The four years that separate us from the premiere of Shazam! It is significant that the first film lags behind the sequel, Shazam! The gods' fury is most evident. Little remains of the characters' initial charm, their warm, familiar and youthful humour.
It's not just that he's late, with cameos that don't matter anymore, and two post-credit scenes that may be doomed to be forgotten, like the one in the first film, but that he only manages to entertain at times, and that he's lost a lot of charm.
The plot seems to be confined to square and bevel, falling into all of the foreseeable events, and the characters aren't sufficiently cohesive to convey the notion of a team, yet its greatest flaw is to use resources already available, rendering it an arduous experience.
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Shazam's First Trailer! The devil's fury
What is the focus of the film?
Ah, so what does it take to save the world once more from Atlas' daughters, some deities who are willing to sow chaos and use their magic to exact revenge, although beyond revenge as such they do not know that he understands very well why his brutal animosity towards humans.
During the course of their lives, our heroes must face the same problems as any teenager: first loves, high school bullies, and juggling a life dedicated to the noble cause of doing good with their personal lives.
The similarities with Spider-Man are more than obvious, and many of the things that are presented in this film are already apparent. The action is uneven, there is no breathing room for the characters, and there is little development because the cast is too choral not to say that it is a championship hodgepodge.
The big question... Was this plot for a two-and-a-half-hour film? It is easy to conclude that it is excessive, but this is especially evident in the conclusion, where script choices are quite judicious.
Shazam! Wrath of the Gods works reasonably well because it has several top-notch actors deep into their roles, like the great Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu in the roles of Hespera and Kalipso.
Cooper Andrews and Martha Milans are the primary foster parents of a somewhat disjointed group, yet they are united by their love for them.
With the essential cameo of Annabelle, the filmmakers make references to many films that have shaped an era, such as Fast & Furious, The Lord of the Rings, or Star Wars, and serve as immediate references to the young heroes.
This suggests that the film has everything it needs to have: action, family drama, magic, great creatures, and a production in which bills have rained. Cinema is not a mathematical equation. Either it captures you and subjugates you, or it does not, and that largely depends on a lot of issues.
The most essential is that you strive to be unique and exciting while not being swept away by clichés or risking everything for an endless end in which everything is ruled by noise.
It's hard to envision a third installment of Shazam! despite some good ideas, and it's a shame because there were managed to press a key in all of the DC adaptations... It's too bad it took so little to fall out of tune.
