Shazam: Fury of the Gods - How to make Generic: The Movie | Anatomy of a Failure

[@Filmento]

Get my book on Amazon: www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW1TN97D?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420 or email me at saltyfilmento(a)gmail.com to buy it as a PDF directly Try Skillshare for 1 month: skl.sh/filmento04236

[@Robin_Is]

Ok.

[@oksanapashenko]

The Last Of Us 2, perfection or failure?

[@wrath7646]

Maybe do one on Pacific rim 1 or 2

[@antonak4763]

Good job on the video, my guy! Are you going to make a video on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania? I'm curious to know your thoughts about it.

[@yosoyringodesanantonio8405]

Strange World Anatomy of a Failure It’s generic, it’s a Disney dumpster fire. It’s dumb it’s nonsensical, it’s unoriginal, it has a dumb gay character played by a real dumb gay actor, it’s confusing af, Disney did not want to promote this movie, it’s a Disney disaster, it’s Disney at it’s dumbest! And I compare strange world to Shazam 2!!! And I compare Shazam 2 to Strange World!!!

[@danbear1639]

It's insane that a Black Adam movie and a Shazam movie came out within a year of each other and they had nothing to do with each other.

[@ardent835]

As hilarious as this comment is, it is copy pasted bro

[@bofawhatsbofa4593]

Or that Black Adam made more money and had higher overall scores 🤣

[@darrengordon-hill]

Also, they were both crap.

[@biguy617]

@@bofawhatsbofa4593 Black Adam did not make that much money. It bombed. That is why James Gunn is taking over.

[@guillermodiaz1411]

Black Adam was bad

[@zunaidparker]

The best unique storyline in this movie is Billy's fear of aging out of the foster system and losing his parents. It's probably the only superhero movie that can tackle this topic, and they set it up well in the first and second act, but didn't carry it through fully into the third act. If they centered the film around this emotional core, it could have been great and would stand out from every other movie. Such a missed opportunity.

[@agiammarco94]

Its weird too as so much about this movie is about family and the differences between familial relationships. You have the blood family of gods at each other's throats vs the adopted family of humans (who become gods) who are united in a way.

[@donnythedealer9761]

i agree, there needed to be way more focus on the family dynamic rather than the kids as heroes. They should be kids first, because thats what we relate to. Like in spiderman, you relate to peter’s struggles, not Spiderman’s. they needed to focus more on the dynamic of the kids interacting with one another rather than them as a hero team. I think the ageing out point was only mentioned once before the end where billy says it to rosa. Which is weak af. It could have been so good if it was focused on more, especially after the first movie where he didnt want to accept a new family. To now subtly want it more than ever couldve been so damn powerful.

[@agiammarco94]

@@donnythedealer9761 They only mention it during Billy's conversation with Mary and than with Rosa. But I agree they really needed to focus on that more. I mean heck, they have an entire show based around Superman and Lois as a family.

[@xavierramirez1911]

that and the shazam family also "aging out" of the superhero lifestyle and wanting to do their own thing could've also been more present. both of those would equate to billy's fears of being abandoned again

[@alicedanger]

I don't trust these writers to accomplish that well had it been a goal. I grew up in foster care and now work in child welfare, and this movie is to being in foster care what Googling your symptoms is to being a doctor. It's a candy coated version at best, and ignorant of reality. The foster parents having an expectation of being called Mom and Dad, and that being used as some sign of Billy's own personal growth is offensive. There are major issues with that in real life. That's a case conference with foster parents, kids, and workers at a minimum. As an industry, we don't even call them foster parents anymore, they're caregivers because it's not our place to designate these volunteers as a child's "new parents." That's the child's journey to go on - or not - and not the caregivers expectation to have.

[@toxicpie1000]

watching the main actor say you could watch john wick but it’s not a family movie like ours made me laugh so hard, man is begging for us to watch the movie 💀

[@RealFableFox]

probably in the contract - part of marketing. if boss says make a short video, then you make short video if you don't want to get sued.

[@daddysenpai408]

​@@RealFableFox Im sure you can promote a movie without coming off as desperate lmao

[@micoenriquez911]

Literal COPIUM

[@ZolaRenard_01]

​@@daddysenpai408Pretty sure Zachary isn't very good at marketing without script... Yes, I watched the interviews and it's obvious...

[@st4ne4rmthevill63]

Yeah it was pathetic

[@Chhjmmkg]

One major thing about this movie is how Billy felt like an 18 year old and Shazam seemed like a 12 year old high on sugar. Most jokes from Shazam felt unnatural as Billy doesn't seem like he would say that. Also i just watched the movie a few hours and this video made me laugh actually instead of smirk like Shazam 2 did!

[@zigzagintrusion]

Yes! It was so annoying, even in the first movie. Billy was cynical and angry at the world, but Shazam was pretty carefree and childish.

[@maximusprime3459]

Clearly the two actors either didnt get along or compare notes.

[@Chhjmmkg]

@@maximusprime3459 i've heard that it's like that in the comics.. May be that's it?

[@maximusprime3459]

@@Chhjmmkg No, in the comics originally Captain Marvel and Billy came across as two different people but the more popular iteration which came later is Captain Marvel retains Billy's thought process while in the form of Captain Marvel.

[@destroyercreater98]

@@maximusprime3459so in other words if Billy thinks it’s ok to kill. Captain Thunder chest thinks it’s ok to kill? But if Billy thinks killing is subjective. Thunder chest thinks it’s subjective and only thinks to kill if the other guy can’t be saved or is too damn destructive to keep alive?

[@ThePrinceofHisOwnKingdom]

Black Adam should've been the villain of Shazam 2. 1. This will help Shazam 2 by tons. 2. Dwayne Johnson as a villain would refreshing these days (Doom was like 20 years ago). 3. When he gets his solo movie, Black Adam's anti-hero turn would be more compelling. It's also something the competitor (MCU) hasn't done. But of course The Rock's ego got in the way.

[@heinzjohann4610]

Shazam 2 is a flop anyway

[@Jose-se9pu]

And Black Adam needed Shazam...

[@MarvinPowell1]

"But of course The Rock's ego got in the way" applies to SO MANY GODDAMN MOVIES nowadays!

[@davevd9944]

@@MarvinPowell1 It's the Rock Effect he must ALWAYS win it's literally in his contract.

[@rialyandriamiseza9814]

I would argue that Marvel kinda already did it with Wanda. She starts as a villain but is seen as a hero most of the time. Then, in Doctor Strange 2 she's a villain (saying that she's a anti-hero would be a stretch.).

[@agt_pendergast8899]

Is it strange I would have preferred to see more of Billy dealing with the idea of aging out of the foster system more than Shazam fighting Gods and a dragon in a superhero movie? It felt like he was barely even in the movie and I felt overloaded on the goofy antics of Shazam.

[@kr555wizard]

Same i loved that aspect, i feel like it would have been a cool movie, if there wasn't a major villain they had to fight, but many small villains further highlighting billy's fears and personal issues in addition to his relationship to his family.

[@Kaguya_04]

Yeah, in that way the movie could've been much better and relatable to us on how it's feels like to be growing up to have responsibilities...

[@michiviqz]

Fr!! Like i wouldve LOVE a movie abt billys fear to adulthood/abandonment instead of whatever shazam 2 was

[@Byronic19134]

@@michiviqz That is what the movie was about tho. That is what he was trying to do as Shazam the entire time in bringing everybody together and that is what set up the conclusion to the 3rd act was really when his Foster Mom told him he doesn't have to move out that was the real conclusion to the movie.

[@michiviqz]

@@Byronic19134 i know, but i was trying to say that it would be better if the movie focused on that even more and in billys form, yk?

[@grfrjiglstan]

I remember saying "surely this will make sense later" a lot of times in this movie. "Surely this collapsing bridge is a sign of the villains coming." Nope, it just fell apart. "Surely the dome is part of the villains' master plan!" Nope, they just kinda set it and forget it. "Surely the villains stealing the heroes' powers will set up some kind of mirror match for the third act, and end with something other than a big CGI fight!" Nah, the final boss is a dragon with Lucy Liu shooting CGI at Shazam, and he wins by overloading her CGI capacity until the budget literally explodes.

[@arandomcommenter412]

💀

[@KremBotop]

C G I

[@Grasslander]

The crazy thing is Lucy Liu already has $16 million, safely invested in funds I assume. Why play in a lousy movie like this one? Maybe she just likes the feeling of being a star on set.

[@mr.mammuthusafricanavus8299]

@@Grasslander Who wouldn't want to feel like a star on a set? It is elementary, Lucy just wants to be relevant again LOL :P

[@absurdshroom]

I couldn't help but read this comment in Filmento's voice 😂 very good points tho

[@Lytbringr0]

The easy fix to this movie: Billy is too busy 'Adulting' to BE Shazam, or spend time with his family. The opening rescue, "Where's Shazam, we could really use him." Cut to Billy working generic register. Have Billy/Shazam taking part briefly, at a rapid pace so he's NOT catching on to easy points like An...thea. End of movie he realizes family is more important and he shows. It would make the villains apprehension of Shazam seem legit. He hasn't shown up yet, so they believe he'll ONLY show if his family can't handle it. That would make all their plans to slowly take out the others a strategy out of fear.

[@Akursedtime]

I remember the first movie fondly. Despite it being flawed, there were some genuinely good moments like Billy going to see his biological mom. It truly brought tears. The second one is just okay. I wouldn't remember anything from it in a year.

[@ross-carlson]

I wouldn't even say it's just okay - it was straight up BAD.

[@auldthymer]

For me it was the baby Billy at the beginning calling "Mom?" "Mom?"

[@leekindler7505]

Had a blast watching the first Shazam in the theater. That movie deserved a better sequel.

[@purefoldnz3070]

Shazam said everything it could about the character in one movie. Second one was not needed, not every movie needs to be a franchise.

[@kr555wizard]

I liked some parts about shazam 2, like billy dealing with his abandonment issues, and him dealing with the fact that he is growing too old for his foster family to continue to get government support for him, but i feel like they should have further developed these details, i could have had them reduce the action and make it more character driven, but i doubt peeps would have liked that

[@damianwang4991]

You know what would have been a great opening to immediately get the point across of everyone being too busy? Have only Billy and maybe 1 or 2 of the younger foster siblings saving the bridge. Bridge gets saved, Billy looks around, "Where the fuck is everyone else?!" Cut to every one of the older siblings off getting jobs, working, dressed up for interviews, etc.

[@lanychabot-laroche135]

That would have been amazing!

[@fishlaurence-burne7450]

A lingering problem with any shazam movie is that billy is supposed to be a kid. In the comics/animation they can pull this off forever. In live action, people age. Kids hit growth spurts. Movies take up to years to make. Billy isnt going to be billy for that long. Hes gonna grow into Bill

[@MarvinPowell1]

I thought he was going to grow into Zachary. 😏 Also, Billy Zane says hello.

[@tjarkschweizer]

He will turn into a talking triangle?

[@alexman378]

Yup, should’ve started younger and have a plan to keep going fast. Once the kid becomes an adult, the novelty of him turning into an older adult just vanishes.

[@boid9761]

I'd imagine that once Billy becomes into Bill, the main conflict with Shazam would be the power fantasy He may have grown old, but he wouldn't have grown up to a meaningful degree if he can just magically turn into an adult as he wants.

[@SantomPh]

the charm of Captain Marvel is that he is a literal 10 year old kid with the innocence that the wizard Shazam needed to find for his champion. Others like Mary and Freddy are supposed to have the age-related problems, Billy is still a wide eyed child. One who once changed Black Adam's magic word to his favorite ice cream sundae. In the movie Billy is a hormonal, angsty 17 year old kid, alongside Freddy. We suddenly have a dual lead we didn't want. Mary has aged out of the home and is supposed to be starting out at college and starting not to relate to the other kids as she is an adult. The "mid kids" are completely wasted in the movie, with nerd and sparkly little girl cliches that repeat. The little girl with the Skittles is super annoying. It would have been interesting if most of the family gave Billy their powers so he could fight the Hesperides, leading us to have one Shazam.

[@yror732]

The best use of the "They're right behind me aren't they?" joke is in Futurama but the answer is "No, I'm in front of you"

[@marcusdow5356]

The fact the family is struggling to pay the rent. Ends up paying off the house. And then the house gets destroyed by a dragon, made me question why someone would put that in the movie to begin with.

[@alwaysxnever]

Because it's "funny"? I dunno.

[@JedTheRedd]

I legitimately thought they slipped in that line of dialogue to bring it back later to emphasize that the parents were working hard and doing what they could to keep/support the family or something like that, but I guess I was wrong and it was just a gag.

[@MrShadowSmith]

"The MSheU is doing corny jokes so why can't we?"

[@the_real_idoit8166]

Funny? Maybe? Or to tell the audience the family were planning to keep all the children

[@c1ph3rpunk]

There are countless useless scenes in this movie, 90% of which could have been cut and not have been missed. Most of them contribute nothing to the overall plot-line of being as generic as possible. And do get the runtime to something sane, not 2+ hours.

[@Cornpop333]

My whole family saw John wick. No this is not a joke. Including my 94 yr old great grandma. We all enjoyed a great film for the family 👍👍

[@briannawhitfield9372]

Same. The John Wick franchise has always been a family favorite in my household.

[@susiem.2068]

Same. It was great, we had a good time.

[@axelStorymode]

Same

[@concept5631]

Damn your _great_ grandma sounds awesome.

[@6amsunset_]

like you mentioned, it's crazy how much the child and adult actors act in completely opposite ways. and not even in a way that makes sense. they're just different people with different personalities it really takes you out of the film

[@ComedyBros5]

Yeeep. That’s what my issues with the first film were. I love Zach Levi, but he did *awful* at mirroring Billy’s mannerisms/actions when he was Shazam. It took me out of the film immediately for the reason you just mentioned.

[@雷-t3j]

yeah, if he was Freddy it might be believable, but it just doesn't make sense. The other ones though are fine

[@zettovii1367]

The only one that is off, is Shazam. Levi put too much focus on acting the part of a "literal manchild", it seems no thought at all was put on what kind of child he is supposedly representing.... Either that, or they should have taken another child actor that matches Levi's energy. The others however work fine. The actors for Darla and Freddy especially match their hero and child counterparts pretty well.

[@TDVeldora]

@@zettovii1367 I actually think the issue is the child actor, he acts too mature for a child, Shazam as a hero has always been childish, levi nails that just fine, the child actor needs to actually act like a child and not like a 30 year old.

[@zettovii1367]

@@TDVeldora To be fair given Billy's backstory, it makes sense for him to act more mature than the average kid. Getting abandoned by his parents, and never staying at any home, and all that.

[@rolfathan]

Fun fact: The principal in this movie, played by Diedrich Bader, has done a fair number of voices for DC in animated shows and games. Batman in Batman the Brave and the Bold, Zeta in Batman Beyond, Booster Gold in Justice League Action, Batman again in the Harley Quinn show. He does a ton of voices across many franchises actually. He's very good.

[@Lytbringr0]

Only to die for no reason in this film... sad.

[@trinaq]

While I liked the performances of Billy and Shazam, at no point did they feel like they were the same person. Teen Billy would be moody and solemn, like an adult in a kid's body, while Shazam would be goofy and childlike. It worked better in the first movie, but not so much in the sequel.

[@remoryu]

that was always my biggest problem with shazam! to me he felt like the only one who was completely different, while the other “shazamed” adults still sort of embodied their younger selves especially darla

[@Jose-se9pu]

Billy acts like he is in his mid 20s, Shazam acts like he is 12...this problem was also present in the first movie, and they only didnt fix it, they made it worse.

[@aperson4640]

I think that's a conscious choice. Billy is cynical due to his early experiences and when he becomes Shazam it frees him from his cynicism and let's him feel like a kid. That's why he acts goofy. The other kids act mostly the same because they are relatively well adjusted compared to Billy. I'm not sure pointing out the fact that they act differently is the revelation some people thing it is.

[@alwaysxnever]

@@Jose-se9pu that is a damn shame. Literally the main reason I regret buying Shazam despite the rest of the movie. I don't wish failure on people but glad this version doesn't make it into the DCU .

[@connorsullivan1855]

​@aperson4640 I had the same interpretation, but I think that dynamic works better in the first movie, where he has had his powers for a few days. In the second movie, it does feel more like they are two different characters. Ideally, I wish they had gotten to do a trilogy and progressively had Billy and Shazam's personalities converge as he works through his abandonment issues and matures as a person.

[@AmArtGraphics]

Shazam was kneecaped from the get go by Johnson. Black Adam should have been Shazam’s main villain.

[@bunnybo7757]

Another thing that fucks up the tone is the fact that the actor who plays Billy has clearly older, in turn his performance plays slightly more mature. The scene immediately rips apart when Zachary Levi comes in bouncing around like buddy the elf. It doesn’t feel like the same person.

[@alexman378]

They should’ve done what Emma Watson and Helena Bonham Carter did for their scene in Deathly Hallows Pt2, where HBC would watch how Emma Watson would play that scene and then mimicked her for the actual scene. Asher should’ve played the Shazam scenes the way he’d play them, and then Levi should be emulating that.

[@diegocamacho6477]

It was kind of a problem in the first one too. Billy's personality was "realisticly dickish kid" and Shazam was just acting like John Hanks in Big.

[@gaiusx287]

@@alexman378 it needed to be the other way around - Zachary Levi’s portrayal is what made Shazam and is similar to his comics personality. He was probably cast first. The young actor is the one who needed to amulate him more

[@Salamander128]

You could argue that in Shazam form Billy is subconsciously being more immature to escape growing up, though it could've been done better.

[@spoiler321]

"not bad if you just want to watch a movie and don't give a crap" is what DC wanted to achieve

[@emdotrod]

Truly one of the films of all time

[@Zombiesnyder13]

#IBlameAviArad

[@Antwannnn]

@@Zombiesnyder13 huh lol

[@WheeledHamster]

Now I want Skittles.

[@TomFoolery350]

Haven't seen it but I can confirm this statement is true.

[@spittinvenom9843]

It’s is a film 🎞️

[@jojo_lion]

Did you skip "Quantumania"? we want your review about this flop too and your opinion on cbm/mcu fatigue..

[@Kenny-the-Platypus]

It's not on digital yet but it will arrive on the 18th

[@defenderofminorities3056]

I love that Billy had so little Faith in Freddy meeting a nice girl that he assumed because her name was close to Anthea she was a 5000 year old Goddess, and he was right!

[@suzygirl1843]

America has gone downhill. But it's due to both the woke and ANTI-woketavists. Both parties are making things cringe for everyone

[@thunderspark1536]

​@@suzygirl1843 Yeah, when can we go back to Natasha smacking people without both sides being angry? Just let people enjoy stuff

[@suzygirl1843]

@@thunderspark1536 You proving my point with Natasha beating up aliens while being a human spy. She's OP but people think Captain Marvel being OP is overkill. Both Hawkeye and Black Widow made zero sense being on the OG Avengers team, they didn't have superpowers or technology to enhance them like Cap or Tony

[@thunderspark1536]

@@suzygirl1843 Keep in mind while they aren't powered, they are the best of the best agents fury has. Having them there just to keep an eye on the avengers makes sense. Plus Natasha struggled hard against those aliens and only succeeded due to her fighting skills, what she's known for.

[@suzygirl1843]

@@thunderspark1536 Yes, that makes sense. As AGENTS. Not fighting aliens and Gods.

[@kronos1794]

Better sequel idea: have the kids abuse their powers or bicker over using it till Shazam himself gets annoyed and puts them through trial that test each of the aspects of their powerset (Strength of Hercules, Speed of Mercury, ect). During the trial have something go wrong and the being the family draw power from are personified. Have a random ticking clock threat in the background that drives the kids to separate and earn each power back. You don't even have to change the title.

[@fatmanjstyle5306]

What about the villain?

[@kronos1794]

@@fatmanjstyle5306 you could use Atlas and his daughters. The ticking clock is Atlas abandons his post and the world begins destabilizing. The wizard Shazam goes to take Atlas' place but only for so long.

[@phantomstranger7018]

Better story: Have him face Black Adam. Eliminate the Shazam family. There can only be one Shazam. Kill the wizard. Make Shazam go through hard times.

[@kronos1794]

@@phantomstranger7018 That isn't going to happen because The Rock's ego has made that impossible.

[@fatmanjstyle5306]

@@phantomstranger7018 now you’re talking

[@francostevo9939]

Been watching this guy’s material for 3 yrs now and he never disappoints. I listen to his reviews while I do my job.

[@vexageedits6995]

Same What else do you listen to at work I'm running out of youyubers I like and would love some suggestions I listen to qxir, wendigoon, emp lemon and pyrocynical(main channel)

[@francostevo9939]

@@vexageedits6995 sometimes I listen to audiobooks, movie reviews, hitopfilms.

[@orsonlepherd7064]

Mr Sunday Movies is a great channel to watch silly, funny stuff while working. Definitely recommend their weekly podcast, The Weekly Planet for that very reason

[@exanhighlander6236]

Same hearing an intelligent and detailed criticism keeps me awake and alert while working.

[@Jay-jb2vr]

​@@exanhighlander6236sounds like you got a difficult job

[@FernandoGastelo]

A big problem i had from the beginning was the huge tone change. The villains arrive and not only murder families but brutally break a guy that was asking for mercy. Then we switch to Shazam being a goofball. It just completely turned me off

[@BaithNa]

I'm guessing they hastily wrote this script after finding out that they can't use Black Adam.

[@mysticragegohan7856]

Yeah, Entire Initial Draft was scrapped due to The Rock

[@wakamoon1910]

also they had to rewrite parts of it a few days before shooting since originally the justice society were going to be present for the post credit(and maybe some other scenes) but the rock blocked them so that there would be even less connection.

[@matteomastrodomenico1231]

The original idea was actually to use Mr. Mind.

[@wakamoon1910]

@@matteomastrodomenico1231 eh they had a deleted scene in the first shazam where they took notice of another empty throne for all of them with shazam powers and wondered what kind of person was the missing one. what's also possible is using them both, black adam being the enemy initially but then the true enemy they have to work together to beat would actually be mr. mind.

[@matteomastrodomenico1231]

@@wakamoon1910 Honestly, I'm not too sure that scene was supposed to set up Black Adam, because at the time the comics were already introducing a seventh member to the family, who was Billy's biological father.

[@jack-exzolt9858]

The sequel really bummed me out because I loved the first one. The first one actually has emotional depth to it, Billy's struggle to adapt to his new family, facing the reality that his biological mom didn't want him in the first place, it had at least heart. This one, they just went full Thor Love and Thunder, just one quip and pop culture reference after another.

[@stuartbarron7117]

I remember watching that joke where the villain hypes up Shazam, then cuts to Shazam contradicting her. Not only was I able to predict the punchline but I was also able to predict that it would be specifically the "I'm an idiot" clip from the trailer.

[@LuisSierra42]

Truly one of the jokes of all time

[@Aganie.]

Dc comedy 101

[@toch0418]

Yes same, it's a very cliche thing to do, wasn't surprised they did it this way

[@buddyryo]

nobody asked for this movie anyways, The Rock and his ego also ruined what could have been a sequel exploring the rivalry between Shazam and Black Adam, who are classical nemesis in the comics and animation, but ofc The Rock would wanted Superman instead, to bring hype of snyderstans for his movie which didn't work lmfaoo (I'm not putting all the blame on him, the movie is mid and the script is pretty generic but still..) it just shows to us how messy DCEU was, no creative vision, everybody does whatever they want to these characters, Gunn was right on his announcement video. now we'll see if it changes with the reboot and the creation of DC Studios, I hope so! DC deserves better than what Warner's past administration had to offer lol

[@Joemamma664]

Being able to spot a sponsor segment instantly is a skill

[@gridlo]

Sponsor sense tingling...

[@Bloodhurl67]

Unless you cheat by using youtube vanced

[@kingschwarzenegger3939]

​@@Bloodhurl67 he's talking about the Skittles scene

[@shanel4294]

Eh, when they mention skills, or learning a new language or protecting something, it becomes obvious to me skillshare, babbel or some type of VPN

[@mvrk4044]

with SponsorBlock its as easy as seeing a little green segment on the timeline and doing nothing, because the plugin will skip the segment entirely.

[@JaneyJ229]

Of all the movies made, this is DEFINITELY one of them 🔥🔥

[@OTDinosaurScrubs]

The actors? Bro, they *acted*

[@MidnightHypeInc]

The fact that there was so much damage control days/hours BEFORE its release was a huge red flag for us. We enjoyed the first one but held off from watching this one. Damn shame.

[@Byronic19134]

Sounds like you're worried about everything except enjoying a movie. Like what damage control? Its all politics all I knew was this movie was shot in my city and it was going to be a PG Super Hero movie, and I went and enjoyed myself despite it being way to PG for my taste I understand it's target audience was younger 10-12 year old kids.

[@Bopperann]

When I think back on my favorite childhood movies, _The Never Ending Story_ stands out of the live actions. The wolf and The Nothing were horrifying antagonists without need of gore to emphasize their threat. This dark movie involves subjects like bullying, loss, depression, courage, helplessness, inner identity, ect ect. In short, modern movies aren't wholesome or imaginative.

[@KimiTarii]

Y'know what's the worst about all of this, we have the technology and knowledge to make beautiful & great movies like John Wick Chapter 4. But about every studio chooses quanitity over quality these past years.

[@dinosertanejo222]

You reminded me of when many fine manufactures were destroyed during the industrial revolution.

[@Bloodhurl67]

Pretty much what you get when you try to make MCU and DCU a thing.

[@lanalan4157]

​@@Bloodhurl67 mcu is the most successful franchise of all time bro..

[@zainab972]

@@lanalan4157 I mean it hasn't been really successful for the past year with all that woke agenda they've been trying shove down our throat lately 🙅

[@1984KaliA]

I really dislike ads during videos, but I have to admit I like it a lot how you edit and incorporate ads in your videos. it's the only time I don't fast forward during ads, cause you just present them so funny.

[@thatonedaniel98]

I think that John Wick is perfect movie for kids...it mainly shows great example of what can happen, when you are not nice to animals

[@thathero5953]

It feels like Shazam 2 is a solid movie that could've been great, especially if the deleted scenes were added along with a few other things. 1. The daughters of Atlas should've had an origin scene like Sivana in the first film. Showcase the beauty of the realm of the gods before their powers are taken away, giving merit to the meeting with Hespera and the destruction in the finale from the tree of life. (Maybe it could've featured Black Adam if he wasn't played by Dwayne) 2. Kalypso needed more solo screentime to make her a more impactful antagonist. She feels awfully reserved for a goddess of chaos, so more screentime would give her not only a greater presence but allow her true nature to shine through. (The Gatorade line stays) 3. Exploring how Billy sees his Shazam form. Billy being immature in his adult form is the point of the character, as seen in both the first film and in Shazam/Captain Marvel's many cartoon appearances. Billy uses Shazam to escape from his childhood and enjoy the things a kid his age normally would, which would obviously get messed up when villains like the DoA show up and spoil his fun. Every adult complains about how much they want to be a kid again anyway, so Billy's immaturity fits with the message of growing up. 4. Give the other kids more to do. Darla, Eugene, and Pedro each get one thing (Darla gets unicorns, Eugene gets the doors, and Pedro is in the closet) but they don't go anywhere after those things serve their purpose in the plot, making all of them feel flat. Freddy and Mary are more fleshed out, but they could also go further. I still had a lot of fun with this movie, especially with all the references to the Shazam mythos, but it could've been just as great as the first one.

[@knightofthenight3420]

Here's a video idea: what happens when a script is recycled too much. A prime example of such a case is Speed 2: Cruise Control. Its script was first written for an early version of Die Hard 3 to go unused, then it was rewritten and remade far too much, then some more shallow rewriting was done.

[@LordofSadFac]

Reminds me of how Die Hard 6 wasnt originally a Die Hard movie.

[@lastsonoftennessee9895]

In the original comics, Mary (and to a lesser extent Freddie) did look identical in both human and super-powered forms. I always assumed the power of Zeus clouded people's minds to prevent them figuring it out.

[@REELWORKS12923]

The movie suffered from the announcement of the universe reboot making people not really care to see it, that and 7 dollars total for marketing

[@rahultalkssports1404]

Agreed. I enjoyed this film but I knew it was going to do bad box office wise because of those factors.

[@FGenthusiast0052]

I think if people going to the movies were unaware of it, there's just too many factors against it: - If like the actor said, to watch a family-friendly movie; why not just go watch the Super Mario Bros. Movie? As generic as that movie is, it will attract more people just by the name alone. Or if it's still up in that cinema, Puss in Boots 2? - If a group just wants something more fun to watch, without the family friend restriction, then why would they watch this, when JW4 is out there? - People are tired of bad superhero movies. Eventhough the movie might or might not have been bad (it's just okay), people wouldn't be incitivised to watch it - With the last resort of the comic fans, they most likely wouldn't go either, because Shazam isn't that much popular either, and his famous villains one was on the first one (that the general public didn't even knew, but it was a fine movie), and the other refused to be a villain, and instead wanted their own solo movie. So what's left now? imo, both Billy and Shazam's actors did alright in the first one, but not so much in the 2nd one (too much disonance that made them not be the same character),but still enjoyable.Unfortunately the movie was bound to fail regardless, because there were many internal and external factors against it.

[@Antwannnn]

Normal people don't know or care. They see a trailer, think it looks interesting or fam friendly, and watch it. They don't know about Gunn, or the changes inside of the DCEU, drama, etc. Plus the trailers were mostly ass and cringe unfortunately. So the average person isn't gonna go and watch a movie that looks generic.

[@alwaysxnever]

@@FGenthusiast0052 well stated.

[@alwaysxnever]

If the movie would have been better it could have had legs with good of mouth. Alas it had too much working against it besides the reboot.

[@robinw2096]

the scene where heath says "i'm not crazy" is literally one of the best in film, the way his face and intent and everything transforms momentarily

[@toganium4175]

The first Shazam was so good, so I’m kinda upset that this one wasn’t that great and underperformed.

[@BthIX]

The first Shazam was great because it had heart and grounded human drama + conflict. This one is basically all about just the heroes vs villains and nobody has development

[@sendtheasteroid8008]

First Shazam was ok at best

[@mrawesome669]

Agreed, I've watched Shazam the last 2 Christmases and it's great wholesome vibes with a great story. The sequel was a massive generic mess.

[@mrawesome669]

​@@sendtheasteroid8008 Compared to the sequel, SHAZAM 1 is a masterpiece.

[@orangeclover21]

the first one was almost flawless, which was what made it so remarkable.

[@TheHEROFamily]

The Skittle scene was beyond ridiculous. Unicorns are described as the most deadly and lethal creatures. Get 2 minutes later. They're riding them thru the city. 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@Grasslander]

In the past they had a name for this: potboiler. A theater play or novel someone wrote just to get money for the day. To "keep the pot boiling". All the typical ingredients lined up in a row.

[@walterhoward5512]

The fundamental problem is that they're not adapting the most popular version of the character. Geoff Johns' Shazam has its fans, but it never reached the popularity of the original comics from the 30s. With these kinds of adaptations, you should always go with the most popular version of the character and for Shazam that was back in the 30s. For an example of how to update the old stories for modern viewers, they only needed to check out Jeff Smith's "Shazam and the Monster Society of Evil". That would have worked out much better than what we got.

[@boboboy8189]

Geoff John history career in DC movies 1) green lantern - he is screenwriter and co-producer and we all know that movie flop and ryan Reynolds hates that movie so much he even included in Deadpool 2 2) josstice league (2017) - he kick Snyder and became DC's feigi figure and he bring Joss whedon not just rewrote but also reshoots half of the movie 3) Shazam (2019) he did screenplay with input from david f Sandberg, hamada who replaced Geoff John allowed horror stuff but later on got backlas by parents with gruesome scene in first Shazam movie 4) wonder woman 1984 (2020) - he didn't follow comic at all but instead using superman 2 theater's cut as his template for his screenplay. and we all know what happened next

[@Kenny-the-Platypus]

It seems that the first Shazam was lightning in a bottle.

[@Antwannnn]

Nice.

[@ryanpratama8061]

Gatorade

[@alicedanger]

I watched this last night and there were moments I found myself yelling at the screen. Like, the museum employee during the attack in the beginning. He's completely out of sight, out of mind of the attackers, so he runs up to them, interrupts them, and begs them to spare him. If you're so scared, why did you approach them and make yourself their immediate concern? Or the teacher who watches a child get punched in the gut, does absolutely nothing to address the violence in a zero tolerance policy world, then the victim thanks him for it. I'm glad he walked of that building! Damn. And it was still better than I thought it would be considering the bad press.

[@thegunslinger1363]

Could you do a video on Rango? It's an excellent animated movie. So I'd love to see you cover it.

[@LordofSadFac]

It could be about how to do a not popular genre in modern times(in this case Western).

[@zacksilverstone7642]

I think he already did? Check out his previous videos. I'm pretty sure he DID do a video on Rango.

[@wolven6078]

I read an article on MovieWeb recently about the current state of film, and I have to agree with its take: movies these days, particularly the "spectacle" movies like the superhero genre, are increasingly less about story, characters and themes, and more about "moments." It's less about teaching us things or getting us to think about life in a new way, and more about giving us shallow, pandering things that people will imitate on TikTok or create "That moment when" memes from. Makes some sense from a marketing standpoint, but it's also tragic that we're losing the genuine art behind it all. That's why these first-draft jokes and plot twists, I'd wager, are so popular these days. They're the low-hanging fruit, but our attention spans are now so criminally short that nobody cares anymore. They put butts in seats and people will meme the hell out of them anyway. One would think with so much on the line and film budgets so outrageously enormous, skill and experience would be the two things directors and writers are hired for. Instead, it seems to be who can create the most catchy "moments," regardless of how little they actually make sense or what important perspectives they might show us.

[@LeonardoKlotz]

I knew David F. Sandberg should've left DC after the first movie But regardless, I think he did a great job as a director

[@biguy617]

The first movie was awesome! This movie should have Mr Mind as the villain as originally planned. Then the movie would have been better

[@At0mS8]

Just watched Annabelle: Creation and, without being a masterpiece, it certainly shows his creativity when it comes to horror set-pieces. Really looking forward to his future movies now that he's free from the DC jail.

[@rinzzzzie718]

Yeah, at least he still made the movie look like 100+ million movie. Unlike others that have a more bigger budget but the cinematography looks like shit.

[@TEKITOcreations]

There's such an easy fix to the whole "Billy and Shazam don't act the same" problem. They should've made Billy a super shy and introverted kid. That way, when he's in his Shazam form, which makes him powerful and hides his identity, he feels more confident and more comfortable letting loose.

[@f.earless.]

"Until at the end he learns that family is beyond age or... something" - I love how Filmento just gave up in the middle of this sentence, like it's such a common knowledge that if you don't know, that you should include this in your movie, then why the hell do you even make one.

[@TheMetalProject]

i think my favorite film that did the trope "they want to be caught" was Law abiding citizen. absolutely masterful.

[@SmokeyStoner]

I literally laughed twice, when the Wizard appeared in the restaurant and when Hespera was reading the flying letter.

[@milkiassamuel780]

Honestly, I quite liked this film at least more than Black Adam (2022) or Quantumania (which I thought was okay) as the characters, family dynamic and light tone was really enjoyable and just a fun time, despite an overall not-too-captivating or innovative story. I think one of the biggest things that could've saved this film was including Black Adam as the main villain as he was originally going to be, at least until The Rock wanted the character to be more of bigger character than the character had any right to be, which may have been the result of the Rock's ego, but I don't want to dive too deep into anything negative surrounding The Rock who I genuinely do love. I just think that given The Rock's star power, ego and deep need in making Black Adam less of a Shazam villain and more of a Superman villain wasn't the best idea to bank on, especially for the success of Shazam: Fury of the Gods in a state where the entire DCEU is going to be remade under the creative, innovative direction of James Gunn. Not to mention that *Shazam and Black Adam are arch-enemies*. I don't know if The Rock wasn't okay with playing a bad guy, which he already has in the movie Doom (2005), and in The Mummy: The Scorpion King. Maybe he had a public image to maintain in most of his movies, but regardless I think not having Shazam confront Black Adam was a massive missed opportunity we may not see for at least over a decade, given that we may not see most of these specific takes on the Shazam characters again.

[@matteomastrodomenico1231]

According to Levi, the reasoning is that they wanted to save Black Adam as the final villain. The post-credit scene references a comic run where both Shazam and Black Adam were in the Justice Society.

[@HeisenbergFam]

Generic: the movie is one of the most accurate sentences said in history

[@Lidoe]

Sums up modern Hollywood pretty well

[@RenRavage]

I absolutely love the editing, pacing, and sound mixing in this video. And the voice message from The Rock was amazing, didn't know Filmento knew a celebrity.

[@commonsense5199]

1:19 Gal Gadot was there in the final moment. The Stunt Double was there for The Wizard's Head possessed the Wonder Woman in Billy's Dream. David F. Sandberg already gave proof of that.

[@Filmento]

twitter.com/ponysmasher/status/1638587716110782469?s=20 thanks for watching!

[@ajh22895]

It makes sense that Billy is the one trying to hold on to childhood. I feel like leaning into that would make a more interesting movie. Also, if money is the problem, Billy could easily solve that just by merchandising Shazam.

[@johnsanko4136]

I don't think Shazam FOTG was bad, but I will say that it had a lot of flaws. It had some good bones, like Billy going from a loner with nothing to kid who can't let go of the place he found. A bit too many contrivances, some poor pacing in the final act, and I would have loved to see more of Billy the kid in the movie.

[@SonnySantana2099]

It was bad. Like objectively

[@GrimmieThePotato]

4:17 You seem to forget that Superheros don't need a reason or motive to save someone. They just do it cuz they want to help and protect people who can't help and protect themselves. So they truly don't need a reason to save someone. They just do it cuz they want to help.

[@EpicGamer10075]

This movie is a better generic parody of action moves than ACTUAL generic parodies of action movies!

[@MisterAnonymous1000]

I'm really glad you made a book on your essay's and lesson's. I actually had a few pages in my notebook, covered in notes I made from your videos. The notes are some what useless now, but I'm glad I can just get the whole thing in one book.

[@nanithechuck8841]

"Show, don't tell" is the basic 101 of Moviemaking, and somehow they manage to mess it up every time.

[@eatatjoes6751]

The first Shazam was charming. The second Shazam just feels so...awkward because the kid who plays Billy grew up and Zachary is unsuccessfully trying to recapture the childlike wonder.

[@fell9654]

The random ad with penguinz0 was unexpected and made me laugh more than anything in Shazam 2

[@personalpigeon6851]

What if - bridge people are somehow the hero's foster parents etc. Foster parents dont know about their powers and also think they're kids need to grow up and be responsible. Fun scene where they have to save their foster parents without their foster parents figuring out its them. Villains - want to take their powers back so 1) they are back to their full strength and 2) because they too think the kids are unworthy of their powers. Central theme - growing up

[@MoriBoita]

Honestly Shazam 2 was funny af for me, even Levi joking about people not going to watch just shows how the character is forgotten since he was bought by DC

[@DaniMol]

Let's not forget the incredible contribution that Arnold has done to cinema, him saying, "Why?" Is the most important soundbite ever created.

[@HighHeelKnight]

My family and I enjoyed SHAZAM 2 very much, but Filmento made several good points. I am also embarrassed that I didn't realize that the Daughters Of Atlas wound up doing the same thing as Stepenwolf. 🤦

[@alwaysxnever]

Well the theatrical version anyway. WB Discovery paid for that plug in and they were damn sure going to get their money's worth I guess?

[@blackmantis3130]

Liking something and it actually being good are two different things

[@Evohunter7]

The best thing about Shazam 2 is that it is so accessible to my kids. My eldest and I went to see it last week, and he wants to go and see it again. It's the perfect Sunday afternoon superhero flick.

[@tobiaslawrence8928]

I feel that if justice society was the n this movie and if Shazam was in black Adam this movie it may have been better along with a good story.

[@tahskajuha]

By the way, can we just look at the fact that the ending is quite literally a Deus ex Machina (which in Latin stands for God from Above and originated from Greek plays where a God would just appear out of nowhere on the stage to save a person's life). It was the best joke in the entire movie and kudos to the writers if it was intentional (even though it probably wasn't which would make it even more funny)

[@GerbenVanDeCasteele]

I felt the same before and after the movie. The film was not bot bad or good. just there.

[@i8bitbarber69]

Filmento you didn’t trick us that an ad was coming, its just you build it up so good we stay and watch it 😂

[@bluerobin7051]

I agree with all of these points. This movie had a lot of superhero tropes and didn't capture the few unique elements of the first.

[@apocolototh1948]

4:20 its extremely similar to the bridge scene in the old fantastic 4 movie. With pretty much only the difference of the group having an identity crisis in fantastic 4 and needing this call to action to get moving again, vs shazam where its just .... a snapshot while moving along

[@ggvv6533]

Fantastic 4 started and stopped it so idk if it's comparable

[@DinoRicky]

@@ggvv6533not fant4stic the 2005 version

[@bdtiger0770]

I don't think it was Director's or writers fault. Most likely they planned to film fight between Shazam & Black Adam, but due to Rock's unavailability They had to scrap the idea and plot a new one without having much time. It was a BAD LUCK!

[@gamerguy19981]

It wasn't him being unavailable. He didn't want his character Black Adam to be in the film. He wanted to reserve Black Adam for fighting Superman and wanted no part of the Shazam franchise. Plus, DC announcing that they were scrapping their entire series of films just before this came out definitely did not help. Unfortunately, there isn't really a point in seeing a superhero movie that sets up sequels when you know they aren't coming because none of it matters now.

[@Automation6350]

@@gamerguy19981 it appears that The Rock is becoming The Cock

[@RefinedMale]

​@@gamerguy19981 That's the problem. There is no heart behind these films. Like why let the rock play Black Adam in the first place if he's too arrogant to even be associated with his arch nemesis? Like does he not know the character? Now I get why DCEU sucks, they let the ego of actors get in the way, they try too hard to be like marvel, they don't allow directors to do their jobs without meddling (see Zack Snyder). Just an all-around shit show.

[@MajorNomad]

When Shazam said "It's Shazamin time." and then he and his team Shazamed all over the place, I got goosebumps. One of the scenes in one of the movies of all time. And poor Filmento having Josstice League flashbacks when watching this... movie.

[@DEML91]

This is a issue I saw coming after watching the first one, they should have saved family transformation to the second movie, its hard to juggle so many character at the same time specially when they all have pretty much the same powers, it was good to see them in the first movie but even their it already felt unnecessary, after all the movie was Shazam , not Shazam Family.

[@milestrombley1466]

Maybe if the goddesses wanted to bring back their father, at least their motivation would make some sense.

[@vaishaksuresh8555]

I know that the plot was a little weak. But I really enjoyed the movie. It was really fun. All the comedy worked really well for me.

[@darkstarplays6315]

I’m not saying it’s not part of it, but the scene with the teacher was more about showing Freddy that he is helpless against them without his power. Something the heroes would need to know to feel that fear. Where there better ways to do that, yes.

[@Hugo_Tate]

Shazam dude trying to talk people out of seeing John wick is wild lol

[@Zett76]

Well, thank you… until now, I didn‘t know whx I LIKED the movie, while many others hated it… To me, it was, as you said, „just a movie“. And from that perspective, it was awesome. The final city mayhem was A LOT. Imagine seeing this on a lazy Sunday afternoon… (by the way: Marvel, in their universe, speak about something like the Battle for New York for YEARS - as normal people do, after something that huge. That‘s your problem, DC, your „events“ mostly don‘t matter, and are forgotten right after the movie ends…) Yes, I found Shazam himself anmoying. And no, that‘s not normal behaviour fir 17 year olds. 17 year old can act way more mature. Still, I found the movie entertaining, the action WAS on a high level, and I even fell for the tear jerker. :) Just a movie.

[@cookieflavoredoreo4685]

I do think the cgi especially with the blue dragon was executed well. Ignoring the super obvious green screen use for this pov shots of riding the dragon. Especially compared to Marvel releases, it really seems like the producers let the on-set VFX coordinator work freely to produce the best looking final product.

[@donaldsimmons4526]

Reminds me of one of the many major problems with the CW’s flash. Too many characters and writers don’t have time (or talent) to progress each character so it gets half assed, jammed in or ignored completely. I really didn’t like the choice of bringing the family into it. I think it’s a terrible idea (in film and comic)

[@BVK.]

15:43 you almost got me there, omg, A.I deep fakes stuff truly is scary realistic.

[@manniking233]

I know you never hear this from most people but... I love your ads, Filmento. They're so wonderful to watch and they flow so gracefully in the rest of the images you show. 😁 I didn't say your abs. Stop it! Oh, c'mon. Stop looking at me that way. That's not what I meant. Autocorrect, darn you! 😡

[@zachperry9960]

But the real question is, which one was the bigger flop Black Adam or Shazam2?

[@BaithNa]

It was Shazam 2 but both lost money and they are clear signs that the DCEU is dead.

[@unstable000]

Imagine a Shazam 2 movie, with Black Adam as villain and justice league or justice society in it

[@Zombiesnyder13]

I just hope James Gunn helps DC to take over this decade Because I'm sick of the MCU

[@Neethan3247]

Yeah? He's making it the same as the MCU.

[@biguy617]

I just want James to help make DC movies better.

[@biguy617]

@@Neethan3247 oh stop that.

[@Antwannnn]

I just want good movies, period. Why you would WANT a studio to fail is so confusing to me. That eliminates competition, variety, possibility of quality, etc.

[@alwaysxnever]

@@biguy617 yeah. I don't get why people say that. Like the dude is going to write and direct every dCU film to be just like Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2.

[@bestintheworld4850]

I loved how you called why the Joker in the Dark Knight is so popular, he’s just a bad guy because, we don’t want/need a resaon for this or his past or sad childhood, we just want a bad guy that our hero can beat with no remorse. Not even Black Adam understood this, they had to show why he was an anti-hero in the trailer lol.

[@misspriss2482]

IDK. The bridge collapsing scene had two purposes to me: one, show don't tell. Instead of them saying, we're still heroes, they show you that. Two, despite their attempts, they still make mistakes. As for the girl randomly bumping into him, we know that it's not random. She was sent there specifically to get close to Freddy to lead them to Shazam. I'm not sure why this needed to be spelled out.

[@moserfugger6363]

Wow, this scene from THE TERMINAL LIST (14:31) still gives me goosebumps. Perfectly done on all levels: visuals, music, effects - and especially the acting. Chris Pratt is really nailing it with his performance. This man deserves all the success he gets. Bring on TTL season 2 (and the announced prequel), brah! Greetings from Germany :=)

[@sandyscrapwitch2064]

The fact that this Shazam movie didnt have any Shazam villains from the comics was already a huge red flag

[@xavierramirez1911]

the goddesses could’ve worked as villains if they were written better. they were too generic in this one

[@MrShadowSmith]

The transition into that ad was smooth 👌

[@gazem_3211]

Man, the clips with Levi desperately trying to convince people to see the movie was honestly sad