@travmoody
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a fairly fun follow-up to the original “DCEU” film — especially in the 4DX format. By now, you’ve likely already read critical and social media thoughts on this superhero sequel that mashes everything from classic late-70s Superman flicks to the core of curious oddball sibling films we cherished back in the 80s to the magic and sorcery of the Hatter Potter saga. Heck, one of the kids has a Goonies shirt on. If one thing’s for sure, director David F. Samberg has no problem hitting things right on the nose, and maybe all the heavy foreshadowing and not-so-eastery Easter Eggs are really just part of the point.
Now, I mention 4DX, because I initially had mixed feelings about the format in the first act. With loads of magical power sequences and a the clear lightning bolt logo (again, The Flash comparisons are brought up from Billy Batson right away), I was expecting some pretty serious lighting effects. Well, thankfully, as the film goes on and the battles become more serious and more epic — and they sure are, as most of the fights take place in flight and are “super” thrilling — the lighting/lightening effects have more of an impact. There’s a reason for that, but telling you about the film’s most massive nemesis would spoil it. I still think the 4DX lights could have been more profound, but I’m happy to see the gradual impact. The weakest effect in the fourth dimension was the smoke. WHO WANT THE SMOKE? I sure did, but the little dust clouds that popped up a pair of times in just the left and right front rows do little for, like, 98% of the audience.
As far as the movie-going crowd, the theater was packed. Families and children filled most of the seats at my local Regal cinema, which is both great for 4DX attendance and the future of DC. People still care about superheroes who aren’t always so “Marvel-ous”. While I’m not so positive about its lasting box office, with middling critical scores and imminent releases like John Wick 4 and Super Mario Bros waiting to pounce dat Fury — I’m happy for Zachari Levi and company for a job well done. Shazam!‘s sequel has a nice balance of child-like innocence and charm, and a great deal of stirring action sequences that wonderfully utilize the moving chair effects. I’ve never felt so many seat-rattles as in Fury of the Gods, and the timing of chair movement was among the best I’ve ever experienced. There’s a lot of boom, but not anything anyone who’s ever experienced the lightest rides at Disneyland can’t handle. The greatest part about 4DX is that you never know if anyone is kicking your chair or it’s an effect, so it’s hard to get mad.
Shazam! 2 might come across like your standard fair superhero film, and I can’t disagree that superhero movie fatigue is a real thing; but this “Fury” provides plenty of heart and a genuine sense of care and family, and it’s far more poignantly touching than expected. A pair of scenes got me choked up, then again, I’m often as big a baby as Billy in his silly red suit. It was nice to see Jack Dylan Grazer really steal the show as Freddy Freeman (yeah — not the Dodgers’ first baseman, Freddie), who easily had the best comedic timing in the film, while Lucy Liu appeared to have a (literal) cartoonish blast as Daughter of Atlus Kalypso. Dame Helen Mirren‘s Hespera was absolutely wonderful and the banter between the three daughters was hilarious and offered far more gravitas than your usual comic book movie villainy. The CGI is extraordinary throughout, a near thrill-ride when experienced in 4DX. My fav moments in the chairs are moments of gliding flight and rumbling chases, and there’s a ton of that– especially with scenes containing mythical creatures that do battle alongside the heroes and gods.
In the end, Shazam! Fury of the Gods won’t change the genre like James Gunn plans to do in the years to come. But it might steal your heart if not your money, and you’ll be happy dishing out a few more bucks for the premium experience in 4DX. The only thing missing was the taste — or at least the smell (do they have a smell?) — of Skittles. SHAZAM!
Movie = 3.25/5
4DX = 3.75-4/5
Overall = 3.5/5 Soda Pops.
-Travis Moody
P.S. There are two end credit sequences. Hilarious that I was nearly left alone from a packed house for the final end credit sequence, but maybe they knew better than me since it has something to do with the questionable future of this film franchise…