Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2024)

Story

Billy Batson (Asher Angel) and his foster family are still fighting crime and saving humanity from disaster with their superhero powers. However, there is a new threat to the people of Philadelphia and the world, when the daughters of Atlas – Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu) and Anthea (Rachel Zegler) – decide they want to reclaim planet Earth as their domain.

Hespera and Kalypso march into the Acropolis museum, dressed as ancient warriors, and remove the broken staff of Atlas from its case. The women use their powers to disarm the guards and cause chaos. They then force a wizard (Djimon Hounsou) to mend the staff. This gives them the power they need to take over the world. The superheroes have a tough battle against the gods of the ancient world, and much disaster occurs before they manage to defeat their enemy.

Themes

Fantasy; supernatural; Greek mythology; superheroes

Violence

Shazam! Fury of the Gods has some violence. For example:

• Many battle scenes occur between the gods and the superheroes. Characters get thrown into buildings, crash to the ground, etc.
• Many explosions and buildings collapse.
• A suspension bridge starts to collapse. The metal ropes snap and the road disintegrates. Many people in their cars fall into the water.
• Hespera and Kalypso arrive at the museum and smash the case that contains the staff. The security guards try to prevent the women but they are sent flying, crashing into a wall. Chaos results with people running everywhere. The statues in the room all crumble and the people are turned to stone.
• Hespera forces a wizard, who is imprisoned, to mend the staff. She slams him against the rails with her powers. He starts to shake and says the magic word before falling to the ground.
• Freddy is teased at school by two particularly nasty bullies. They punch him in the stomach and break his crutch. Another time, they throw a ball at his head, knocking him over.
• Kalypso whispers into peoples’ ears whose faces then start to crack. She does this to Freddy’s teacher, who then walks off the roof of a tall building.
• Hespera threatens to snap Freddy’s neck.
• Kalypso whispers in Freddy’s ear – his face starts to crack and he screams in pain. She then pushes Freddy’s head to the ground.
• Hespera says she need to find the most effective way to slit someone’s throat.
• Kalypso ties up two of the girls with electric cables. They are seen hanging from the ceiling. She smashes Shazam repeatedly against a wall.
• A dragon crashes into a bedroom and breaks through a roof, smashing the house. The dragon chases after the heroes, up into the air, and sends Mary crashing to the ground but Shazam saves her just in time.
• Kalypso plants a golden apple into the ground which rapidly grows into a magic tree. The tree roots spread out all over the city, causing buildings to collapse, cars to overturn, and fires to spontaneously start. Chaos is everywhere.
• Several monsters emerge from the tree roots, which then go on a rampage attacking people.
• Hespera is speared by the tip of the dragon’s tail. It goes right through her chest and she appears to die.
• The dragon breathes fire on Shazam, setting his costume on fire.
• Kalypso orders the dragon to kill Anthea. The dragon chases after Anthea and Freddy and is just about to eat them when Shazam arrives.
• The final battle between Shazam and the dragon is intense. Everything seems to disintegrate, all of the monsters, the tree and its roots.

Sexual references

Shazam! Fury of the Gods has some sexual references. For example:

• Shazam has a crush on Wonder Woman.
• There’s mild flirtation between Anthea and Freddy, and they kiss.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

Shazam! Fury of the Gods has some substance use. For example, Mary is seen wearing dark glasses and suffering from a ‘good night out’.

Nudity and sexual activity

There’s no nudity and sexual activity in Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Product placement

Shazam! Fury of the Gods has some product placement. For example, Skittles, TikTok and Uber are displayed or used.

Coarse language

Shazam! Fury of the Gods has some coarse language.

Ideas to discuss with your children

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is the sequel to the original Shazam! DC movie. The movie is fast-moving and action-packed, with some good messages about inclusivity and understanding that there’s a hero in everyone despite what seem like disabilities. The movie is funny and light-hearted. But it’s also full of comic-style violence and scary scenes. These make the movie unsuitable for young children. It’s better suited to families with older children and teens.

These are the main messages from Shazam! Fury of the Gods:

• Everyone can be worthy if given a chance.
• The most powerful thing about you is you.

Values in Shazam! Fury of the Gods that you could reinforce with your children are teamwork, the importance of family, overcoming difficulties to achieve what you want, believing in yourself, selflessness, courage, and bravery.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the real-life consequence of violence. A couple of times the movie claims that ‘violence is not the answer’ but in the movie violence is used as the best defence. You could discuss with your children other ways that the champions could have defended the planet against the gods.