WB's SHAZAM 2 starring Zackary Levi (4/1/22) 1 1

[media_junkie]

On 4/19/2023 at 7:15 PM, Bosco685 said:

I finally got to see this movie via digital. It actually wasn't that bad.

But with no serious backing from the studio, nor messaging this was leading to something, it was like a sendoff film to the original characters.

More like an execution, that movie straight up got murdered.

[Bosco685]

On 4/19/2023 at 7:40 PM, media_junkie said:

More like an execution, that movie straight up got murdered.

No debating that. And it tore into the lead actor's social media credibility too.

[eastriver400]

On 4/17/2023 at 8:18 PM, Bosco685 said:

James Gunn Shuts Down Shazam’s Future Rumor

As if what he has now worked for the sequel?

 

I will be happy with a confirmation that Shazam (the character) has a future at all on the big screen.  If Shazam does have a place in Gunn's plans, better off not keeping Levi. He hammed up the role WAY too much.   Billy was portrayed as an adventurous, rebellious teen .... that became a complete goofball as an adult Shazam.

 

Edited April 20, 2023 by eastriver400

[Bosco685]

Interesting article summarizing the reasons how the Safran/Gunn reboot mixed messages directly impacted Shazam 2, bleeding over to other films that were in development.

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Shazam! Fury of the Gods exposes several problems with the timing of James Gunn's DC Universe reboot. The 2023 DC movie is a sequel to 2019's Shazam! and holds many connections to the wider franchise that Warner Bros. and DC Films spent nearly a decade trying to build. The future of the DC Universe was drastically altered in late 2022 upon the announcement that James Gunn and Peter Safran would be co-CEOs at DC Studios. Despite having Shazam! Fury of the Gods and several other movies heading towards planned 2023 release dates, it was confirmed that a reset of the franchise's canon is coming.

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8 - Shazam 2 Sets Up A Black Adam Crossover That May Never Happen

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7 - Shazam 2's Wonder Woman Cameo Hints At Gal Gadot's Previous DC Future

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6 - Fury of the Gods Sets Up A New Justice Society Team With Shazam

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5 - Shazam! Fury of the Gods Shows How The DCEU Was Finally Connecting

 

The last four DC Films projects - The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, Black Adam, and Shazam 2 - are all linked together. This is seen through Emilia Harcourt appearing in them all, but there are also indications of overall story threads that tie the properties together. 

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4 - The New DCEU Plan Is Being Cut Short For James Gunn’s Reboot Plans

 

It repeats the same issue that Warner Bros. made after Justice League and Zack Snyder's exit. Changing creative heads came as movies from previous regimes still needed to come out. It took WB years to soft reboot and start to move past Snyder's plans, only for the new universe plan to also be cut short. Shazam 2 is part of the most recent DCEU plan that will not get a natural conclusion as Gunn reboots.

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3 - Flash, Blue Beetle, & Aquaman 2 Could Also Connect To Old DC Plan

 

Under normal circumstances where a nearly franchise-wide reset is not looming, Shazam 2 including Wonder Woman and several other teases for the future would be reasons to get excited. The timing of the reboot plan means that the movie is more so an awkward entry in the franchise that continues teasing a universe audiences know is coming to an end without a definitive resolution.

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2 - DC's Reboot Plans Partially Explain Shazam 2's Poor Box Office

 

As part of an existing cinematic universe, part of the excitement behind Shazam 2 and other upcoming DC movies is for audiences to see how it connects to the larger franchise. The very public announcement that James Gunn is rebooting the DC Universe but not revealing Shazam's future sends a clear message to audiences that the movie does not matter to the future.

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1 - Shazam 2's Future Teases Might Not Matter For James Gunn's DC Universe

Shazam! Fury of the Gods also teases even more about Shazam's future, such as finally fighting Doctor Sivana and Mr. Mind, and the positive audience reactions indicate a general interest in wanting to see those storylines continue

 

[The humble Watcher lurking]

Saw this on HBO MAX last weekend. Very disappointing  sequel as the first one was very good. Yep, even Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was more enjoyable.

 

[Gatsby77]

On 5/10/2023 at 3:44 AM, Bosco685 said:

Interesting article summarizing the reasons how the Safran/Gunn reboot mixed messages directly impacted Shazam 2, bleeding over to other films that were in development.

 

Or...

It could be that the movie...

Just...isn't...very...good.

[Bosco685]

On 6/16/2023 at 5:39 PM, Gatsby77 said:

Or...

It could be that the movie...

Just...isn't...very...good.

Could the movie have been stronger? Sure. The first one had established new ground in a positive way. So WB/DC could have encouraged Sandberg to cut loose.

But it was not a horrible movie. It just wasn't one I would be excited to rush back to frequently.

Now why would you go back to a post from May 10th to respond to it?

Edited June 16, 2023 by Bosco685

[path4play]

Shazam! was fun, irreverent, different - and I thought a joy. 

Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2) took all that, and tossed it directly into the trash to create a disappointing flavorless cookie cutter hit job to an already troubled DC movie franchise.  Very concerning to me for future of these superhero movies getting made.  But.. maybe less is better.

 

 

[seanfingh]

On 6/16/2023 at 5:29 PM, The humble Watcher lurking said:

Saw this on HBO MAX last weekend. Very disappointing  sequel as the first one was very good. Yep, even Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania was more enjoyable.

 

I couldn't even finish it.  Bleah.  I REALLY enjoyed the 1st Shazam!  I haven't seen Quantumania yet.  Could be how I wash the bad taste of Shazam 2 out . . .

[media_junkie]

On 6/19/2023 at 2:49 PM, seanfingh said:

I haven't seen Quantumania yet.  Could be how I wash the bad taste of Shazam 2 out . . .

Dude, that is going to be like following up a glass of vinegar with a chaser of anti-freeze.

[Cat]

On 3/17/2023 at 5:40 PM, Mr.TawkyTawny said:

Holy Moley! Oh. My. Gods. Whoa, this motion picture is INSANE!  Another classic true to form Captain Marvel Adventures story with The Marvel Family. Outstanding memorable performances from each cast member, intense visuals, loads of fun, mayhem, and funny as H-E-double-toothpicks.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Executive Producer Peter Safran has the Irving Thalberg flair for the perfect story with a stellar cast of actors to produce a lavishly artful picture play.

Henry Gayden wrote the finest story arc since Sherlock Holmes and Professor Moriarty's battle to the death falling into the Reichenbach Falls.

This movie is so gorgeous and colourfully filmed, New Line Cinema is the new '30s MGM of today's Hollywood studios and Director David F. Sandberg is bar none the Victor Fleming of our generation.  In Sandberg's own unique humour and filmmaker style, his one-upmanship of Alfred Hitchcock cameos is classic.

All the hard core Fawcett Captain Marvel subtext is once again meticulously woven throughout the film for joyous cheers and Michael Gray seals the deal once and for all on the legal arguments over Shazam's true name.

It's been a long time since I left a movie theatre laughing at the jokes on the drive home. After three years of pandemic frustration, patient waiting to now immensly enjoying Shazam!! Fury of the Gods in IMAX, I have zero empathy for anyone with an axe to grind with their purposive approach in refusing to find this film as anything but wholesome entertainment for everyone who loves a grand night out at the cinema.  Faithe Herman as Darla Dudley says it best: "Taste the Rainbow you motherfus!" 

 

This aged like whatever's in that jar at the back of my fridge. 

[Larryw7]

What happened to Mr.Tawny?

[The humble Watcher lurking]

On 6/21/2023 at 4:26 AM, Larryw7 said:

What happened to Mr.Tawny?

Seriously, I hope he is ok. I noticed he hasn`t posted since. 

[The humble Watcher lurking]

On 6/20/2023 at 7:52 AM, Cat said:

This aged like whatever's in that jar at the back of my fridge. 

I just found some old cheese in the back of my fridge. Yuck! lol. ha ha

[theCapraAegagrus]

This movie is actually good.

The first 30 minutes were captivating, though the villains are weak in screen presence (partially due to the OST). The last half hour was about the opposite. Some important scene choices were just head-scratching.

I actually really want to see the sequel to this, though. Sandberg did a pretty good job, though IMO he did not stick the landing (ending).

[Bosco685]

On Sean Gunn being cast yet again in another DC property:

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Zachary Levi comments on DC Universe reboot
Speaking to ComicBook.com back in March, Zachary Levi labeled James Gunn's vision for the DC Universe as an ongoing process rather than a hard reboot.

 

"It's kind of a rolling reset, if you will," Levi said. "There's a lot of things that were inherited that were already kind of well before Peter and James even got to the positions they're in right now. There were lots of conversations about what's going to move forward and what's not, and how do we, 'How do we?' I'm way over here as a aprt of the 'we,' but how do the powers that be figure out how to chop this up and try to make it work moving forward?"

 

Levi added that he has a long-running rapport with both of the new DC Studios bosses that dates far before either man assumed their current roles.

 

"Listen, I've known Peter now for years because he's my producer on Shazam! and I've known James Gunn for even more years," Levi continued. "We have mutual friends and we've had game nights together in LA. I've been at a Christmas party of his and almost was Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy."