Shazam: Fury Of The Gods
Regal Cinema - Hazleton, PA
In honor of the Phillies first win of the season, I'd like to take a moment to show a little love to the underdog at the box office that features the home of the underdogs in the NL East. Like the Phillies so far, this movie has not performed as well as expected and the reviews from both critics and fans have been average at best. I'm not sure if this is due to comic book movie fatigue, or the fact that it's not part of the MCU and doesn't involve Gotham City, or if the Shazam comics just aren't as popular as some of the others that have been turned into motion pictures, but I don't think it has anything to do with the quality of the movie itself because this was a lot of fun.
The stars of the film do an excellent job of portraying children who are in adult bodies - particularly Zachary Levi as the titular character and Meagan Good as Darla. These characters' non-Shazamed performers, Asher Angel and Faithe Herman, also did an especially good job. Djimon Hounsou was excellent as the old, sarcastic wizard, and Marta Milans and Cooper Andrews delivered a wonderful and heartwarming performance as the most loving and supportive foster parents that any kid could ever hope to have. The only less-than-flattering thing I have to say about any of the performances is that a few of Lucy Liu's lines came across a bit cheesier than intended, but it a nit-picky complaint.
Another reason that I enjoyed Shazam: Fury Of The Gods as much as I did is the fact that it's set in Philadelphia, and some of the biggest scenes in the film take place at Citizens Bank Park. If you're a Phillies fan, the sight of a dragon in the infield and a battle between good and evil taking place at the ballpark is something that you really are going to want to see on the big screen.
Shazam: Fury Of The Gods isn't going to crack too many people's top ten lists, but it's a very enjoyable comic book flick that doesn't take itself too seriously. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anybody
