I’m not surprised the gods were angry after seeing this

Shazam! Fury of the Gods had the privilege of following one of the DCEU’s most crowd-pleasing entries, a recipe seemingly simple: blend teenage antics with superheroics, wrap it all up in a snarky, self-aware package, and voilà. Yet, from the start, the film stumbles, ensnared in the trap of believing it has to outdo its predecessor in every way. Even the title, promising cataclysmic vengeance, sets expectations sky-high.

What we actually receive are three anonymous, underdeveloped goddesses, their fury barely rising above petulant annoyance and sibling squabbles, tempting cliché with their unspoken mythological maiden, mother, and crone set-up. Had the film deftly set this uneasy alliance against Billy Batson and his own super siblings, there might have been something more compelling. Instead, it repeatedly falls back on genre clichés and repetitive CGI showdowns. The essence of the original film—Billy’s dual life as a teenager and superhero—is diminished, leaving Zachary Levi’s Shazam to shoulder the burden without the emotional grounding provided by his younger self’s frequent presence.

The film’s insistence on maintaining a light, goofy tone results in disjointed storytelling that fails to acknowledge that its young heroes should have matured since their last outing. It hurriedly tries to correct this with ham-fisted and often arbitrary character revelations. While Shazam! balanced goofy humor with heartfelt moments and a solid adversary, the sequel leans too heavily into a poorly articulated mythology that fails to clarify the villains’ motivations or whether their outrage is justified—a crucial element if you’re going to ask the audience to buy into a sudden change of heart. The visual spectacle, though adequate, is marred by the overuse of CGI, which dulls the screen and muddies the drama. The final showdown, yet another nighttime clash of blinding energy bolts, underscores lessons the DCEU seems reluctant to learn, not least of all to lighten up..

Despite these shortcomings, the film has its highlights. Jack Dylan Grazer’s Freddy Freeman stands out, delivering a performance full of charm and wit that eclipses his superhero alter-ego, played by Adam Brody. Freddy’s relationship with Rachel Zegler’s Anthea provides a much-needed emotional anchor. Their subplot, exploring themes of self-worth and acceptance beyond superpowers, adds depth to an otherwise superficial narrative.

Zachary Levi’s portrayal of Shazam, which was a highlight in the first film, feels regressive here. The muscle suit is less padded, reflecting Levi’s physical preparation, but the character’s emotional development is stunted. Shazam’s antics resemble a juvenile Tom Hanks in Big more than a maturing superhero. This regression strips the character of the charm and relatability that made him a hit previously and renders his big emotional play at the film’s end more of a shrug than a shock.

Fury of the Gods does have stretches where it entertains. Although their origins and purpose are underdeveloped, the army of mythological creatures adds blockbuster credibility, and when the battle moves away from Shazam’s repetitive scraps with a Lucy Liu-ridden dragon and focuses instead on his scrappy, super-powerless siblings, the film shows how much fun it can be. It needed a more coherent, defined, and developed villain, and a more consistent tone, rather than flipping from comedy pratfalls to mind-controlled suicide and back again. Instead, it feels as if the release window compelled them to put a script still needing work in front of the cameras.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a film that promises much but delivers little. It shines in moments but ultimately feels like a missed opportunity, struggling under the weight of its own ambitions and a hurried execution that fails to capture the magic of its predecessor.