Even with all the chaos and confusion of DC's shakeup of its cinematic universe, there's still hope for fans to enjoy some of its projects this year. For starters, there's the Flash movie and Aquaman sequel to look forward to. Along with those two, there's also the release of Shazam: Fury of the Gods next month. And while the first one is definitely a welcome surprise for Warner Bros. Discovery when it first came out, the second film also has the chance to exceed expectations. Here are several reasons why Shazam 2 will be the surprise DC movie of 2023.
4 reasons why Shazam: Fury of the Gods will be the DC movie to surprise everyone in 2023
4. Fury of the Gods won't be rocket science
It has been the bane of most superhero movies from DC to present a confusing story or one that won't relate much to viewers. When this happens, fans can expect the project to fall below expectations. Thankfully, Shazam: Fury of the Gods is looking to follow its predecessor by offering a lighthearted plot that won't take too much to take in or comprehend. This will result in an experience for fans that'll leave them much more satisfied after watching the upcoming DC movie.
If done correctly, this approach can emulate what the first Shazam film did for DC. It should be remembered that it earned a total of $336 million worldwide from an estimated budget of $102 million, making it one of DC's more successful ventures in recent memory. Of course, one factor that can be seen for this success is doing the opposite of DC's typically dark and gloomy movies and going for a light and fun tone for Shazam. Fury of the Gods is seen to follow these lines and the chances of making it big at the box office are looking pretty good at this point.
3. Zachary Levi is gonna kill it as Shazam
When Zachary Levi was first tapped to play Shazam, there were doubts about whether he can pull the hero off on the big screen. After the first film, it's safe to say that he can bring the Big Red Cheese to life and make the audience believe that he's a child inside a full-grown man's body. The good thing here is that with the first film out of the way, there won't be any origin story to worry about in Fury of the Gods. Instead, we're going to get Levi at his best when he plays the lovable man-child of a hero.
As seen in the first film, Levi excels when he's having fun. The same can be said here in Fury of the Gods as the overall tone of the movie is lighter than what DC usually makes. This will result in a fun performance that will certainly elevate Shazam as a character and Levi as an actor in this specific movie genre
2. Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu
When it comes to great antagonists, DC superhero movies aren't the option everyone's gonna root for. Ever since the start of the DCEU early during the last decade, there has been a noticeable shortage of good villains these heroes have faced. The thing is, Shazam: Fury of the Gods isn't going to change that at all. What it promises, though, is a good time without all the baggage of canon or brain-warping plots. Instead, DC fans are going to get two respected actresses in roles that are certainly out of their comfort zones here – Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu
First look at Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler in ‘SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS’. #DCFanDome pic.twitter.com/kpTwcrwRM1
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 16, 2021
In contrast to most characters in the film, Mirren and Liu won't be playing villains based on the comics. Instead, they're cast as Hespera and Kalypso respectively. These two are loosely derived from the daughters of Atlas – Hesperides and Calypso – and they're looking to cause trouble for Billy Batson and his family in Fury of the Gods. And while these roles won't break the internet, having two established actresses in them will certainly lend some credibility and talent to the overall film. Add Mirren's enthralling charisma and Liu's overall experience as an action star and you've got two worthy additions that will make this Shazam film better than what most people expected.
1. There's no pressure on the Shazam sequel at all
DC movies have always been under a microscope for the last couple of years, especially with Marvel Studios making tons of money at the box office with their projects. Add the fact that Justice League bombed hard some time ago and its effect on DC can still be felt now with each film they put out there. Plus, James Gunn's new vision for the cinematic universe means that there's going to be more pressure on DC to finally deliver.
The thing is, Shazam: Fury of the Gods shouldn't feel the weight of it all when the film releases next month. Whether it earns big or earns the love of fans with its plot, there's really no reason for the people behind this DC project to feel burdened at all. as mentioned earlier, Gunn is about to reboot the DC universe and Shazam's place in it isn't as secure as everyone would like. With that in mind, moviegoers won't have to be burdened with any expectation of this film to spawn another sequel or produce tons of profit for the studio.
Instead, it'll give fans a good time at the theaters, much like what the first Shazam film did back in 2019. With this reason, and all the others before it, Fury of the Gods can surprise everyone and become DC's best hit for 2023. Fans won't have to wait that long too since it's going to come out in March, a full month after Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania has been shown in theaters everywhere.
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