Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania kicked off 2023’s run of superhero movies, but now it’s time for DC to shine. The first of this year’s four upcoming DC movies is Shazam! Fury of the Gods, arriving four years after moviegoers watched Asher Angel’s Billy Batson gained the ability to turn into his superpowered Shazam form, played by Zachary Levi. Billy passed this ability to his foster siblings towards the end of Shazam!, and Fury of the Gods will see the Shazamily taking on the Daughters of Atlas, played by Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler. While the public still has a few weeks to go until the Shazam! sequel’s release, the first early reactions about this DC blockbuster are trickling in.
So what’s the early buzz on Shazam! Fury of the Gods? To kicks us off, CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg was largely positive towards the 2023 new movie release, saying that while it’s not exceptional, it’s a fun watch overall.
Shazam! Fury Of The Gods is a super fun and worthy sequel. Not a game changing comic book movie, but it wins you over with its characters and energy. Has some real surprises and a knowing sensibility that suit it well – plus some creative and exciting monster action. #ShazamMovie pic.twitter.com/J5gXH3lzzxMarch 7, 2023
Black Girl News founder Jamie Broadnax pointed out in her reaction that the trademark style of humor from the first Shazam! movie is retained in Fury of the Gods, while also praising the action, characters and (in a later tweet) the design of the dragon that Lucy Liu’s Kalypso rides.
Shazam continues to lean into his silliness and immaturity in this sequel which tells us this franchise will remain to keep these films funny, light and slapstick-ish. The sequel comes with more action, compelling villains and a complicated antihero. #ShazamFuryOfTheGods #Shazam2 pic.twitter.com/Po5J64rd91March 7, 2023
Brandon Davis from Comicbook.com was also among Shazam! Fury of the Gods supporters, and along with highlighting how its theme of found family shines, mentioned how the movie does a good job of including some horror elements among the lightheartedness.
I saw #Shazam! Fury of the Gods!It’s a really good sequel. The theme of found family delivers great emotional beats. Sandberg sprinkles some horror elements while maintaining the childish joy & charm of the Shazamily.Nothing brand new but highly entertaining! Really enjoyed. pic.twitter.com/7BFToNMRDjMarch 7, 2023
But not everyone liked Shazam! Fury of the Gods as a whole. While Digital Spy’s Gabriella Geisinger liked Jack Dylan Grazer and Djimon Hounsou’s respective performances as Freddy Freeman and the Wizard Shazam, she ultimately found the movie a chore to get through.
Within #ShazamFuryOfTheGods is a fun buddy comedy starring Djimon Hounsou & Jack Dylan Grazer. Unfortunately, you have to watch Shazam 2 to see it. Few bright spots bogged down by final act muddy CGI battle. Levi plays Billy as if he's in on the joke — an uncanny valley of humourMarch 7, 2023
Back to more positive territory, Variety and The AV Club writer Courtney Howard praised Shazam! Fury of the Gods’ action and humor, and was particularly impressed by Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Ziegler’s performances as the sequel’s antagonists.
#ShazamFuryOfTheGods // #ShazamMovie is a super-powered sequel that packs a punch. A super solid, super fun & super smart blend of hilarity, heart & heroics. Ramps up the action & irreverence to a delightful degree. Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu & Rachel Zegler are MVPs. ❤️ the dragon! pic.twitter.com/C4eP4ukAk1March 7, 2023
Finally, while James Gunn is in a more privileged position compared to the masses as co-head of DC Studios, he threw in his own complimentary words about Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which included mentioning director David F. Sandberg.
I love it, it’s a complete blast. @ZacharyLevi & @ponysmasher & @rachelzegler & the whole crew killed it. #ShazamMovie https://t.co/GHlv2ToDJdMarch 7, 2023
So overall, it sounds like while Shazam! Fury of the Gods won’t necessarily go down as one of the best superhero movies of all time, it’s still worth watching for a fun time, especially if you liked the previous Shazam! movie. Maybe the positive reactions on social media and the soon-to-arrive reviews will improve the sequel’s chances of succeeding at the box office. In late February, some estimates placed Fury of the Gods at making between $35-40 million on opening weekend, while others were more optimistic at $43-52 million.
Before Shazam! Fury of the Gods opens in theaters on March 17, rewatch the first movie with your HBO Max subscription, or at least read about the things you need to remember from Shazam! beforehand. Despite DC putting together a new shared universe, David F. Sandberg has said the Shazam! film series could continue into this new era, but only if enough people check out this second entry while it’s on the big screen.
