9. Shazam! Fury of the Gods
After the first Shazam! Movie became an unexpectedly delightful installment in the otherwise grim DCEU, Warner Bros.’ sights were set on a sequel. That sequel would be bigger in almost every way, bringing in a new original threat in the Daughters of Atlas, and having them be portrayed by Hollywood heavyweights Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler.
Here we are, four years later, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods is definitely bigger in execution than the first movie with more ambitious action and special effects that even sees the Shazam family battling a giant dragon at one point. But it also channels so much of what made Shazam! so fun and enjoyable, bringing back the heart, charm, and joy that both its young cast and their adult superhero counterparts benefit from.
Shazam is all about family, and that comes through exceptionally well in the sequel. And even though Fury of the Gods doesn’t quite reach the perfect highs of the first movie in the franchise, it outdoes Shazam! in the villain department, with Mirren, Liu, and Zegler being absolute forces of nature.
It’s darn good fun through and through, and it does it all with its heart on its sleeve.