Shazam! Fury of the gods, never underestimate the (super) powers of teenagers: the review

DC Comics heroes landed at the cinema often take themselves very seriously: there is little to mess with Batman or Superman, In short. At most there is a few jokes in Aquaman or a few winks in Wonder Woman. Nothing to do, therefore, with the more goliardic Marvel style. The child superhero of Zachary Levi, on the other hand, shuffles the cards a bit and gives lightness to an entire universe born from comics and declined on the big screen. Orphaned – like most heroes, myths and legends – this little boy moves from one group home to another until he finds a place where he belongs. And it happens just like magic, as in Harry Potterthanks to the choice of a powerful sorcerer.

The first film of *__Shazam! __*it was like a fireworks explosion: colorful, bright and loud. What could we invent in a second chapter? Said and done: let’s bother Olympus and its female divinities, sprinkling a good dose of environmentalist metaphor and many ingredients of the classic coming of age inside.

And yes, because the protagonists certainly cannot remain children forever! In fact, this is precisely the premise of Shazam! Fury of the Gods (in cinemas from March 16, with two extra scenes after the credits): the protagonist Billy Batson, played in the teenage version by Asher Angel (and in the adult/superhero version by Zachary Levi, in fact), will turn eighteen in five months. He means that the American system considers him capable of looking after himself and takes away all subsidies, as well as the ceiling of the foster family.

Then the problems of the sense of belonging and ties return like a tsunami. The fear of losing his stepbrothers and sisters turns Billy into a control freak with a motto like that of the Three Musketeers to keep the group together.

However, being able to team up in six is ​​already a challenge in itself, if you add the different ages, origins and even super powers then the mission becomes explosive but not in a positive sense.

This part remains the most successful, amusing and at times tender of the whole film, the real breath of fresh air in the world of superheroes. The protagonist children/adolescents, abandoned by their biological families, find their strengths in the welcome of the adoptive parents, which allows them to develop an individuality while feeling safe but free at the same time.

Shazam! he likes it because he and his team are bungling, spontaneous and delightfully imperfect. But this time they collide with three sisters, the daughters of Atlas, who are the opposite: adults, very powerful and always able to control their supernatural gifts. If we add that they are moved by a millenary revenge then the drama is served. The three new entries Helen MirrenLucy Liu e Rachel Zegler they are absolutely perfect in lending the face to Hespera, Kalypso and Anthea.

What works least is the apocalyptic pandemic unleashed by their blind rage. Beyond an unexpected dose of brutalitywhich makes the chapter more violent and less carefree than the previous one.

Those who are crazy above all for the endless action scenes, among monsters of all kinds and in bizarre scenarios then have found the right universe in which to entertain themselves. This time it seems that only the two unicorns are really missing.

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