Starring: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Rachel Zegler, Adam Brody, Ross Butler, Meagan Good, Lucy Liu, Djimon Hounsou and Helen Mirren

Directed by David F. Sandberg

Warners, out March 17

 

Billy and his foster siblings face the Daughters of Atlas…

Shazam! Fury of the Gods does a lot of things right. It is effortlessly funny, has a broad, diverse cast and manages to avoid tying itself in knots with cameos and hints about other heroes and franchises that are so often a distraction in cinematic universes.

It also manages to balance its tone. There’s a tight focus on the cast of kids who all have the power of Shazam – whether it’s first dates, high school bullies, working out what to study at college or even if they’ll have to leave home when they turn 18.

This focus, and the Saturday matinee feel that comes with it, means the film is never less than fun and sometimes scales the heights of gripping.

Shazam! is not trying to break new ground and nor is it trying to reinvent the wheel. The focus here is on good old fashioned entertainment. I was reminded of The Goonies, Richard Donner’s 1978 Superman and even elements of Illuminations’ delightful animation, Despicable Me.

This is no bad thing – for a superhero film to not take itself too seriously is something of a relief.

There’s lots you can pick at it you are so minded. Quite why the biblical King Solomon is lumped in with the Greek Gods I don’t understand. Quite how the titan Atlas is portrayed (and most of the other mythical creatures for that matter) is baffling. However, they’re there not as actual references to the myths and legends themselves but as monsters for our protagonists to deal with.

You could also ask where other heroes are in what’s clearly a world-threatening event. Or ask why certain of the characters get sidelined so early and thoroughly.

Yet the film carries a kind of happiness in its bones – as if it’s delighted it’s even on the screen and is determined to show you a good time – which means these quibbles didn’t really matter to me.

The most surprising thing to me was how the antagonists are portrayed. There’s just enough character development here to make them interesting, not least in what their goals are. Yes, there are cliches enough to fill a lorry, but they’re used with a knowing smile at just the right moments.

Verdict: Shazam! Fury of the Gods is a film that’s suitable for the whole family. A little rough around the edges and, sometimes, leaving you wishing for a little more space for its characters to do their thing rather than being obviously tab A into slot B but its heart is in the right place and it celebrates what it is unashamedly.

Rating? 7 realms out of 10

Stewart Hotston