Shazam! Fury of the Gods

It's Always 🗲Shazammy🗲 in Philadelphia

or

"It's Fam-i-ly Feud!"

"All happy families are alike, but every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

Leo Tolstoy, "Anna Karenina" 1878

 

When last we left Billy Batson (Asher Angel), he'd just turned his foster-brothers and sisters into a collection of super-heroes to defeat an evil threat. By invoking the name of the wizard "Shazam"(Djimon Hounsou), they turn into the "Marvel Family" (but nobody calls them that because...lawyers), with, collectively, the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, the speed of Mercury...and the neuroses of foster teens. Strange brew.

 

Particularly shouldering these burdens is Billy, who, in his superhero guise as an adult-looking "Captain Marvel" (shhh..."lawyers"...but played by Zachary Levi), he is responsible for the safety of the city of Philadelphia and the management of his family, super-powered and not. It can weigh on a guy. But, then, he has the stamina of Atlas, so, "no big deal," right?

"Say my name!" ("'Destiny's Child' did it better")

Well, it depends on your point of view. He does have the stamina of Atlas, but as Atlas is dead and all, he's probably not using it anymore. Right? So, why not have it? Right? Possession is 9/10 of the law, right? Even if you're "possessed" by a super-hero.

Except for one thing. Three things, really. Atlas had children, a few from different sources, but like all family fights, it usually comes down to the most outspoken ones to stir the pot, so the ones that matter are his daughters Hespera (Helen Mirren), Calypso (Lucy Liu) and Anthea (Rachel Zegler)* Notice the family resemblance? No? Well, like I said "different sources"; call them the step-daughters of Atlas.

  

Being heirs, they're not too thrilled with "family assets" being seized and given to "strangers..."—why, it's not even someone in the family, for god's sake (literally). Besides, not having Atlas' power is making living in whatever god-realm they inhabit in their pearly-gated community less than optimal. I mean, so what if you're a god, even an unfashionable god—a god that's not exactly making people hit their knees anymore—they still have a right to what's theirs!

And so, they deem to get their sandals sullied on real Earth and take back the Wizard's staff that contained all of the power of the gods that were transferred to "The Marvel Family" rather than "The Atlas Family" during the kerfluffle with Dr. Sivana in the last movie. Just putting their mitts on it is enough to generate some power out of it and they use it to smash up a museum and turn all of its patrons into stone. And before you can say "who in their right mind would put something that powerful into a museum?" the Marvels go into action.

Well, not immediately. First, Billy has to visit a doctor about his issue with "imposter syndrome"—he is a 17 year old who becomes an adult super-hero, after all!—the burdens of great power/great responsibility, that he might be a redundant in a world full of super-hero movies (he doesn't mention that, I just added it), and...that at 17, he's going to "age-out" of the foster-care system, and his parents won't be getting support for him. That's a big issue, one that occupies his thoughts even while the "Marv's" try to stop a bridge from collapsing during rush-hour.

But, the Wizard tells them of the impending threat, and the kids try to figure out how to fight mad adults who are gods, or "children of god." The humor of the film comes from the awkwardness of 'tweens trying to be adults, as well as the odd arcana of their Rock of Eternity headquarters that is as idiosyncratic as Hogwarts (heat is provided by an eternally burning violin—Nero's?—and there's an enchanted auto-pen named "Steve"). 

Meanwhile the Atlas kids are using the Wizard's staff to suck the shazam! out of the Marvel kids individually, while also trying to acquire a "golden apple" to rebuild Earth into their kingdom. Oh, and there's a dome—a big impenetrable energy dome surrounding Philadelphia that traps everybody, including our heroes inside. And creatures that look like they came out of Harryhausenland. And unicorns. And a dragon. At one point, Cap just comes out and says "I never thought I'd be saying this, but the dragon is the least of our problems now."

Sounds like it would be a mess, but, it surprisingly isn't. The humor isn't strained, as much as is going on. Levi maintains the "gee-whiz-I'm a dork" persona that makes the adult Captain Marvel such a fun character, and there's "just enough" individualism in the Marvel kids to make you give a rip about 'em when they're getting slammed around. And there are joys, little unexpected "bits" where you shake your head at the cleverness—like Helen Mirren reading a negotiating note from the Marvels—who have no filters—dictated by an enchanted pen—that has no editing skills. And the youngish cast, who are riffing, and moving things along at warp-speed.

The characters' powers have settled in, so there's none of that training awkwardness about their abilities as in the first movie, and maybe all the opportunities of kids acting like adults with super-powers isn't explored nearly enough. But, there's enough mocking earnestness that there were times when the matinee kid in me had their blood pressure up and wanted to see the bad guys get their comeuppance, just because they're very mean people...or demi-gods...or whatever. That hasn't happened to me for awhile in movies. Maybe it's because we've become used to evil that is so blatant and is constantly excused away with sanctimonious self-righteousness.

And ultimately (as Billy evokes "The Fast and the Furious" series in one scene—to Mirren, no less!) The Fury of the Gods really is about family—families that function and families that don't—compare and contrast—and the squabbling and scorched Earth that ensues—and, of course, it all takes place in Philadelphia and the villains are trashing the City of Brotherly Love (ironically). One can't help but see this as another episode of Family Feud...but without Steve Harvey to break the fourth wall to let you know he thinks it's all a little dumb, too.

 

There's a lot of entertainment value in it, a bit lighter in tone, but not lighter in content that the kids can see it and not be zombiefied. And as jokey as it is, as juvenile as it can be, a lot of it will go over kids' heads.

 

* Shazam! Fury of the Gods makes a mystery of the third one for a time, and her identity is revealed as a surprise that doesn't really "land." I mean, why did she suddenly turn up in the first place if she didn't have something crucial to do with the plot?

Shazam!

(Let's Just Say It) Captain Marvel II
or
The Big Red Cheese-Fest

One is tempted to quote Gomer Pyle and say "Sha-zayam!" at this, but for the fear of being struck by lightning, let's just say "Holy Moley," this movie is a lot of fun.

It's the second flick within a period of weeks to feature a super-hero named "Captain Marvel" (although he's never actually called that in the movie and the various "noms suprême" given to him during the movie is one of the funny running gags zipping through the movie). Why the double-vision is a complicated story involving lawyers and trademarks, and far better explained by writer (including comics) Mark Evanier from his blog "Notes From ME" than I could ever manage, so go to this link:
https://www.newsfromme.com/2019/03/13/ask-me-59/ 
and you'll find out about THOSE Captains Marvel (and a couple more).

Shazam! follows the latest imagining of the Captain (who's been around since 1939), where, instead of being a radio personality on WHIZ radio, the Captain's alter ego Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel) is your random orphan-kid, living in a foster home run by the Vasquez's (Cooper Andrews and Marta Milans) with a mix of kids, which fits in with the older iteration of the Captain that emphasized family and shared strengths.

And this one is so much fun, especially given the sturm and drang of so many super-hero movies (especially in the DC Movie Universe, but also in Marvel's movies, even the ones designed to be lighter), that one wishes everybody would be a bit more "larky" in their approach.

Now, having said that, be aware that the first twenty minutes of the movie are a bit tough to sit through, if you're expecting a good time. The beginning is very exposition-heavy, telling the story of young Thaddeus Sivana—smart, but mixed-up kid—growing up in a dysfunctional family (headed by John Glover, so you know there are problems) where he is the runt of the litter in a family of privileged jerks. After a traumatic event, he is tested by being offered powers by the aging wizard Shazam (Djimon Hounsou) and is found wanting—and left wanting the power he is denied. As Shazam stands guard over the powers of Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury as well as the Seven Deadly Sins, he's feeling a bit tired, but even if he's in a hurry to be let go of his burden, he can still see that Sivana is not good hero-material. Best to look somewhere else.

Cut to young Billy Batson—troubled, unruly kid—who has run away from the latest in a series of orphanages and foster homes to try and find his mother, who abandoned him after he became lost in an amusement park. Young Billy uses subterfuge to hijack a police car, so he can travel to the next Batson residence on his list to see if his Mom is there. She isn't, and in a way that recalls how Buster Keaton would make an obvious visual gag out of mistaken identity.

Billy goes back to the orphanage where his record of truancy is brought up again—as if he didn't already know—and told that his last chance—his only chance—is waiting out in the other room. It is the Vasquez's, Rosa and Victor, who run a blended and extraordinarily diverse foster home for kids. Billy is skeptical, but it's his only chance and he's run out of addresses on his "Batson" list. 

He meets his other foster siblings: Mary (Grace Fulton), Darla (Faithe Herman), Eugene (Ian Chen), and Pedro (Jovan Armand), and finally his room-mate Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer), who is crippled, walks with a brace and is a Class-A nerd, collecting all sorts of superhero memorabilia (his proudest possession being a bullet that bounced off Superman). Billy is stand-offish to Freddy, as he is with everyone in the Vasquez household, and they view him as a potentially good addition if he was only accepting of the situation.

He attends Fawcett Middle School with the rest of the kids and is probably thinking about his first opportunity to ditch when fate steps in—or stomps—in the form of some stuck-up bullies who proceed to beat up Freddy for...well, just being Freddy. Billy sees this as he is walking away and he turns around, picks up Freddy's brace and proceeds to wallop the creeps with it. It is this act that changes Billy's life, and fortunately for us, the movie.

Billy takes the subway and it makes an unscheduled stop—the same Rock of Eternity, where Shazam makes Billy the same offer made to Sivana—"speak my name"—and Billy, in a flash of lightning, becomes Capta—well, much older and in a flashy red spandex outfit and cape (and portrayed by Zachary Levi). It is Shazam's last act, and Billy, panic-stricken, runs out of the cave...and into the real world.

But, not the real world he knows. He's taller, stronger, and there are lightning bolts coming out of his fingers...and he's in this weird suit! His first stop already shows the change in his attitude—he seeks out Freddy. Freddy will know what to do (he doesn't), but he's more than willing to experiment on his friend Billy to find out what his powers are—he can punch through concrete and he can throw lightning from his finger-tips...and...most importantly...he can buy beer!

The whole sequence inside a convenience store is just too much fun to spoil, but it sets up the way the film will go, with two kids with a sudden knowledge of what it's like to be 1) a grown-up and 2) a super-powered grown-up. Here, it takes a page from the late Penny Marshall's Big (there's even a momentary acknowledgment to it) and then flies with it. For Freddy, this is a dream come true, a wish-fulfillment for a smart kid with bad legs to have a super-pal; for Billy, it's a mixed blessing. 

Although he's supposed to have the wisdom of Solomon, he's still a kid and he has no idea how to do this "superhero" thing, but he's going to learn the advantages (he looks like an adult, and more importantly, treated like one, he's big, strong, and can fly) and the disadvantages—people want what he has or put him down in a big way. And he's going to have to grow up pretty fast.

Sometimes being a hero isn't all it's cracked up to be—it's not all rescuing kittens out of trees and getting keys to the city from the Mayor—and it attracts bad people who want to build themselves up by beating him and taking away some of his glory. But, Billy doesn't "get" that, at the beginning. He's content to just wandering around being a "superhero," doing super-tricks and getting himself in a lot of selfies. That should keep him out of trouble. although Freddy is disappointed that he won't be more...yaknow...super-heroic.

But, Billy can't run away from Sivana (grown up to be Mark Strong, who can now do villain roles in his sleep), who now possesses the avatars of the Seven Deadly Sin's—big deal: what do you do with the power of "Sloth?"—and wants Billy's god-like powers, too. It is only when the villain takes his foster-siblings hostage that Capt...uh, Billy must make a stand and become the hero Shazam intended and the world needs.

Forget about what the world needs, what about the movie-going public? The Marvel and DC movies have been so heavy—despite throwing in a humorous line or two—that they're more like watching Shakespeare tragedies than being any fun. It seems like the first movies are okay and then it's inevitable with the second movie that the hero is disenchanted with being a superhero and wants to quit. Quit? What kind of hero is THAT? Having abilities should be a joy, not a burden, and being able to do good for people should be aspirational, not treated like it's a dumb thing to do because you'll only get betrayed in the end.

Thank the Greek gods, Shazam! isn't so melodramatic. It can't be. It's from a kid's perspective and to a kid, having super-powers is totally cool, and the players are wonderfully geeky about expressing the delight and wonder of being able to be fast, and leap buildings in almost a single bound, and doing all those things that superheroes do...like having a "secret lair," or showing up bad guys. 
That puts a big burden on the actors to walk a fine line between "gee-whiz" and irritatingly cloying. And Angel, Grazer and particularly Levi manage to be genuinely energetic but also have a crack comic timing that makes every surprise pay off to its maximum. You enjoy the experience, rather than spending your time looking for "Easter Eggs"

It's a blast. So, go ahead, let Marvel take out half the Universe. Just means there's more room for guys like this. And for movies that actually remember when it was fun reading comics than merely collecting them, bagging them and locking them away for their value to go up (fat chance). This one makes you smile, rather than want to beat somebody up.

Shazam! actually soars.