Shazam! is back and it’s bigger and funnier than before

Shazam! is back, with even more hilarious twists and turns than before in the humorous hero action-comedy sequel Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

Now, what you need to know is that this isn’t your average DC film… and Shazam is DEFINITELY not your average hero. In fact, what sets this Super Hero apart from the rest is that he’s older than what you’d imagine him to be when transforming into the knight-in-shining-armour-style saviour. Much older, actually.

Billy Batson, as he’s known by friends, is your typical American teen - that is, until he shouts the name of his older Super Hero alter-ego and transforms into overgrown kid-turned-hero, Shazam (as portrayed by the hysterical Zachary Levi) ready to fight crime with his own Justice League-style entourage of fellow adolescents.

Before we dive into what you can expect from this next Shazam! instalment, let’s rewind to how Billy Batson discovered his unexpected powers and where the name came from.

A newly-fostered Billy decides to go in search of his mother, breaking the law by using a police device to do so and winding up in a group home because of his actions. Billy soon takes on the role of protective older foster-brother and saves his younger siblings from bullies. By doing so he is summoned by an ancient wizard who wills him to be his new successor. By exclaiming the wizard’s title, he is transformed into the adult Super Hero of the same name that we’ve all come to know and love.

Billy must learn to use his new-found powers for good - not forgetting a few experimental blips along the way - such as zapping power into his peers' phones to charge them and so on. Batson needs to figure out a way to handle his new responsibility without letting the fame go to his adolescent head.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

But why the name ‘Shazam’? Well, the name is actually an acronym for the six immortal elders from which he received his power. From Solomon he was given wisdom, Hercules his strength, Atlas’ stamina, Zeus’ power to manipulate lightning, Achilles’ courage and Mercury’s all-important speed.

S-H-A-Z-A-M, get it?

Compared to other DC sagas, the Shazam! film series takes a much more light-hearted approach and puts comedy at the forefront of its filming style, keeping audiences howling throughout with every raucous moment.

In Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Billy Batson is back, continuing to fight crime with his foster family of supers who all share powers bestowed on them from the gods. However, their typical hero lifestyle doesn’t last for long before The Daughters of Atlas, Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu) and Anthea (Rachel Zegler) come to reclaim their powers from them.

With the fate of the world on his shoulders, Billy must battle against ancient gods, magic of yore and even dragons - trust us, they really used every penny of their filming budget for this one!

In the most recent trailer, by Warner Bros. Pictures, The Daughters of Atlas can be seen manipulating the earth with their powers before Mirren turns to Liu, declaring: “We are at war.” before completely turning a stadium field upside down and inside out.

Mirren’s character can also be seen confronting Levi who tells her: “You are very menacing. I just want you to know that.”

The hard-hitting trailer is accompanied by a powerful rendition of Drake’s ‘Started From The Bottom’ whilst the immortal sisters aim to take back their powers and destroy the world.

Expect a car-throwing, dragon-punching, stadium-smashing, group-hugging, adventure-packed emotional rollercoaster of a sequel.

Fans of the 2019 original film are already besotted with Levi for his incredible performance in Shazam! as a kid in an adult’s body, perfectly mimicking all of the characteristics and witty remarks that a typical teenager would do and say.

The first movie performed well at the box office, turning over a cool $53.5 million US dollars in its domestic opening. We can only expect that the sequel will surpass it given its jam-packed storyline.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods is out in cinemas now.

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