Film: Shazam! Fury of the Gods 

Cast: Zachary Levi, Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, Meagan Good, D.J. Cotrona, Grace Caroline Currey, Faithe Herman, Ian Chen, Jovan Armand, Marta Milans, Cooper Andrews, Djimon Hounsou, Rachel Zegler

Director: David F. Sandberg 

Rating: 3 Moons

Superhero films have something special in them. They're fun, entertaining and a visual treat. Exploring yet another adventure of teenage Billy Batson (Asher Angel/Zachary Levi), Shazam! Fury of the Gods is here to bring cheers. The sequel of the DC superhero film, directed by David F. Sandberg, releases globally on March 17. Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a clean, light-hearted entertainer that is best suited for children and young adults. Tracing the journey of Billy who lives in Philadelphia with foster parents. With his foster siblings, he forms the Shazam Family. This time, the stakes are higher for the Shazamily. 

The central focus in Shazam! Fury of the Gods is the Shazamily's conflict with the three daughters of Atlas, Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu) and Anthea (Rachel Ziegler). Possessing danger to the superheroes, they come to earth to seek retribution for the death of their father. The battle of good vs evil takes a major chunk of the film but sadly, it never takes itself too seriously. Often, when the superhero shines, a certain degree of credit goes to the supervillain. In the case of Shazam! Fury of the Gods, the villains are bland. There's not much of a backstory to support their actions and thus, it feels incomplete. 

The highlight of Shazam! Fury of the Gods is the humour. Blending references from Harry Potter and Game Of Thrones, the film goes all out when it comes to tickling your funny bone. It is aware of its own silliness and celebrates it unapologetically. There's no doubt that the actors are having a blast playing superheroes and their effortlessness is visible on the screen. Shazam's sequel is loaded with some whacky one-liners, an emotional core and a special cameo that makes the wait worthy enough. 

Without a doubt, Zachary Levi is charming as the titular character Shazam. His childlike mannerisms make him a heartwarming and lovable superhero. With his heart in the right place, Shazam is a vulnerable yet endearing hero who will be remembered for eternity. Zachary pulls off the emotional arc of Shazam will ease even when the character graph gets clumsy. 

The real attraction of Shazam! Fury of the Gods is Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman who is finally getting a chance to shine. The character has his own struggles but never makes it a point to feel bad about them. He's vivacious and wears his heart on his sleeve. Jack strikes the perfect balance between humour and emotionally heavy moments. 

Lucy Liu's Kalypso is menacing but is still one-toned. The character's actions get repetitive and there's barely any scope for her to escalate the graph. Helen Mirren makes the most of her screen time as Hespera, but her principles could be explored in a better way. Rachel Zegler's Anthea stays back for a long time after the film ends. She carries a layered character and despite being one of the daughters of Atlas, Anthea has the softest heart. 

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is visually stunning and brilliantly shot. It majorly relies on aerial shots and there's nothing to complain about. The sequence where the bridge collapses is one of the finest works in terms of humour and cinematography. 

Shazam's sequel is fun, light-hearted and warm. It once again highlights the importance of having a superhero who is quirky, whacky and all heart. A perfect weekend watch with the family, Shazamily will welcome you to theatres with the promise of unfiltered entertainment for 2 hours and 10 minutes.

PeepingMoon gives Shazam! Fury of the Gods 3 Moons