Shazam! Fury of the Gods’

Movie Review

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a 2023 American superhero film based on the character Shazam from the DC comics. It's the follow-up to Shazam! The 12th installment of the DC Extended Universe, was released in 2019. It stars Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, and Helen Mirren, and is directed by David F. Sandberg and written by Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan. Shazam and his foster siblings fight the Atlas daughters in the film. The film will be released theatrically in the United States on March 17, 2023. Critics gave the film mixed reviews, praising the humor but criticizing the direction.

The film's plot is set in Athens, Greece, where two of the Titan Atlas' daughters, Hespera and Kalypso, break into the Acropolis Museum to steal the Wizard's broken staff. They then bring it to the imprisoned Wizard and force him to recant "Shazam," repairing it and activating its powers.

Billy Batson and his foster siblings save people on a collapsing bridge in Philadelphia but are blamed for the destruction. Everyone at home is growing apart as they get older and develop personal interests. Billy is concerned about being kicked out of the Vasquez family once he turns 18 and leaves the foster system. The Wizard warns Billy about the Atlas daughters in a dream as Shazam. Billy and his brothers then conduct research on the daughters.

Freddy, who is bullied at school, meets a new girl named Anne, forms a relationship, and then demonstrates his superhero abilities. Unfortunately for Freddy, Hespera and Kalypso arrive with the staff and steal his powers. Anthea, their youngest sister, is revealed to be Anne. As Billy and his siblings are about to save Freddy, the goddess daughters kidnap him and place a dome around the city, trapping the family and the residents. Freddy, along with the Wizard, is imprisoned in their afterlife kingdom. The Daughters of Atlas reveal their desire for vengeance after the Wizard assassinated Atlas.

The family makes their way to the Rock of Eternity. They come across a magical sentient pen known as "Steve," which they use to write a letter to Hespera requesting a deal for Freddy and the staff. Billy meets Hespera at a hamburger stand, where she confesses that her father was a tyrant and that his family stole all of the gods' powers. The family fights her, as does Kalypso, who uses the staff to steal Pedro's powers. Hespera is defeated and imprisoned in their lair. While they try to come up with a plan, Hespera escapes, discovering the golden apple, the seed of life. Freddy and the Wizard try to find a way out of the gods' world at the kingdom, with Anthea's assistance. Hespera, on the other hand, walks through the door with the apple. The Wizard suggests stealing it because it has the potential to destroy his world. Freddy falls down while attempting to steal it, drawing the attention of the daughters, but is saved by Billy.

As a dragon is about to destroy their house, Billy, Freddy, the Wizard, and the rest of the family reveal themselves as superheroes to their parents. Kalypso pursues them for the apple, causing each member to lose their powers. Mary takes off with the apple but is zapped, causing her powers to fade and her fall. Billy chooses to save her, giving Kalypso the opportunity to retrieve the apple.

She also severely injures Hespera and steals Anthea's powers before planting the apple in a stadium, where it grows the Tree of Life and unleashes various creatures that attack the civilians. The family comes to a halt in a parking lot to observe the mayhem. Billy is depressed and requests that the Wizard restore his powers. He tells Billy that he chose him because of his selflessness and concern for his family, despite the fact that it may be a suicide mission.

Billy transforms into Shazam to stop Kalypso, the family attempts to assist him, and Darla inquires about the creature's weakness: unicorns. Except for the parents, everyone exits the van, and the children with the Wizard look around. Darla befriends a unicorn by feeding it Skittles; a herd appears, allowing each of them to ride one. Shazam convinces a dying Hespera to assist him in stopping her sister. He makes Kalypso chase him, stopping at the stadium tree, and then the dome shrinks around them. Finally, the parents, Anthea, and Freddy arrive near the dome, where Billy is preparing to face Kalypso on his own.