to the ending 😅

[@kayskaht2052]

I just found your channel and absolutely LOVED your review. I love your delivery and honesty about the topics! Amazing! Plz keep up the great work! ❤🙏🏽

[@clarissawestbrook2203]

You made a great point on how we as the audience have to support the DCEU too and not just Marvel so Marvel can not be compliment and have legitimate competition.

[@jerryallenvideographer7796]

My favorite part was the cameo by Michael gray. The original 1970s Billy Batson from the Saturday morning live action Shazam Isis hour.

[@ryanstatewicz4568]

I'm glad you brought up how trailers show everything now. 20 years ago I used to love going to the theater to see trailers before movies. I was obsessed with trailers. But they used to give hints and only 10% of the good parts. Now I avoid trailers all together because they show 90% of the movie. I watched the teaser trailer for Godzilla vs kong and refused to watch anything else until I saw it. And I'm glad I did that. It just honestly sucks to not be able to watch trailers without spoiling the whole movie.

[@GamingandFrightened]

Yup. I avoid trailers now. It massively improves my movie watching now.

[@nigeldonaldson1647]

you make a good point about him still acting as though he was still 14, in an adult body (although I don't know what age Billy is meant to be anyway in this 2nd film) I don't remember them specifying, they may have felt that if he acted 18 you'd lose the inexperianced comedy aspect.

[@graham5990]

Maybe it's because I haven't seen a single superhero flick aside from No Way Home since Avengers Endgame that I'm not completely over these films, but I had a good time with this movie. It was a generic superhero film with some genuinely funny moments and some very good performances. Lighthearted family fun I had a good time with it.

[@MattG_OfficialTV]

I saw it on 4DX twice opening day DEFINITELY the way to see it!! A family fun roller coaster In 4DX

[@thebenjyman253]

Completely agree with you on comic book fatigue Cody. I've missed the last few Marvel films because I simply can't be bothered with these films anymore unless they look great (The Batman and No Way Home were the last two to really wow me.) You can only show the same third act CGI monster battle so many times...

[@Cipherman360]

I agree with almost everything you said. You were wrong about Shazam 1 not having a Black Adam easter egg. They showed the rock that was supposed to be the black colored one and that one was missing. Because he was buried in Khandaq for centuries. But they did not pay it off. lol

[@samueloneworldproductions6520]

As someone who loved the first Shazam and liked the sequel, I definitely agree with some of the issues and the feeling of burned out from comic book movies, I'm not there yet but I agree if they don't change and start being unique and different from each other, I and many others will get that burned out feeling

[@andrewdockrill]

This is definitely a symptom of bob chapeks approach to bringing more projects to the audience in a quantity over quality approach, something I'm happy Bob Iger is reversing now where he wants far fewer projects per year and focusing on their quality. For DC I'm just excited to see what Gunn and sefarin are going to do.

[@theblackflame4002]

He wants fewer projects because its all they can afford

[@seanyonthemic]

Cody, I get what you’re saying about comic book films. I’m sorry you didn’t like this as much as you wanted to. Always enjoy your reviews. Here’s my letterbox review. :) Sometimes going bigger doesn’t mean better, but the movie still retains the charm of the previous film and that’s great due to the actors and the ever charismatic man-child Zachary Levi. The previous film was a unique addition to superhero films: Big meets the superhero genre
And that’s what’s kind of missing here as it trades the heartfelt small scale story for a big scale epic. It still works, but it takes away from the unique franchise it could have become. Still, this movie is a lot of fun. Fans who love superhero movies as they are will still be satisfied, but those who feel burned out by the over-saturation of the genre, might be displeased. Also the ending was so predictable and it even had an emotional punch, but is somewhat ruined by jokes… Super-hero movies like the Western may one day not be as prevalent, but the key to making them relevant is to do new and unique things, this movie does not do that despite all the fun it has and self-awareness. Again, I enjoyed this one and look forward to seeing the future of DC films. Here’s hoping Shazam sticks around awhile more. In conclusion, it’s a decent sequel, a worthy one in fact, but it’s not as great as it’s unique predecessor.

[@clintonkildepsteen3982]

Directors need to start putting a clause in their contracts to get final approval for the trailers of the movie.. I'm with you, I'm so sick of every trailer spoiling the movie... I used to love watching trailers and guessing what's gonna happen, now trailers are just cliff notes to movies

[@Batman88878]

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is what got me to stop watching trailers for movies I anticipate.

[@Rewindthetimes]

Cody great review. Perfectly said bout black adam & shazam.. they missed each other

[@seanrooney170]

I like this one. Zachery Levi is really enjoyable in this role

[@antonisandriotis2204]

Love your shirt in the video. Bride Of Chucky is my all time favorite horror movie love it!

[@spicyjo95]

At this point im excited for James Gunn universe even the fans don’t like him ( which I don’t understand but whatever) it’s time for a DC reboot!

[@abombnyy13]

I’ve been Ready for DC to reboot once I walked out of BVS in 2016

[@申月営無営月無営有申]

​@@abombnyy13PREACH.😂 That movie destroyed the DCEU😂

[@dylanarthur5526]

The James Gunn reboot isn't gonna change anything lol. In 5 years nobody will be saying anything different because comic book movies as a whole are past their prime.

[@MrImastinker]

@@申月営無営月無営有申 Nah. That would be Justice League 2017. The original cut of the film was great, but WB had to get cold feet and cave to pressure, bringing in an arrogant, pigheaded bully like Joss Whedon to supposedly fix things. Producing the Frankenstein's monster that hit theatres. BvS was a mixed bag, but there were plenty of chances after the fact to "course correct". A lighter, more entertaining film like ZSJL was a good start, but by the time we finally got it, it was far too late.

[@申月営無営月無営有申]

@MrImastinker We got justice League because of BVS 😆 🤣

[@johnpoffenbarger5103]

I liked it. It was a fun movie to me with some heart as well. The marketing was terrible though no doubt.

[@tinacarter116]

I definitely feel you on this one Cody, I just desire to see something fresh & exciting!

[@ferntin4479]

As time goes on it will get worse you have seen it all.

[@Anubis-hl6wh]

i’m glad you are being honest. I think some people blindly try to say something bad is good because of their love for dc. I’ve been a dc fan for over 30 years & after the snyder cut I stopped watching there movies (the batman & joker don’t count). I’m not excited for anything the dceu has announced & for me personally i’m staying away from it. Dc is too much of a mess & i’m waiting for 10 years when the snyderverse, gunn & everything runs its course. I’m not excited for any of their movies but that’s just me

[@jasonvoorhees310]

The DCAMU or the animated DC films do a great job with Shazam. They really do a great job at developing Billy more than Shazam at times. I hope they use those films as templates cause I know the new 52 comics are a source of adaptation for gunns universe and the films are basically the new 52 just animated and in film form. I really hope that's the case. Plus my favorite Robin is Damien Wayne and those animated films handled him perfectly to me. I hope this new universe goes good. I want DC to be big. They have the characters and depth to them to blow marvel away if done right. Marvel not having a competitor is contributing to their problems right now. This combined with weak writing and poor character development has put marvel in a desperate position now. DC needs to step up.

[@JenMistress]

So, in other words, all of Wondy's scenes was shown in the trailer. Thought so, and you just saved me time and money. Thank you for confirming that, Cody.

[@projectpat8807]

That makes me kind of mad since earlier in the final week or two until release, WB was pretty much saying, "Someone makes a special appearance in Shazam 2. We aren't going to tell you though. You want to know/find, well, go see the movie (in theaters)." But then a day or two later, they put out a TV spot spoiling stuff.

[@Trill_Tour]

The evening showings for Scream VI have sold significantly more tickets than the showings for Shazam. It's honestly shocking how little impact Shazam is having

[@josephwilliams8001]

Shazam 2 is a family movie so it will do most of it's business in Matinees...The opposite is true of Scream 6....Figured that was common sense but guess not 😂

[@Trill_Tour]

@@josephwilliams8001 Ok kid

[@spacemanspiralcatzero]

I started getting fatigued shortly before endgame. Probably about Civil War. I understand exactly how you feel. No matter how many people tell me how good they are, I just can’t get excited. I am 45 and I’ve been a comic book fan my entire life.

[@projectpat8807]

I'm not getting tired of superhero movies. Just all the agenda stuff they keep throwing in. Plus I did like The Batman and I thought Ant-Man 3 was all right. So those two movies let me know I'm not tired yet. Just tired of agendas.

[@luluemama1077]

I haven’t seen it yet but just from your review I can tell that my 13-year-old daughter, who I took to see the first one, will not have near as much interest in this one. I’m just gonna be real and say the main reason she wanted to see the first one was because of Asher Angel as Billy Batson. She loved it! I don’t think the creators/writers realize that by bringing Asher into it they were gaining a whole other audience who otherwise would not care about seeing that type of movie. This is just my opinion as the mom of a teenage girl.

[@elizabethhey9475]

Great video! I really am enjoying your and your wife's podcast btw! I listen to it on Audible.

[@waynehoxit9782]

I enjoy your videos on KZbin very much Cody

[@sammymiller7857]

110k subs 🔥 congrats Cody

[@kylmon4759]

i wus dying when u wus talkin bout that "calling his foster mom, Mom" part of tha film 😂😂

[@colerigo6658]

Hey Cody leach I noticed you said you haven’t rewatched a comic book movie since End Game. My advice is spider-man no way home is definitely a fun time every time I rewatch it. One of my favorite cinematic experiences in a long time. They also don’t spoil this movie in the commercials like they’ve done in all the others fs.

[@nigeldonaldson1647]

Ive just seen SHAZAM fury of the Gods, & dare I say it I enjoyed it What I HEVENT been able to see is why everyone is biastly trashing it, again we have the same Director, (which has meant the... tone of the original film is still there) it's very well made, with a great sense of humour (although loud at times, in it's American way) on the down side, some of the pacing is very start, stop & yet AGAIN we get the bombastic save the World AVENGERS type ending, as has been said, BUT the film was a lot of fun, here and there I was reminded of PERCY JACKSON lightening thief, but everything you watch know days, reminds you of something else. lets not forget there are so many lesser sequels to other films- IRON MAN 3, DARK NIGHT RISES, LEATHAL WEAPON 3 etc

[@Yellowshirtmann]

I’m so burned out too, they are clearly aware of what made money and what worked with audiences. So they are popping these out and checking all the boxes thinking the same formula will see success. And that strategy is flawed it is showing now to the producers. They need a directional shift and put more soul into projects. Feels like a madden game copy and paste rushed and easy to make. It becomes too saturated of heartless watered down cliff notes stories.

[@g-man80]

I'll wait til this goes on HBOMax to watch. The first one was alright, but wasn't nothing special. I feel there is finally "superhero fatigue" at the box-office. As a life-long comic book geek, I hate to say that comic book movies no longer excite me (outside of The Flash, and that's mainly for the return of Michael Keaton as Batman.) I used to rush out & go watch these movies on opening weekend, now it's "I'll watch them whenever".

[@JazziG59]

Superhero movie fatigue has definitely settled in

[@thealjohnsonshow2188]

+Jackson Scott Not me

[@nigeldonaldson1647]

Billy does STILL have his doubts about what to do for the best in this sequel, he is in fact a bit cocky having beaten the villian in the first film, but soon learns this is different, because know he is facing Gods, & everything he tries at first doesnt work against them, plus there's the funny scene on the couch where he questions weather he's up to it (& he hasnt even had to face the Villians yet) the tone is noticebly darker in this sequel, but it suited the necessary greater challenge, this being a sequel.

[@Jeffw.35]

It's just preferences, many reviewers I watch actually quite enjoyed it, nonetheless I'm seeing it Sunday.

[@shameerkhan8347]

maybe it's just me but if the story is compelling and the characters are likeable then I can keep watching it over and over again

[@thedarknate08]

These characters are not like able though

[@shameerkhan8347]

@@thedarknate08 well I liked them in the first movie

[@shannonbayley3684]

It's poo.

[@robfuzz]

Loved the first movie. Not anxious to see this though. I’ve been tired of superhero movies for years. What else will take it’s place?

[@jamesg8175]

Watched it earlier this evening, really liked it. Enjoyed it more than the 1st

[@DerekSmith-vh5mo]

Tom Cruise watched the flash and loved it, saying this is the movie we need right now. Does that raise your expectations

[@TheQuadFather45]

I seem to disagree with most complaints I've been seeing with this movie. The villains were definitely not evil just because, and i also saw some people comparing the humor with thor love and thunder which is baffling to me. I get the marketing complaint but that's not the movies fault. The only thing i can kinda agree on is Shazam and BB characters being more in line, but it wasn't a huge problem for me so i really enjoyed this movie to where i think it's my favorite of the DCEU. But it's kind of a toss up between it and Wonder Woman.

[@blizzard-storm97]

I have no plans on seeing this movie, but I'm with you Cody, that I'm super burned out on these generic family friendly superhero movies. No Way Home is great, The Batman was great (and that one despite the pg13 is definitely more for adults and is a gnarly movie), and I LOVE Logan because it is the exact opposite of generic and kid friendly

[@projectpat8807]

Nothing about The Batman screamed it was too much for PG-13. It was pretty tame. I've seen other PG-13 movies that I was like "that should've been R." Never once said that about The Batman. It definitely screamed PG-13 from beginning to end. And the more I watch it, the more it screams PG-13.

[@andresnavarro5978]

@Patrick I don't think there's a darker PG13 out there, the movie feels more R rated than the matrix which is rated R

[@northman_loves_movies]

I agree 100%. I haven't seen this movie, and I will probably wait until it is released on streaming. I haven't been excited for a comicbook movie since Endgame too. Every movie after Endgame has been bad or mediocre. MCU and DC. But GOTG3 has piqued my interest. :)

[@jeans4108]

I don’t even watch trailers anymore. I watch reviewers I trust like you and try to go in as blind as possible:)

[@Vaajraath]

Don't worry. We got The Marvels coming out later this year to reignite everyone's superhero movie hype.

[@jahdorose8659]

They were planning to face off in Shazam 3 but of course too late

[@dylanrutzen1240]

Sorry for bringing this up Cody I love your channel brother and I will always be a subscriber as long as your on KZbin, but I’m surprised you didn’t mention big John from Halloween kills was also in el Camino, your favorite tv shows spin off movie, was just surprised you didn’t put that in there, but great review, I am also getting very bored with the new superhero movies, besides The Batman, that movie is fucking perfect

[@MrJ1Horrordirector]

I still cant believe how Mature Billy is and Shazam does act like a kid. I enjoyed the creauture designs, the unicorns were badass and The only furious god (lucy) was great! The cgi its great. I just think weve seen so much epic stuff that this one felt short and didnt impress.

[@Pupeyes]

It took you a while to feel the superhero fatigue. My last one was Black Panther which made me think of The Lion King way too much and found its originality disingenuous because of the similarities to The Lion King. I have not been to the theaters to see one of those movies since then. I think my assessment was on point cause I have not heard the best from any of the movies that followed.

[@BigLewi]

Love the Cavity colors shirt man ordered mine a couple days ago

[@OneWingedDemonSlayer]

I just want Batfleck vs DeathStoke

[@ignatiusj.reillyprime9772]

Honestly….I loved it. Have some big critiques though. We definitely got way too much Zachary Levi and not enough Billy Bateson. I think the movie brushed on some topics that really could’ve helped explore the overall themes of the movie. Aging out of foster care is legit a very stressful situation for children in foster care. With better set up, Billy getting that security with his family would’ve made for such a stronger emotional pay off than what we got

[@The3rdGunman]

Man movies just suck now...I hate not being able to lopve movies like I used to.

[@murphythecat3652]

Since I’m so tired of superhero movies, I’m really bummed out that I can’t be super exited for avengers 5 & 6 that much. I hope they will be good, but I can’t care that much anymore.

[@donnie3629]

Watched Logan again the other night, and that movie is leaps and bounds above the factory-made comic book films we get these days. Same with The Batman. There’s no reason every comic book movie can’t strive to be on the level of those films instead of coming straight off a factory conveyor belt.

[@jacobdenton6065]

Thank you goodness I only watched two trailers in chapter 4 of John Wick. I’m going to go see it this weekend. Thank God.

[@paulrees3861]

I think the cameo spoiler being released was simply panic on the studio's behalf in an attempt to improve box office. Totally agree tha adult Billy is far too immature when compared to kid Billy - too much of a mismatch for me. Best part of the film was last half hour, where Shazam matured up to save everything.

[@ryantruskowski2803]

Just saw it, I had a great time…not as good as the first but I’d say it’s an 8/10

[@Batman88878]

The marketing point is exactly why I don't watch trailers for films like this. Anything I'm anticipating, I stay away from trailers. I get the burnout thing, especially for people who aren't comic book fans (I suppose even comic book fans can get burnt out on these movies too), but I'm not there yet because of the characters getting exposure. I'd get burnt out if we were only getting Batman & Superman or Spider-Man & Thor. The Flash is finally getting a movie (unfortunately with an actor who looks NOTHING like Barry Allen & acts nothing like him not to mention the press surrounding him). Seeing Shang-Chi bringing some cool kung fu action into the MCU was a nice touch. But I do think there should be a drastic slowdown. Take a few years off from making these movies. Then do a great reset. Marvel needs this about as much or more than DC. And stop hiring Rick & Morty writers! Get some screenwriters worth their salt, especially if they're fans of the material to begin with! And can they please not try to make a lot of them action-comedies? As for this movie, I enjoyed it. Not great, but I appreciate what David F. Sandberg & the company were trying to do. I actually did feel my heart racing at the end. There were good things about it. But it certainly wasn't perfect. I'd put it as slightly above average for the genre. Average for an action/adventure film.

[@DudleyDawg]

Guess I'm lucky I didn't watch any of the trailers and the cameo came as a genuine surprise which got a big pop at the cinema I was watching the movie at.

[@TheJaker5]

You don’t care about the Flash movie? It looks freaking awesome! I can’t wait for it

[@chanelhenderson8460]

Have only seen one good review of this movie. Smh I already expected it to be bad. I was surprised how much I liked the first one too though

[@daimonatkins3046]

That part about how these kinds of superhero movies needing something special to them to make them bold and different is something I agree with since the genre still has so much to offer Spawn, The Crow and even Hellboy (again) are all getting remakes with the next few years all potentially going to darker places than the MCU movies would so hopefully they can deliver what we all want while just being good or great movies Same with James Gunn’s DCU where he wants to give these movies a sense of consistency and quality across all forms of entertainment with the vision of the creators in mind. Not only will it include traditional superheroes like Superman and Green Lantern but also characters from the more mature Vertigo comics like Swamp Thing and John Constantine There is still hope for greatness (The Batman Part II is on the way after all) but we’re at a point where risks and creative visions are more important than ever before to make this genre work and hopefully it will

[@ChrisMeadows1992]

Well said. People are finally fed up with the same old formula and it's effecting the bottom line. I'm fine with that. It sends a message to the creatives and the major studios. I don't want comic book movies to go away, I just don't want them to oversaturate the market and I want them to be better. I miss mid-budget studio releases that aren't based on pre-existing IP. I wish there was more counter-programming in regards to AAA blockbusters as well.

[@DarkmanPoe]

Totally agree. Having a "Black Adam" movie was just a dumb idea. He's a Shazam villain - the end. He's not interesting enough to carry a film on his own. He's certainly not as interesting as The Joker (or even Lex Luthor). Having Black Adam as the villain in "Shazam 2"...what a shame that didn't happen. Wasted opportunity.

[@pinstrps]

I completely agree with your take on the trailers....why do they do this? Didn't watch any trailers for Scream for that reason....just give me a quick teaser trailer from now on please

[@bryondevine4224]

Good review..I’m also burnt out on good vs bad capes ☮️

[@Horrormaster13]

The only DC Movie of 2023 that I'm excited about is The Flash. And that's ONLY because of Michael Keaton's Return as Batman/Bruce Wayne.

[@TheHorrorMiserMontyG]

I believe with the failures of Morbius and Thor Love and Thunder, along with all of the Disney+ shows, I believe most of the audience are having 'superhero fatigue' like you're having Cody. As for me, I did enjoyed both Ant Man and Shazam, as they were there the movies I expected them to be. They're not great, defintley not awesome but, they served their purpose.

[@_sekremmlin_8274]

Idk why, but i realy enjoyed this movie.

[@dogood8750]

I agree this formula of the MCU has created is not enough anymore you can have some of that formula but they have to start thinking outside the box

[@projectpat8807]

I have to point fingers at Guardians Of The Galaxy 1 for the MCU we got now. Well, I do love that movie and is one of my favorite MCU movies, but it also created a lot of problems for the MCU. Ever since GOTG 1, the humor skyrocketed in the movies. Well, there was already a lot of humor in the MCU movies pre-GOTG 1, but GOTG 1 had A LOT, that movie was a massive success, and then Disney/Marvel boosted the humor even more. The only MCU movies I give a pass to on humor post-GOTG 1 is GOTG sequels, the Ant-Man movies, and Spider-Man: Far From Home. Everything else is too much and needs to be toned down. I blame Wonder Woman for all this agenda stuff. They made such a big deal about Wonder Woman being a female superhero and that the movie was directed by a female director. Then that movie was a success. Then they altered Black Panther's marketing by saying "first black superhero movie," which it wasn't. Plus Black Panther isn't the first black character in the MCU. I guess someone forgot about War Machine and Falcon. But then after Black Panther's success along with Wonder Woman's success (yes, I know Wonder Woman is DC), then they started going "oh, we need a female led MCU movie and a non-white superhero movie and so on." Now we got all these agenda filled superhero movies coming from Disney/Marvel. But when REALLY looking at things, I think it was Guardians Of The Galaxy to do the most finger pointing at. It was definitely a game changer and turning point for superhero movies. I don't know if I want to point too much at Wonder Woman 2017. They were already making that movie, especially DC was doing everything backwards with doing a Justice League movie first and then individual movies. It was the marketing though of Wonder Woman that altered stuff. I remember when I saw the trailer to that I was interested in it and forgot it was a female led superhero movie, but then the marketing focused on the female led stuff and the female director stuff and was reminded that it was a female led superhero movie. Very frustrating. I don't care about that kind of stuff. The trailer got me interested and I wanted to see it. Just leave it at that and let everything else be implied. But no. Everything that should be implied has to be front and center/the main focus.

[@dogood8750]

@@projectpat8807 well let's take those one at a time the MCU always had humor even before Guardians of the Galaxy but I think more recently they started to delve more into the silly which is it's turned me off on the humor I don't mind a little levity in my sounds like a couple quips but just don't make it try hard funny I disagree with you someone I don't mind films that have a message in them are actually want them to have real world messages my problem is when they distract from the narrative and the storytelling now I personally think some of the examples you mentioned our little unfair I think the Black Panther movies have done a pretty good job can injecting real world each of their movies I just don't like it when filmed shoehorn a message that just doesn't belong in the story that they're telling or that compromises the storytelling if the actual message itself is not the core of it and while I like comic book films most of them are at their heart morality Tales between a hero and a villain

[@nohudi9119]

I agree with aguaman sequel and shazam sequel Don't care about those ...but the flash looks pretty good ..I mean just to see Michael Keaton return as batman .....

[@dalton3706]

If people are burnt they're burnt and I get it to a certain degree( I think a lot of it is cause of TV shows) but I think it's funny from 08 to 19 11 years ! people loved these movies and wanted more. As soon as Endgame was over that's when people were done and burnt out after just 1 year. That's a quick turnaround. Rather it be shazam or batman it's all comic book movies. Granted I'm not burnt out , I still like seeing things go boom so idk.

[@CodyLeachYT]

Thats because everything felt fresh and "must-see" leading up to Endgame. After Endgame, many projects felt supplementary and the excitement was just not there. Thats also when MCU decided to drastically upshift the amount of movies and tv series they cranked out in a short amount of time.

[@dalton3706]

@@CodyLeachYT I agree with that phase 4 was a lot. I wish they'd slow it down cause I'm afraid it's going to be like 80s slashers and it's just going to end cause of over saturation. Don't get me wrong I want different as well I just don't know how they go about it.

[@georgethepenguin9028]

Omg, I'm so over comic book movies! Loved The Batman, but that's about it since End game.

[@rustyperry9414]

I just came back from an IMAX showing of this film and despite not being pumped for this sequel, I'll have to say I was very entertained. I do think Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Asher Angel (kid version of Shazam) were under utilized....that was disappointing. And thanks to Marvel, we've been oversaturated with comic book films. We need something fresh on par with The Batman and Joker.

[@jacobharding3638]

Man Cody is having a rough movie year. I feel bad 😞 for him. Hope better movies come later this year.

[@JohnDavidSullivan]

Its not Cody's fault. Movie quality has just taken a nosedive.

[@projectpat8807]

2022 was a rough year for me for movies. I only REALLY liked 7 movies. The rest were ok but not good enough to be put on a Top 10 Best Movies list, or I hated them. I was also one of the few that REALLY got mad at Top Gun 2 and had it in my worst list. Delay after delay after delay, only for the movie to pretty much be a remake of the first movie and then the third act steals the third act of Iron Eagle and mixes it with the Death Star Trench Run from A New Hope. 2023 hasn't been great either. The only movies I liked so far in 2023 were Plane and Ant-Man 3. Everything else is a "never watch again" movie. I WAS looking forward to John Wick 4, but after knowing the ending, I don't want to see it anymore and I probably won't like it, especially with the runtime it has. I sit through a movie that is 2 hours 35-40 minutes, only to get to that ending? Get outta here. I'm not wasting my time on that. I don't care how good the action is and stuff. That ending just kills/ruins everything.

[@josephwilliams8001]

Shazam 2 wasn't a masterpiece but it was action packed and funny...I give it a B+

[@jeebuschristos8423]

7:59 You'd think that Hawkman and Pierce Bronsan's organization would have made a trip over to Philly to look into this large amount of superheroes just doing whatever they wanted... before they showed up to piss on Black Adam's parade...

[@mE-zx7pt]

Well, at least there's some good news these days. The early reviews of John Wick 4 are super positive. Hopefully, it's true.

[@GamingandFrightened]

I love superhero movies. LOVE THEM. I can't get enough of them......and I have zero interest in this movie. :/

[@BillySpenc]

Thats how im feeling these last few movies I just dont care with the new DCEU in the works. Just dont have an urge to watch the rest of the films.

[@klel68]

As much as I like the first Shazam movie, I did not think that Asher angel was a good match for Zachary Levi for an alter ego. I thought jack dylan grazer would have been more of a better match for Zachary Levi.

[@ErnestJustice]

I agree, most superhero films these days i will wait to catch on streaming eventually. The same formula that is wash rinse repeat becomes very stale and dull after 30 movies.

[@taylorpack7705]

What is crazy is I can watch the raimi spider man movies and the dark knight trilogy over and over because they got so much heart and soul in the story and characters but these new movies just don’t have that heart and soul of the earlier movies that came out before it. Get a director like Nolan and raimi to create a universe in their own way. James Gunn is just going to bring that same slapstick comedy that is destroying these comic book movies for me. The seriousness and message of each story is gone. Honestly Cody if I were you I’d take yourself a break and review past movies and continue with rankings you haven’t finished yet and go see only the blockbusters and horror films this summer.

[@Sentient_Zee]

I was just about to buy my tickets but I thought I’d listen to what he had to say first. I think I’ll save my money.

[@philingrouille7198]

Luckily for me, I only saw the first trailer, and that's it. No second trailer, no TV spots, no Behind the Scenes videos.

[@jaycutty8697]

We got to see the height of the DCEU with ZS Justice League and since then I’ve checked out.