Shazam! Fury Of The Gods - Movie Review

The last remnant of the bygone DCEU. Here's my review for SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS!
#shazam

[@MitchellFace]

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.

[@budigunawan1677]

Blame that on The Rock who wanted nothing to do with being connected to Shazam.

[@MitchellFace]

@@budigunawan1677 Oh I hundred percent blame the Rock for most of the discourse in the DCU right now.

[@patrickkenny7827]

Welcome to DC 😂

[@TheAnti-Lgtv]

You know what? Blame everything straight on yourself Than It Could be perfect

[@budigunawan1677]

@@MitchellFace er for that one blame the old WB management they didn't care about DC and their products only the money it brought. But it did catch up with them.

[@odirherrera131]

To me I somehow think Black Adam was sort of planned to be the villain in a Shazam sequel but The Rock wanting his own franchise didn’t want to do it so they tried something different to see what works

[@Bjork4s]

The Rock seemed to focus too much on Black Adam fighting Superman to the point that he forgot that Shazam is an arch nemesis of Black Adam too

[@amon__7187]

The rock is an idiot and egotistical

[@walrusArmageddon]

That's a convenient way to avoid having Zachary Levi win against the Rock

[@simplymincy]

@@Bjork4s Oh he knew but could not stand the fact that he would have to lose and could not make his own universe.

[@dimitrescu182]

​@@Bjork4s I heard that his alternative if he didn't get to play Black Adam was John Stewart, and he wants him to fight Superman as well. The Rock is so obsessed with Superman that he should have played Lex Luthor instead.

[@OctoStar20]

You know a movie is legendary when the trailer basically tells you the whole plot.

[@silverjeyjey4054]

All the greatest movies of our time have laid out the entire plot before the movie was released.

[@ByakuyaKB]

Is there sarcasm on the words "legendary" "greatest movies" with the statements? Because I think quite the opposite

[@silverjeyjey4054]

@@ByakuyaKB there's sarcasm

[@ByakuyaKB]

@@silverjeyjey4054 oh ok cool, we're in accord then lol

[@silverjeyjey4054]

@@ByakuyaKB sarcasm doesn't translate through internet well lol

[@Jray181818]

I think what made the first movie so special was that it felt more like a personal story for Billy. It reminded me a lot of the first Spider-Man movie and Batman Begins. Self contained stories that focus only on the main protagonist. No sidekicks or expanding world. I don’t think they should’ve introduced the Shazam (aka Marvel) family so soon. I feel it takes away from Billy’s story. And yes, there was a disconnect in personality with Levi and Asher, but if anything, Sandberg should’ve had Levi tone his characterization down to match Asher’s portrayal.

[@elevenseven-yq4vu]

Right on!

[@Jayo_businessmansavior01]

Dude I have been saying this ever since, they introduced the family wayyyy too soon and should have waited to do the three sisters + the family getting powers in a 3rd film

[@fattestallenalive7148]

It's probably because Levi is worse at acting than the kid

[@Bingo_the_Pug]

I don’t understand why Mr. Mind wasn’t involved at all when he was literally teased in the post credits of the first movie

[@danjensenmovietalk]

Stick around till after the credits.

[@Bjork4s]

Apparently Sandberg didn't want Mister Mind to play a big role because he feared that the movie would'be been more convoluted

[@lamsaidthetrue2238]

Because director was drunk when put it . i mean seruiosly ? Oh yeah copy cat of power ranger fought a magic worm ? thank the god that didn't happen this even make thor 4 like masterpiece

@@lamsaidthetrue2238 drunk? thats comics. You should be watching something else.

[@tehCostHD]

@@lamsaidthetrue2238 bro you haven’t even seen it yet and said worse than Thor 4. That’s bullshit this was 10x better than love and thunder 😂

[@Alejandroigarabide]

I don't think this was planned from the start. I rewatched the original Shazam a couple of days ago, and its post-credits scene hints at a very different kind of sequel, with Dr. Zivana returning with the help of a powerful magic worm.

[@delfin7461]

That would have been interesting

[@nitinmathew5391]

didn't anyone see the post credit scenes for shazam 2?

[@DavidMartinez-ce3lp]

@@nitinmathew5391 no one saw Shazam 2

[@FreakotoYuki]

@@DavidMartinez-ce3lp just watched it today and it was just a typical DC movie.

[@radrobd123]

@@nitinmathew5391 yes and it seems to set up for Shazam! 3 or what should have been Shazam! 2

[@DrLytch]

I think the reason why Shazam acts so different than Billy in the first and second movie is because Shazam is the best possible version of Billy so I imagine that makes him more positive and energetic, less down on himself about life.

[@daniellawson8182]

Loved the scene of Hespera reading the letter😂

[@timothy5977]

It's crazy how Keanu Reeves understands the character of john Wick. In basically a comic book world and nobody else seems to get it.

[@jonathansoko1085]

Its not hard to figure out its just guy killing, all movie. Thats it, theres nothing to it dude. People like it. Its not rocket science or genius

[@RollingxBigshot]

You can say that about any non comic book movie

[@viktormuerte]

You mean the filmmakers. Keanu doesn't determine the direction of the John wick franchise.

[@frediemane7312]

Its like the batman dont be too realistic and dont make dumb references to the real world

[@NostalgiNorden]

And how badly the movies suck.

[@tskmaster3837]

Don't blame the first one for the sequel; That one ended on Mr. Mind, the telepathic worm, having a chat with Dr. Sivana. That's far more in line with the Golden Age comic book. I think it's more a matter they didn't want to go weird. Captain Marvel was WEIRD and they were afraid of trying to explain it to the Vice Presidents in charge of Production that week, so the sequel went generic instead.

[@c.a.t4607]

That's been DC movies problem they want to and should stand out as different from marvel. But they somehow convince themselves they need to be more like marvel then end up with movies that end up playing it safe and usually miss

[@MajinLordVegeta]

@@c.a.t4607 blame that on the WB higher ups. wanting to be like Marvel/Disney. That’s why they grabbed James Gunn and Joss Weadon as soon as they had the chance.

[@Keizi]

no actually they wanted mr mind to be the villain but couldnt think of a great way to tie him into what their vision for this film was.

[@tskmaster3837]

@@Keizi So what appears to be a series of studio notes that resulted in less actual Captain Marvel and more "red Superman" is just a coincidence? I was hoping they'd do the "Sivana takes over the Universe" story, which involves Sivana making his own Captain Marvel living android, whose plan then literally gets invaded by Mr Mind. A mind controlled CM versus a duplicate CM with the fate of the universe and the Marvel family in the balance. Oh no, this is much better. "Say your name" but both CMs say "Billy". So much better.

[@KnarfStein]

​@@c.a.t4607 Exactly. The most successful DC films have been the independent (i.e., the Dark Knight Trilogy and the two Elseworlds Gotham films) ones directed by auteurs, WW (2017), and those by directors with horror backgrounds. DC is a darker and weirder brand than Marvel and should stay that way!

[@wincastark6000]

I love the first movie cause the relationship between Freeddy and Billy was amazing, I hope this movie has some of that heart...

[@renyjohn7475]

This movie is about their friendship

[@wincastark6000]

@@renyjohn7475 thats all I need to go see it 😁, its what made the first one so good

[@renyjohn7475]

@@wincastark6000 it's ton of it.

[@renyjohn7475]

One of the best dcue movie.

[@zooomthesquirrel3707]

Just coming out. Movie was lot better than what some of the medicore reviews were saying

[@TheDarkKenpachi]

I hope James Gunn uses Shazam in his DCU it really feels like a character that would work under Gunn. Especially since Gunn is spear heading the superman movie it feels like wizards and ancient gods would exist in a James Gunn DC world.

[@aaadesktop]

I'm betting Gunn will get his new Supes and new Black Adam in a huge battle , without the Rock😂😂

[@radrobd123]

@@aaadesktop Nah, Black Adam should fight Shazam first, not Supes

[@BetaBreaking]

​@@radrobd123 EXACTLY. Black Adam and the worm from the first movie should have been the villains for the sequel

[@BrandonWestfall]

I feel like we should have had a few Shazam movies before all of the family members got their powers.

[@gabrielleroux2333]

You mean that the foster parents get powers in the 2nd ?? Nice

[@wheniwasaweelad902]

That's what I was thinking. Let Billy get time to grow and learn. Then in the third or fourth film the others could join in. Letting all of them wield the power in the first film was way too soon. It made ending feel bloated.

[@TheRibottoStudios]

yeah in the trailer I found it weird that SUDDENLY in the sequel everyone gets their powers like it kinda makes Billy seem obsolete if EVERYONE now has powers all of a sudden.

[@radrobd123]

@@gabrielleroux2333 kinda. When Billy asked who wants their powers back, the foster dad raised his hand. not sure if I saw the mom raise her hand or not

[@gabrielleroux2333]

@@radrobd123 that was sarcastic 😑 And thanks for the spoiler @hole 😡😤

[@nicknajarian3535]

Honestly I think if James Gunn and co has to re-cast Shazam for the new universe in a couple years, why not cast Asher Angel as the adult version? He’s already looking pretty grown up so by the time they make another movie for a new universe it might be kinda nice to see him come full circle. Just a thought.

[@cesarsain3731]

Because he’s supposed to be a kid not an adult

[@misaelbarrientos4922]

@@cesarsain3731 this would be in a couple years

[@biguy617]

I don’t want a recast. Everyone here is perfect

[@biguy617]

@@chrisc4507 what you want? Snyder version with heads being ripped off?!! The first one was a super hero version of the Tom Hanks Big. That is what it is supposed be!! Snyder moron!

[@shanebovell6733]

Cast doesn't matter if material is junk bro.

[@ronniemontero7110]

this is actually a pretty decent movie. we watched this with my friends. there are 7 of us. and I asked them a personal rating from 1-10 including mine. the average I got from our group was 6.8/10. don't just rely on critics when watching a movie, go see it for yourself and judge it based on your own opinion and experience 😊

[@Rillust]

I couldn't get past 25 minutes before switching to hulu to watch It's always sunny in philadelphia episodes again.

[@jacktihs2963]

I also enjoyed it, he's also pretty funny and for some reason not annoyed by it next to this forced humor in Marvel movies

[@kaankaraca2001]

I liked it. Not everything worked, but I found Billy’s character struggle compelling enough and enjoyed the comedy.

[@aaadesktop]

Just watched it too and it was fine. Comedy was great, wore a smile more than I did the first one tbh. The generic monsters tho, ugh.

[@Bjork4s]

@@aaadesktop Eventhough the monsters are generic, I do like the visual design on the monsters tho

[@radrobd123]

Billy's struggle completely the opposite of the first movie. In the first, he was a loner thrust into a foster family he didn't want to be a part of. Here, it's the opposite, he's holding onto the family too tightly.

[@kaankaraca2001]

@@radrobd123 You’re right, that’s so cool

[@kaankaraca2001]

@@aaadesktop I noticed the monsters were based on mythological monsters, like the Cyclops, Minotaur, Manticore, etc. so I at least appreciated that

[@wantedminion5966]

The only reason I want this movie to be successful is because I don’t want James Gunn to reboot SHAZAM. I really like this version of the characters

[@thegroove14]

I disagree. It's time to reboot everything and start over from scratch.

[@michaelmyersplays4992]

@@thegroove14 no

[@TheAnti-Lgtv]

@@michaelmyersplays4992 kinda Yes as the structure of This Dceu is so messed up and Can't connect or progress

[@jerm7741]

Don't worry bud Shazam is not going to rebooted. Because they're not going to make another Shazam movie for a long time

[@michaelmyersplays4992]

@@deelewis8061 better than antman

[@Akursedtime]

It's unfortunate that the superhero genre has contorted itself in this manner. Even though Shazam was supposed to be a comedic, lighthearted superhero the first one did show his vulnerability and there were serious moments. It feels like DC and Marvel have forgotten to add the humanity to their heroes. To them just add wit and one liners with CGI scenes all the way through and it will take them far.

[@budigunawan1677]

They still did have heart on the second movie but it's with Freddie.

[@asanitheafrofuturist]

That's the vibe I got from the trailer. Like it's gonna be trying too hard to get a laugh from me by having Zachary Levi say Gen Z shit. Chuck was my shit tho. Also can Djimon Hounsou get some better roles??? Also I'm sick of the wise black character mentors the white protagonist into becoming the best version of himself story that shit IS SO OLD AND SEE THRU but the movies keep doing it

[@PeterGriffin11]

@@asanitheafrofuturist I didn't realize that was a trend.

[@asanitheafrofuturist]

@@PeterGriffin11 oh yeah it for sure is. I'm too sleep deprived to really get into it now but it's similar to the white savior trope. Basically it checks off the tokenism box by having a Black actor in a pretty featured role in the movie but doesn't actually make Black folks feel empowered and it keeps the racists happy because the Black character is mainly there to help out the white character. Happy Gilmore can be seen as an example of this. Carl Weathers, a legend by the way, has his character treated like a joke thru a wooden hand that comically falls off at times but he still shines as a mentor for Happy and feels real in some scenes (I'm thinking specially of "what on earth you doin Happy? You actin like a damn fool!"). Then the movie kills off his character for one of the stupidest reasons I've ever seen in a movie. Happy thinks that giving Carl Weathers' character the alligator head of the alligator that bit off his hand and ended his career will be a good idea. So he gives it to him as a surprise gift. Chubbs (Carl Weathers) goes into shock at seeing the alligator head and falls out of a nearby open window and dies. We see Carl Weathers pop up in the movie again during a daydream scene near the end where Happy is close to losing in the big golf tournament and says some inspirational words and shows that he is playing a piano with a newly restored hand now. We see him again next to the alligator and what looks like Abraham Lincoln (?) in the clouds after Happy has won the tournament meaning obviously that Chubbs is in heaven now. I always thought Happy Gilmore was hilarious but always hated how they killed off Chubbs. I showed the movie to one of my white friends in high school and his first reaction after the credits rolled was "so there was only one Black guy in the movie. And they killed him." Like he sounded pissed!! I hope he's doing well nowadays. And that's just an example from ONE movie

[@idawg7332]

Mcu fans allowed marvel to get away with one liners and cgi garbage instead of well written characters and stories since 2015 with no consequences so they have no reason to change and now dc is trying to copy them.

[@DoctorFatality]

I loved this movie it had no business being this fun - put Rachel Zegler and Jack Dylan Grazer in a romcom together ASAP

[@dukelavish]

As someone said please watch and review Puss in Boots: The Last Wish... It was amazing and had an fantastic villain

[@stephen8805]

Gonna feel bad for this movie in the second weekend box office when John Wick 4 comes out.

[@TheRibottoStudios]

oooof. I feel like even Scream 6 is gonna have a better second weekend. People are LOVING it. I finally watched it last night and I'm seeing it AGAIN this weekend with friends who haven't seen it yet. OMG that opening kill was.....too real lol. So good though. I wonder if movie 7 is gonna follow movie 3 cause movie 6 kinda follows movie 2 a bit here and there which is kinda cool. It follows the original trilogy JUST enough but still stands on its own.

[@KitsuneRokaku]

... I won't. Take it down, Mr Wick.

[@firstlast9846]

Putting this movie next to John Wick feels cruel 💀 but the budget was so low - they shouldn’t be too worried.

[@spill1t]

Talk about crappy timing hey

[@Wolfhunter5607]

yea i think with the budget it has it’ll be fine especially since the first one made $366 million and still made a profit

[@alwaysxnever]

1:11 Asher shouldn't be the one to act like Levy, it should have been the other way around. And the fact that they still don't get that dynamic correct makes me glad we may not get another film from this crew. That was my fundamental issue with the first film.

[@Falcun21]

They need to watch Justice League: War to see how Billy vs Shazam act.

[@alwaysxnever]

@@Falcun21 I need to. Rewatch that as I don't remember. I liked the Black Adam Shazam short. Seemed to nail the dynamic well.

[@Junior2000625]

You have never seen the character in anything else have you, all I'm thinking is blame Covid movie would of more than likely came out sooner.

[@radrobd123]

Levi is the star, so Asher should match Levi. In the first, Billy (asher) was mostly moody and sad (except for his intro scene), but Levi was lighthearted and fun. They should have made Asher's Billy more like Levi's Shazam

[@Falcun21]

@@alwaysxnever Well, Billy is only supposed to be pre-teen or very early teen and he has the maturity to match. Shazam is Billy but he puts on a false maturity, what he THINKS he should act like and that causes him problems, like when he flirts with Wonder Woman or when he charges into battle overconfident in his power and ruins their plans and Wondy smashes him him in the jaw and chastises him for acting like a child. His childish innocence and lack of maturity show up when he gets excited.

[@Alifkbr]

I actually didn't mind it being simple and generic, and daylight monster variations are hard to do in cgi so props for that, with everything being tied to 10 movies and the multiverse and all that extra bs I felt nostalgic seeing something with a linear plot and had a good time.

[@TheRibottoStudios]

"A new case of sequelitis. You hate to see it." I'm not mad DC...I'm just disappointed.

[@Woutva]

After multiple dissapointments with the latest Marvel movies, I went into this with no expectations, and was happily suprised this was a solid fun-time-no-alochol required. It wasnt perfect, but I had a good time. The random CGI creatures in the end are getting really annoying, but hey, at least the Dragon looked cool? Also definitly a lot more fun than Black Adam.

[@budigunawan1677]

Yeah definitely the first good superhero movie in 2023 since Quantumania sucks.

[@westside9032]

This movie was garbage fire

[@Woutva]

@@westside9032 Then apparently I could have a good time with a garbage fire :D Sorry you didnt like it though

[@trevorporter6528]

Imagine calling wakanda forever disappointing and liking Shazam 2 😂😂 the main difference between the latest marvel movies and latest DC movies is that the marvel ones actually make money for the studio

[@skgsinc1833]

​@@trevorporter6528it was mid

[@mcgavinclapping9490]

The fact tht I didn’t even know there was another Shazam movie coming out is wild.

[@helpme100]

Under a rock

[@tharuka8803]

Under a rock

[@spooderous]

Under a rock

[@firstlast9846]

HELPME100 - tbf it could easily slip under the radar - nobody seemed to have faith in this movie.

[@Bjork4s]

Under a rock

[@amitnagpal1985]

I enjoyed this movie. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Felt like a movie that Marvel used to make. Funny and entertaining without being cringey or too serious.

[@32lilbruce]

Oh the dialogue and one liners were cringy AF.

[@rileywheeler6445]

wow we watched 2 different movies- i thought it was a lot of fun! decent plot . a lot of good action and comedy

[@irkalla100]

Comic book movies that don't feel like homework. I miss those days.

[@wilcee238]

Go watch Daredevil, Ghost Rider, Electra and Catwoman and see how you feel then.

[@jlev1028]

​@@wilcee238You do realize that period was also home to Batman Begins and the Spider-Man Trilogy, right?

[@daredevil6145]

Not feeling like Homework was Fun during MCU from 2013-2017

[@horrorvacui3606]

@@wilcee238 shut up man lol

[@BetaBreaking]

​​@@jlev1028 there will always be a lot of bad media, especially in a genre as big as the comicbook genre. It's grown so much, we sort of have to shift through a lot in-order to get to the good stuff 🤷‍♂️

[@RevengerPhoenix]

I feel like Jeremy is suffering of super hero fatigue. He doesn’t care about anything super hero related anymore, except Batman and Joker, because those are his two babies.

[@Bjork4s]

I think this is the type of superhero movie that could've worked in the early 2000s where we had dumb superhero movies like Ben Affleck's Daredevil or Fantastic Four or The Punisher, these cheesy af movies that's forgettable but fun to watch as a guilty pleasure movie. If they released it now, then I can sense a lot of dissapointing considering how advance superhero movies have become

[@spacejesus570]

@Ryan Moose Define 'woke' please

[@adamh8517]

Superhero movies are absolute trash these days, just made to make money and attract viewers. It’s a shame really, they used to be very good

[@radicalcentrist1242]

Well he did like Black Adam

[@vimalmannapurath9651]

@Ryan Moose Yes! Studios are ruining it.

[@jennifere.pergola598]

Just saw this tonight and enjoyed it - could have used more of the teen version of Billy as mentioned, but overall I thought it was almost as entertaining as the first one.

[@wwCs49]

Exactly what I feared. First one was such a pleasant surprise that this one 1) could never live up it and 2) would just miss the mark in general

[@shawnfields2369]

Yep, I agree, and thought the exact same thing. The first "Shazam!" was such a surprisingly good movie; I wasn't expecting it to be as great as it was(but i did think it'd only be good, not as great as it was), even though I already do think Zachary Levi's hilarious, but he definitely nailed it in the previous movie. But after seeing trailers for this one, and after seeing this review. Yeah, I felt bored,(by the trailers, not this review. The review was good). Like nothing memorable happens; or was going to happen, and that's what I was most afraid of, when I thought I WANTED to see this one. But yeah; there's just no real reason to see it, If it's just gonna forget what made the original Shazam film work in the first place, and lose the literal and metaphorical magic of the previous "Shazam!" film, and be devoid of the magic of that one; then why bother even seeing this flop, at all? Jeremy's face in the thumbnail says everything you'd need to see about it. Also, slight nitpick here; sorry, but the main Shazam kid's name is Billy Baston, NOT Billy Batson, no offense... but Batson makes him sound like he's the forgotten son of Batman or something(which wouldn't be a bad thing necessarily, because Batman's the best DC superhero ever, in my opinion). And if they're not even going to bother to put effort into this film, then don't go see it at all not worth it. Of course this film would miss the mark, the trailers were just mediocre, honestly. I knew it'd be just bland from the trailers alone. Because there was nothing interesting about the trailers(and i know, trailers usually don't have the intresting things happen in the trailers so when you see the movie, you don't miss the best parts) Also, here's another thing: they're apparently supposed to be called the "Daughters of Atlas", not Daughters of Kronos, but does it even really matter, when the "Daughters of Whatever", aren't even from ANY Shazam comic in the first place? Not really. It would've been better if we'd just gotten a Black Adam vs. Shazam movie instead. Because the buildup to THAT fight would've been great. Let's hope that "The Flash", or "Blue Beetle" films aren't this forgettable, or boring or generic as this one, unfortunately turned out to be. Sorry Billy, your Shazam powers couldn't help this time. But they were just fine in the first film. I figured this sequel would miss the point of what made the original Shazam so great...and that dooms it to being forgettable. A true shame for Shazam...no magic here. Just watch the first one, pretend this one doesn't exist.

[@albertbencosme]

Love your reviews! Short simple straight to the point. Watching this film today so thanks for the heads up.

[@joelbarba3]

Now that you saw it what was your thoughts? was Jeremy on the money, or was he just having a bad day?

[@BetaBreaking]

​@kaVemuTa I thought it was a fun film with heart, it's got flaws but it's definitely a step above a lot of the messy MCU and DCEU films. The Batman was the last comic book I truly enjoyed. BP2 was good but felt like it could have done more. Ant-Man was fun but it wasn't an Ant-Man film, it missed a lot of that charm and grounded story of the first 2. Loved the world and quantum realm but it felt out of place for a 3rd Ant-Man film, especially when they needed to cover a whole lot of ground with what happened post Endgame for the Pyms and Langs. It should have been the story of a 4 Ant-Man film unfortunately.

[@andrewgarfield9898]

I can’t believe that I’ve become more excited for DC movies now than Marvel ones

[@budigunawan1677]

Most people will be at the end of this year if the rumor is true about the upcoming Marvel movies....

[@haniffat]

Same lol

[@mikedowns3195]

​@@budigunawan1677 dude the MCU is dying, nothing is forever

[@dylanricher4333]

It’s probably cuz they forced you out as Spider-Man

[@budigunawan1677]

@@mikedowns3195 at least they had a good run

[@stranger990]

Exactly Jeremy you think they would have thought of some simple premises when they're superheroes are kids lol they honestly could have made a pretty good film The scenes if all the kids were hanging out instead of the adults would definitely make huge differences

[@shawnfields2369]

Yeah, EXACTLY. Because they're kids FIRSTLY, and SUPERHEROES secondly! Thats the whole point of Shazam/Captain Marvel! Because Billy Baston(look, no offense, to Jeremy, or to anyone else, but his name's Billy Baston, not Billy Batson, sorry, but to everyone who's saying "Batson", you're mispronouncing it). Batson makes him sound like he's the forgotten son of Batman or something, which wouldn't be a bad thing, as Batman's my favorite DC superhero, but they're not characters who are related to each other. And, I also loved the first "Shazam!" movie! So Jeremy's not the HUGE Shazam movie fan here, just saying. I went and saw it in theaters. It was great. It was hilarious, and probably the best way they could've introduced Billy Baston/Shazam, to people who've never seen him before(unless you played the Injustice games, which I have, and Shazam's a great character in both). Not saying Jeremy isn't a great reviewer, (he most definitely is), and I definitely agreed with this review. They lost the literal and metaphorical magic that the first one had, I'm guessing? That's a shame... because I genuinely thought Zachary Levi was a great casting choice as Shazam, and the kid who plays Billy Baston, in the first film, also did amazingly, too, and I'm glad he didn't get recast in this one, but it's too bad DC and Marvel keep forgetting what made their movies special in the first place; and keep messing up when they needed to fix their problems the most sometimes; especially in some of Marvel's more recent movies like: Thor: Love & Thunder (but I did enjoy this one a bit more than Jeremy did, and the ending was great, if not a little bittersweet), Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness, Venom: Let There Be Carnage(which was boring and disappointing, and also wasted Woody Harrelson as Cletus Cassidy/Carnage), and especially every single "Fantastic" Four movie; and definitely, Morbius. But I didn't hate Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, like Jeremy said, and as much as I hate to say it, I disagreed with his review of that film. Still liked the review itself though. But I also loved the Black Adam movie too. Yeah, I don't get why they'd make the adults hang out instead of the kids. They're meant to be kids first, and superheroes second. Not the other way around, which makes a difference. A huge one, like you just said. But of course, they had to take the magic from the first film, and forget what made it special in the first place. Well, there goes any motivation I had in seeing this film...also, the Daughters of Kronos/Altus(or whoever), aren't even from ANY of the Shazam comics. They were essentially new villains, made up for the purposes of being in this movie. I wish we'd just gotten to see Black Adam VS. Shazam, instead. Not a group of adults, with god-like superpowers, (who turn into kids sometimes) VS CGI monsters, Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren. That doesn't even sound like it'd be all that interesting. And like Jeremy, I don't think I'd hate this movie, but I now have next to 0 motivation to see it. Think I'll just stick with "John Wick: Chapter 4", instead. Thanks for the totally awesome review though, Jeremy! Saved me from seeing a boring and uninteresting superhero movie!

[@keshi5541]

@@shawnfields2369 Its pronounced (Billy Bat-Sin) But written Billy Batson.

[@shawnfields2369]

@@keshi5541 Oh; okay; thanks. Sorry then. But I just prefer saying "Baston"; instead of "Batson". It just...I don't know, sounds better to me.

[@peterkrug4124]

So far, Jeremy's rankings for each DCEU film is: "Man Of Steel"-Buy it on Blu Ray "Batman V. Superman"-Good time if you're drunk "Suicide Squad"(1st one)-Buy it on Blu Ray "Wonder Woman"-Buy it on Blu Ray "Justice League"-Good time, no alcohol required "Aquaman"-Good time, no alcohol required "Shazam!"-Awesometacular "Birds Of Prey"-Good time if you're stoned "Wonder Woman 1984"-Good time, no alcohol required "The Suicide Squad"(2nd one)-Buy it on Blu Ray "Black Adam"-Good time, no alcohol required "Shazam! Fury Of The Gods"-Won't remember it in T-minus one day😞

[@nicholasseymour7943]

This is what happens when you announce a reboot months before the films comes out

[@Bjork4s]

To be fair, if you take out the whole reboot news, it's still doesn't make the movie any better either

[@thegroove14]

These DC movies are just so lame and boring now. James Gunn can't reboot this franchise soon enough.

[@kityhawk2000]

​@thegroove14 he's not rebooting that's the problem. He's just doing the same thing the guy behind did. He's not really even in charge of all of DC Matt Reeves and Todd Phillips are clearly off doing their own thing with no involvement from him, not to mention the Black Superman movie and Constantine sequel that also has nothing to do with him.

[@christopher2684]

Every New Year goes by, it feels like the Joy of movies is dwindling, its like a surprise when its actually good, Like Puss in Boots, didn't see that coming.

[@BearBabyB123]

Great review Jeremy. I thought too much time was spent on the bridge. I also thought that they missed an opportunity to be in school, amongst their peers. Lastly, Billy should have revealed his alter ego to his foster parents, which would have led to him talking about being a teenager, leading a team of heroes. Still, I was entertained and would like to see it again.

[@Joyoboyogomu]

jeremy is slowly entering his rick grimes era with that beard and haircut, pretty epic

[@budigunawan1677]

Watched it earlier today. The second movie has more action than the first. 8/10 from me. Good writing and lots of jokes and references.

[@Bjork4s]

I saw it too. It was fine, nothing special but I guess it's still worth my time and money, there's still far worse superhero movies than this

[@budigunawan1677]

@@Bjork4s definitely a lot better than the recent superhero movies Black Adam, Thor Love and Thunder and Ant Man Quantumania.

[@MTart96]

Ironically people really do rate stuff that they slightly like as 8 or 9 out of 10s. That’s so funny to me

[@DextRAR]

8/10 is such a high score for ANY film. I can’t believe you mean a genuine 8/10 for this

[@medio77248]

Fuck any jokes like this That's all because marvel and negatively to industry Dc was better was tone of nolan .. snyder .. Todd Philip.. and Matt reeves

[@tyleroutland435]

I thought the first movie was okay I have spring break starting tomorrow I'm definitely seeing fury of the gods sometime next week

[@DrSlump-fz9ki]

I think the reason why this movie isn’t as good as the first one is because it doesn’t use any of Shazam’s comics as source material, really. The first movie was based if the 2013 New 52 run which was great, better than the first movie and revitalized the character for modern audiences. This movie is completely original, and while I can respect that in some ways, I think that ultimately brings the film down a little

[@Ravenbones]

"Revitalized the character for modern audiences" So it became unoriginal in that comic as well then. Boring.

[@Bjork4s]

I actually like the idea of Helen Mirren as the villain, even if the character is original, it's Helen Mirren playing a villain, what's not to love about that? It's just that the character wasn't fleshed out well which is why I didn't care about the villains. The villains were watchable enough because you love the actors, but as characters, they're very weak unfortunately

[@jaggeh3340]

The visuals with the lightning in the final fight are impressive, it does feel like it is a bit of a stand alone as far as story goes. The hunch that they came up with it after seeing the success of the first one would make a lot of sense.

[@ZacV47]

I’m not fully blaming him cause I don’t know the behind the scenes situations and I haven’t seen this movie yet, but The Rock basically screwed himself and the Shazam movies by wanting the spotlight all to himself. He wanted a Black Adam Vs Superman movie instead of accepting his role as a foe to Shazam. If this movie underperforms and this version of Shazam isn’t incorporated into the new DCU, Dwayne was a big factor in that.

[@everythingisawesome2903]

Rock and his huge ego. He straight up said that he wants nothing to do with Shazam, also it's in his contract that he can't get beat up in the movies.

[@flashgordon4339]

The first movie was relatively small-sized (until the 3rd act) and it had hearth and soul. That's what made Shazam stand out out of the DCEU heroes. Here he just feels like a generic superhero movie.

[@radrobd123]

with generic CGI monsters. We didn't even get to see if the monsters killed anybody or caused city wide destruction.

[@shapshapshapshap2829]

@@radrobd123 well spoiler here for anyone who hasn’t seen the movie: What are you talking about? When the Manticore is introduced we literally see it stab a lady and throw her through a window. The cyclops as well takes a police officer and demolished him.

[@keithshaughnessy4103]

I don't normally comment on KZbin but I have to say I really appreciate your reviews, you're the only KZbin movie reviewer I can trust. Like grace Randolph and the "collider " crew and John campea all seem to have the same generic opinions and don't want to hurt anyone's feelings and I just don't trust them but really appreciate your non-BS reviews really refreshing and I guess John wick is the only movie to see this month 🤣

[@JoeCobragaming]

2 thousand videos and counting. Congrats Jeremy. Next up 2milly subs bro.

[@FlawedCoil82]

Jeremy, you missed “Puss In Boots: The Last Wish”! It’s great!

[@PhantomJokerX]

I'm still waiting for his Andor Review.

[@gabrielleroux2333]

@@PhantomJokerX I think you can stop waiting at that point ..

[@dukelavish]

Yea I was waiting for him to watch and review that

[@channelsofash]

Not hard to imagine with everything happening at the studio that they would rush out a sequel to anything that seemed to be making enough people happy.

[@Jake-hc1up]

This movie has been in production for years now it was actually delayed because of everything happening with the studio

[@Bjork4s]

They didn't rushed the movie, they took their time properly to make this, I just don't think this was the right story to work with

[@Bjork4s]

@Oddwolf 799 Well, you can say the same about Black Adam or Love and Thunder or Black Widow 🤷

[@budigunawan1677]

This one is actually good. Better writing, the cameo actually makes sense. Compared to Black Adam, Thor Love and Thunder and Ant Man Quantumania, this one's a blast.

[@cinderfeather]

Absolutely wild that DC still can't get it together. Damn. James Gunn better have a hail mary ready with Superman cause if that fails then it's most likely game over man game over.

[@TheJrod482x]

The Rock not wanting to be in this film (or lose to Shazaam) really hurt both movies.

[@memecliparchives2254]

The contrast with Asher Angel as Billy and Zachary Levi as Shazam did work, because Shazam functioned as a safe space for Billy to somewhat be happy. Plus I don't even get what they say he's mature as a kid and childish as a adult. Yeah no, a mature person would not have many run ins with the police and ran away from SIX FOSTER HOMES. What part of that is mature? Lol.

[@JakeGottfriedStudios]

All I always felt like the proper villain of the sequel should had been Black Adam but you know, the Rock can't be second fiddle to Levi, I mean Gene Hackman and Jack Nicholson were second fiddled to Chrisopher Reeve and Michael Keaton back in the day.....

[@radicalcentrist1242]

The movie would have been a lot better if Black Adam was the villain but unfortunately, the rock can’t put aside his pride.

[@memecliparchives2254]

Actually the opposite would have happened. Levi would have second fiddle to the Rock.

[@JakeGottfriedStudios]

@Meme Clip Archives I just think how back then Hackman and Nicholson got top billing

[@airforcex9412]

DC is basically treating Shazam like a tier B or C Superman/Wonder Woman. The funny thing is that Shazam has the best potential to be a relatable OP character.

[@mikeg2940]

I just watched it in theaters and I thought it was overall good. It had a few cringe moments in the last act but it was a good time no alcohol required. Jeremy you being a little hard on this one. I think you are getting super hero fatigue 😅

[@abdizur8765]

Wasn't a single trailer that got me excited for this and you confirmed my suspicions Jeremy. John Wick and Mario remain the only films I'm interested in this year.

[@Hgh38]

Mission Impossible?

[@BryanVGK23]

Creed 3?

[@abdizur8765]

Creed 3 is a Rocky Movie without Rocky and I am interested in MI but like Guardians 3 it's the beginning of the end. Also doesn't help that money is soo bloody tight and frivolous spending isn't an option anymore.

[@incognitomode24]

@@abdizur8765 it costs 10 bucks

[@LokTar_Ogar93]

i had a "bad feeling" when they released the wonder woman tv spot, and the review embargo is still not lifted :/

[@budigunawan1677]

It's good. Ask anyone you know who has watched it this weekend.

[@glen9593]

Cheers Jezza. Always a reliable movie barometer. Appreciated.

[@adraino7345]

Was honestly looking forward to seeing this and then I saw a trailer that gave away the entire plot of the film.

[@awesomeproductions7755]

So I guess superhero movies as a whole have just worn out their welcome at this point, huh? 🥺

[@zetamangads]

I mean just like every other movie genre once they reached their popularity their going on a decline

[@Cyrus-rodn45]

Lol

[@firstlast9846]

That’s why I’m waiting for the new DCU.. a comic book universe with a focus on actual WRITING is what Marvel and DC should’ve been doing YEARS ago.

[@TheRealmOfTF]

Honestly, the superhero genre as a whole hasn't been the same since Endgame. I feel like that was the natural climax to the hype wave. Ever since, we've had mostly mid stuff mixed with the occasional flash in the pan (No Way Home, The Batman)

[@Dynaman21]

Why do you think there’s so many manga adaptations in the pipeline? Coupled with the return of the conventional actioner, the superhero genre is starting to fade. Just like when Batman and Robin hit back to back with Steel

[@SeymoreTheDisappointed]

Pretty sure it wasn't planned, I remember Zachary Levi saying a while ago that since the first movie didn't make that much in cinemas it likely wasn't going to get a sequel

[@mrmichaellee2009]

What I love about this dude is he loves movies, the only critic I watch now! never puts me off watching them. Just makes me aware of what I’m going into and does it really well.

[@xc_lowkkx1561]

Your starting to become the number one review guy !!! Keep it the fuuuck upp bro awesome job 💙

[@karimtalksmovies4963]

I am not saying this was their intention all along , but as a writer I feel like when Billy becomes shazam for him it's like an escape, almost like he's playing make believe almost like non of this is real sometimes that is why as the adult shazam he's (mostly) care free and funny but when he turns back to the kid version he's reminded of the sad reality he lives in and everything he went through in his life and that is why as the kid version he is mostly sad and serious... I Don't know if this makes sense 😅 it's just a thought I had last night while watching shazam 2 which I loved

[@E.T.360]

Nah nah let him cook y’all

[@akgonen60]

I AGREE its just like in thor LOVE AND THUNDER jane had cancer but was immortalized by being an asguardian if i was in that situation there would be no reason for me to return to a life of depression after xperiencing the life of a god

[@Bjork4s]

Yeah this is the point that a lot of people missed when criticising Billy and Shazam acts like a different people

[@jackswan338]

No need to apologise, this is basically correct. Kid Billy is aloof, cold and distant (like a jaded, cynical adult) and SHAZAM is him childish, carefree and silly like a kid because it’s his escapism.

[@daredevil6145]

Well, at least *JW4* was a banger!! and Tom and Keanu should continue as such

[@bignapolean3068]

Thanks. I like watching your reviews. It helps me prioritize if I'm going to see a movie in theaters, buy it, stream it or ignore it.

[@TySama0]

Watching it today after work, as I work at a movie theater, it's pretty easy to watch new movies.

[@michaelwinckowskiakacptmik5618]

Jeremy imagine if you had the power of Shazam Never mind all the superhero crap You have better blood pressure You probably have no diabetes or asthma with a lot of children have Your body is perfectly working properly So, of course, the kids in the cave would stay in their Shazam form I would ! Ps I’ve had diabetes since the young age lol

[@lexatrice2600]

First movie was so entertaining and fun and after watching so many reviews it delivers that, so excited to see it in theatre in Sunday.

[@tvirus9369]

I know right this movie has been getting alot of good reviews

[@amyadams9970]

The sad thing is, the film started off with a very important topic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (spoilers) . . . . . . . Billy was scared that once he turns 18 he was going to be kicked out of the house and never see his family again. But the film doesn't address that problem well and I felt that they dropped the ball on that very important topic. A lot of kids in the foster care system do feel this way and it would have been nice if the film had explored Billy's insecurities about the subject instead of having it be a couple seconds mentioned in the film at random scenes. Maybe have some scenes about Billy's (foster)parents looking into colleges and this caused Billy to fear that they were trying to kick him out. I honestly felt that all the superhero lore was not needed that much. We don't explore the villains that much and I felt that they let them down too. The reveal of the villains felt dull to me, I honestly thought they were gonna be a mirror-like thing to our heroes, but they weren't and it was a bit disappointing. Personally, though, I didnt think it was that bad, maybe a 6/10 rating. In fact I still have hope for this series because its main topic is around a child in foster care, something we don't regularly see in western movies, especially hero movies. I like for the topic to be explored more, maybe give one of the siblings a spin-off movie or series?

[@Jayo_businessmansavior01]

I wholeheartedly agree

[@3000cbreezy]

I was and am excited to see this movie, but when I saw the trailer and realized that they weren’t going with the end credit scene and they went into another direction, I was scared, but still looking forward to it…..Then the DCEU drama started and then I got scared that this may be affected by it and by this review it might be 😭😬

[@Tom-hx1wz]

My expectations for the first Shazam were low and I was pleasantly surprised. Shazam 2 was vice versa

[@ElVaqueroTiano]

If I could Shazam, I would Shazam all the time.

[@victorfatalys1076]

I heard it wasn't very good but coming from an honest yet very enthusiast guy like Jeremy Jahns, oh well, more time and money saved. Thanks for your reviews and keep up the good work 😉

[@Dr.Beetlejuice110]

It's possible Jeremy saw John wick first and it ruined him for watching this movie. Haha

[@everythingisawesome2903]

Darkwing Duck, is that you?

[@jayrett]

Dang that sucks. Levi's great, but the cool part of the first movie was seeing the children interact and talk to one another.

[@billyjenkins7951]

Didn't expect anything out of this movie. Not surprised how it turned out.

[@Dudja]

Great review ❤

[@TB-vz8xg]

Christopher Nolan ripped up Heinz Field with Hines Ward running up the field with a full crowd and it was awesome. Shazam rips up Citizens Bank Park when it's completely empty and I'm like, why?

[@eaglesmight8321]

I can always trust your review. 👍

[@missboozehound]

Hopefully the reviewers can make or create a perfect superhero movie. They seem to have the key. I enjoy their criticism.

[@4STPearson]

I think this is the first honest review. From the trailers alone, it looks very passable. The daughters of Atlas sound super lame.

[@CreativeIsolation]

It’s hard to believe I’ve been watching you review movies for this long… we’re getting old, brother!

[@disneyfied-sundquist7349]

Also, (*Spoiler Warning*) I love how James Gunn said that he's always viewed Shazam as its own separate thing, away from the DCEAU, and yet Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman is the one who has to save Shazam in the end 😂

[@davidaraquemojica7505]

Good to see you again old friend. Now your hair has turned a bit gray, same as mine, 😊

[@JediRyu99]

8 out of 10. It was good like Black Adam… I hope they make a 4th film with Zach Levi, and bring back Black Adam (the Rock), or do a Shazam and Justice Leaque mash up, and bring back the Wizard…

[@iamfiefo]

It was a fun movie... but not all that great. The first one was much better. I like how Mary Marvel and her normal form is just the same actress and no one notices they're the same person.

[@zuu156]

Damn, it’s a shame to see that Jeremy didn’t love this, I personally adored it!

[@Bjork4s]

I actually liked it. It's not as good as the first, the villains are absolutely generic eventhough thankfully Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu gave a great charismatic performance that made the characters watchable enough but for the most part I did found myself very entertained throughout most of the runtime. Enjoyed this more than Quantumania eventhough that doesn't make the movie all that much better lol. Granted, I really don't have high expectations for superhero movies so I guess that's why I thought Shazam was just okay

[@Wolfhunter5607]

lmao bet honestly with shazam i just expect to have a good time. ofc i want it to be good but my expectations aren’t high like for the main characters

[@jameydunne3920]

I'll see the movie this weekend, but I always felt the main villain for the second movie was being set up as a rematch of Mark Strong's character (Dr. Sivana, I think) and Mr. Mind. But then COVID happened, the buyout happened, and Black Adam happened. All of which probably caused the creation of the sequel we got.

[@williamluu7829]

It’s not surprising. We saw this coming when we saw the villains and the already done basic villain stuff. But since I have regal unlimited, I’m still going to see it this weekend.

[@traveling47]

i was rather excited when i heard who all was in the cast. that was up until i saw the trailer... that kind of just felt off to me. i think i'll catch it when it's streaming. great review.

[@DJGamingSmash]

Yeah, I could tell from the trailers.

[@zacharyjulien2952]

Seeing movies like this honestly makes me think how great a proper man of steel sequel would’ve been nice. Such a great set up and fight scene at the end.

[@wkadalie]

Henry Cavills superman has always under performed. Not his fault but he's part of the Snyderverse problem. I think the Superman and Lois is the direction the new Superman needs to take.

[@jamesatkinsonja]

The time for that was around 2015 or so. They should have done what Marvel phase 1 did and given everyone 1 [or 2 in Superman's case] solo films but they rushed to the team up's.

[@zacharyjulien2952]

@@jamesatkinsonja I completely agree. I don’t know who was on their production team and thought it was a good idea to rush and introduce characters with no buildup or development.

[@wkadalie]

@@zacharyjulien2952 I think people are always trying to quarter back on why the DCU failed. I think the problem just was bad writing. It wasn't because it was too dark. Or because they rushed it. It was bad writing and a bad creative vision. I felt no emotion from any of it. Except for the first Wonder woman and Peacemaker.

[@zacharyjulien2952]

That’s another take I definitely agree with. When dc has good writing we can see how good their movies can be. Like I thought joker , and the Batman were great. Also the newly updated suicide squad. I have yet to watch the peacemaker but it’s definitely on my bucket list.

[@shubhamtrivedi90]

Just watched the movie. I personally kinda liked it. The characters were well played by the actors, the direction and vfx was good. But most importantly for me the jokes landed right for me and I cracked everytime. 😂 This is something many superheroes movies failed in recent times.

[@Rodsuper]

So that means in James Gunnverse Shazam will be in his world moving forward as they shown in the only end credits, the actors from the Peacemakers are there to offer him a spot in Justice Society so they will be back and I am so happy. My family and I loved Shazam 2, which is better than the 1st one and needs to keep going. This should be a win for the DC live action.

[@mwctap]

Well-artculated and well said! Goddamn this is why I love your reviews

[@AgentChico639FYol]

I actually forgot the sequel is coming out lol. Ain't no point since DC is going to restart all over again.

[@mitchwelliver2951]

Usually agree with your takes, but couldn’t disagree with you more about this movie. Saw it this afternoon and absolutely loved it. Balance between child and adult versions felt very balanced and the humor worked much more organically than usual for a superhero movie. Definitely buying the movie when it’s available and rewatching it 👍🏻

[@FreddyBoBeddy]

Interesting you brought that up. Somehow, during the first film, I didn't think about the difference in character between the kid and Zachary, but during this film, I couldn't help but notice how different they are. Could be because I didn't enjoy this one, so I was being a little more critical.

[@mase6978]

I really want to like this