COMIC BOOK CATCH-UP: SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS (2023) **

Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu are gods who come to Earth to steal a stick from a museum that gives them back their magic powers.  Shazam (Zachary Levi) and his extended family of superheroes are the only ones who can stop them.  Little do Shazam and company know, the magic stick also has the ability to take away their superpowers.  With Shazam the last superhero standing, he must then prevent the sisters from destroying Earth (or at least Philadelphia). 

There are some ideas here that are funny, but there’s no real comedic follow through.  Consider the scene when Shazam goes to a therapist (actually his alter ego’s pediatrician).  It starts off with a good idea, and yet it contains no real jokes or laughs.  Levi, who did a fine job in his first go-round as the character seems to suspect the material is weaker this time out, so he tries to overcompensate his schtick, which quickly gets tiresome.  Mirren is thoroughly wasted and Lui’s role is paper thin. 

Also, there’s just some stuff that makes no sense.  One of the gods has the ability to make buildings move around like a half-assed Inception wannabe.  My question is, do the people inside the buildings move around too?  Did the filmmakers think about that, or did they think it was just a cool visual and move on to the next scene?  All the stuff with the sentient ink pen reeks of juvenile Harry Potter shit too. 

The fight scenes lack punch as well (no pun intended).  Even potentially fun sequences fizzle out quickly.  I’m thinking specifically of the unicorns vs. mythical creatures fight that almost instantly stops before it starts, but not before descending into a foul-mouthed Skittles commercial. 

I don’t know.  Maybe it was time for a regimen change at DC after mediocre muscleman movies like this and Black Adam.  It doesn’t bring anything new to the table and is sorely lacking the charm of the admittedly fun original.  

DC EXTENDED UNIVERSE RANKING:  

Batman v Superman:  Dawn of Justice: ****

Man of Steel:  ****

Aquaman:  *** ½

Wonder Woman:  *** ½

Justice League:  *** ½

Shazam!:  ***

Suicide Squad:  ***

The Suicide Squad:  ** ½ 

Black Adam:  **

Shazam!  Fury of the Gods:  **

WW84:  * ½ 

Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn): * ½