Featured Graphic by Destiny Mizell
Story by Makayla Sulcer
“Shazam: Fury of the Gods” released last weekend. I watched the film opening night with a smaller crowd than expected. Here are my thoughts.
Let’s start with the opening scene. We immediately jump into the Daughters of Atlas stealing the magic staff that was once wielded by the god Shazam. This movie definitely holds a darker tone in the action sequences than the first film. Some of the deaths in these fights were definitely not suitable for a younger audience.
The opening scene is very strong in both direction and as an action sequence. Lucy Liu and Helen Mirren deliver a scene together that makes me believe they will have great chemistry throughout the film. I feel I was let down in this aspect.
I have loved Lucy Liu in past projects, so I was excited to see her in a DC film. She was full of disappointments in my opinion. I felt that she tried a little too hard to have a villain voice, which is especially noticeable in a few lines, which could’ve been a result of poor writing. I preferred hearing from Helen Mirren in this film as a villain.
The score of this film is great, which is something I don’t tend to appreciate in the DCEU. Christophe Beck delivers great battle and emotional music. Beck also composed music for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” which I noticed some similiarities.
Costume design is nother thing that DC seems to always get right. They have a lot to handle when it comes to this film, considering the entire group of kids are superheroes. Their costumes look great; My favorite has to be Pedro Peña’s Shazam suit (played by D. J. Cotrona and Jovan Armand). I love the color pattern with the gray and gold.
The childrens’ acting skills have improved significantly since the first film. I genuinely enjoyed their screen time. They have great chemistry on screen and, based on their press tours, I feel like this is due to their off-screen friendships.
The Shazam films fall victim to constant pop culture referencing. Sometimes they are genuinely funny jokes, but I feel like they push them too far sometimes. The “Fast and Furious” reference about family, which was in the trailer, was not amusing. It could be because I knew it was coming, but it seemed they were behind on the cultural references.
The final battle scene brings us so many creepy creatures that looked good, with some exceptions. Regardless, I enjoyed looking at what they came up with in terms of new creatures entering a realm they didn’t belong in.
Overall, I feel as if this movie did not meet my expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed watching “Shazam,” but I didn’t feel the same towards the sequel.
My rating for “Shazam!” at around 85%, while my rating for “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” sits right around 60% – likable characters, predictable plot, cheesy cameo.
To contact Lifestyles Editor Destiny Mizell, email lifestyles@mtsusidelines.com. For more news, visit www.mtsusidelines.com, or follow us on Facebook at MTSU Sidelines or on Twitter at @Sidelines_News.
