Shazam! Fury of the Gods

The original film left nothing of substance for this superhero sequel.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods loses the thing that made it special.

Neither Mirren nor unicorns are enough to make this worth seeing.

Everyone who got a kick out of the low stakes, self-contained storytelling and goofily juvenile antics on display in 2019’s Shazam! will likely be equally satisfied with its sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Billy’s inane babbling gets a little wearing, but the action sequences, featuring dragon-based mayhem, cyclopes and an army of formidable hell unicorns hopped up on candy, are pacy and fun.

Bombastic and cacophonous, a relentlessly overstimulating carnival that relies heavily on CGI and a crushing and clanging soundtrack to fake its ambitious scale.

The sequel is messy, bland and unfocused. While it retains its goofy charm, it fails to ignite spark. There were a few funny moments but they were overshadowed by predictable and formulaic moments, loads of plot holes and there are no consequences.

It flickers into life now and again but ultimately lacks the spark and energy of the best DC superhero pictures.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods could be the end of the road for this incarnation of the character and while it may not be as good as the first film, it is a fine enough note to potentially leave on

While the film may not be anything hugely special overall, it is a fun romp with heart, humour and excitement to spare, and sometimes that’s all a movie needs to be.