The otherworldly entities featured so prominently in the title of superhero sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods certainly seem to be doing quite a number on the film in the lead-up to its release: star and notorious anti-vaxxer Zachary Levi sent out yet another boneheaded tweet; the film’s red carpet Hollywood premiere was hampered by biblical amounts of rain and flooding; and, most recently, co-star and West Side Story breakout Rachel Zegler declared in an interview that the only reason she agreed to take on the role was because she “desperately” needed a job. Then there’s the matter of new DC Films head James Gunn, who inherited the movie from an administration that had no clear long-term vision, claiming that the upcoming Flash feature will reset the entire universe going forward. In other words, you’re looking at the costliest “no stakes” venture in many a moon, which was precisely both the biggest virtue and hurdle of the 2019 original.
Published as part of InRO Weekly — Volume 1, Issue 11.
