Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)
77%RT Audience Score: 87%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a cacophonous and bombastic carnival that relies heavily on CGI and a crushing soundtrack to fake its ambitious scale. While the action sequences featuring dragon-based mayhem, cyclopes, and an army of formidable hell unicorns hopped up on candy are pacy and fun, the undercooked casserole of cliched narrative elements, underdeveloped characters, and juvenile humor make it a forgettable experience. However, Zachary Levi’s charmingly consistent performance as Billy and the diverse cast of women of every age, ethnicity, and skill make it an enjoyable slice of silliness. Overall, it’s a sequel that duplicates the original’s charm but fails to elevate the franchise to new heights.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods has critics divided, but one thing is for sure – it’s a fun and silly ride. Some say it’s too juvenile, while others praise its charm and humor. Personally, I loved seeing Zachary Levi tap into his inner child as Billy, and the diverse cast was a win for me. Sure, the CGI can get a bit overwhelming, but it’s all in good fun. If you’re looking for a lighthearted superhero flick, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is worth checking out. Just don’t take it too seriously, or you might end up like those critics who checked out.
Production Company(ies)
DC Entertainment, New Line Cinema, The Safran Company, Verse, Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Pictures
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Atlanta, Georgia, United States; Georgia, United States; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
MPAA / Certificate
PG-13
Year of Release
2023
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital, Dolby Atmos, Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 10m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 17, 2023 Wide
Genre(s)
Action/Adventure
Keyword(s)
starring Zachary Levi, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, Asher Angel, Rachel Zegler, Jack Dylan Grazer, directed by David F Sandberg, written by Henry Gayden, Chris Morgan, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, PG-13, Warner Bros Pictures, Peter Safran, $30.1M, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, DC Universe, reviewed by tt stern-enzi, Claudia Puig, Sara Michelle Fetters, Wendy Ide, James Berardinelli, Wenlei Ma, Carla Renata, Cris Kennedy, Christian Toto, Bob Grimm, Jay Ledbetter, Ian Thomas Malone, Shazam, Hespera, Kalypso, Anthea, Freddy Freeman, dragon-based mayhem, cyclopes, hell unicorns, candy, superhero, magic word, transformed, adult, Super Hero alter ego, box office performance, sequences of action, language, violence, March 17, 2023, 2h 10m, Digital 2.39:1
Worldwide gross: $133,438,006
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $73,556,765
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,171
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 8,021,457
US/Canada gross: $57,638,006
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $38,956,765
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,175
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $100,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $100,000,000
Production budget ranking: 401
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $53,850,000
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$80,293,235
ROI to date (est.): -52%
ROI ranking: 1,703
Helen Mirren – Hespera
Lucy Liu – Kalypso
Asher Angel – Billy Batson
Rachel Zegler – Anthea
Jack Dylan Grazer – Freddy Freeman
Director – David F. Sandberg
Producer – Peter Safran
Writers – Henry Gayden, Chris Morgan
Director(s)
David F. Sandberg
Writer(s)
Henry Gayden, Chris Morgan
Producer(s)
Peter Safran
Film Festivals
Toronto
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (199) | Top Critics (44) | Fresh (103) | Rotten (96)
If you’re under 13 this could be fun, if you’re 13-18 you’re going to be like “what is this?” and if you’re older than that, you’re gonna check out.
March 22, 2023 | Rating: C-
tt stern-enzi
WXIX-TV (Cincinnati, OH)
TOP CRITIC
Neither Mirren nor unicorns are enough to make this worth seeing.
March 21, 2023
Claudia Puig
FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
TOP CRITIC
Everyone who got a kick out of the low stakes, self-contained storytelling and goofily juvenile antics on display in 2019’s Shazam! will likely be equally satisfied with its sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods.
March 21, 2023 | Rating: 3/4
Sara Michelle Fetters
MovieFreak.com
TOP CRITIC
Billy’s inane babbling gets a little wearing, but the action sequences, featuring dragon-based mayhem, cyclopes and an army of formidable hell unicorns hopped up on candy, are pacy and fun.
March 20, 2023 | Rating: 3/5
Wendy Ide
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
An undercooked casserole of cliched narrative elements, underdeveloped characters, juvenile humor, and a deus ex machina cameo.
March 20, 2023 | Rating: 2/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
Bombastic and cacophonous, a relentlessly overstimulating carnival that relies heavily on CGI and a crushing and clanging soundtrack to fake its ambitious scale.
March 19, 2023 | Rating: 2.5/5
Wenlei Ma
News.com.au
TOP CRITIC
Zachary Levi is simply charmingly consistent tapping into his inner child for Billy a But, the real win for me, is the fact that there is a woman of every single age, ethnicity and skill within the young cast and the their more mature counterparts.
March 22, 2023
Carla Renata
The Curvy Film Critic
While the film almost, almost falls into the same trap the second Wonder Woman film fell in – relying too much in its final acts on dumb and confusing CGI carnage – it remains an enjoyable slice of silliness.
March 22, 2023 | Rating: 3/5
Cris Kennedy
The Canberra Times (Australia)
Silly, sweet and packed with smiles, this sequel duplicates original’s charm.
March 22, 2023 | Rating: 3/4
Christian Toto
HollywoodInToto.com
What are good movies like? Given the last couple of months, I’m sort of forgetting.
March 21, 2023 | Rating: 2/5
Bob Grimm
Reno News and Review
There are few superhero movies that have lower human stakes.
March 21, 2023 | Rating: D-
Jay Ledbetter
InSession Film
Fury of the Gods feels oddly empty for a film with far too many characters, coasting solely off any remaining goodwill earned by its predecessor. This narrative tries to pretend it has a heart to cover up the overabundant sense of nothing at its core.
March 21, 2023
Ian Thomas Malone
ianthomasmalone.com…
Plot
Continues the story of teenage Billy Batson who, upon reciting the magic word “SHAZAM!,” is transformed into his adult Super Hero alter ego, Shazam. Sequel to “Shazam!” and based on the comic series written by Bill Parker.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cars hitting the dome while at full speed on the bridge should have crashed much more violently.
David-F.-Sandberg.jpg
