By Kai Curry
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
“The most powerful thing about you, is you.” We hear this repeatedly in “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” and I don’t get it. Like all of me? Like just the mortal human kid me? What about the hero me? Since I’m split in two, that’s a pretty big part of me. Could one of the gods in this story also apply this to themselves? No doubt this is another way of saying, “Be Yourself,” just with more words. It does seem to refer to the most human and least superhuman part of oneself, which to me is incomplete. The message is of acceptance, but it’s ironic, isn’t it, that a movie about superheroes is about how much more important their non-superhero selves are? How times have changed.
I have a problem with that schtick phrase but I have no problem with the movie. “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” is a fun ride. We’ve seen the preview with Shazam (Zachary Levi) on the psychiatrist’s couch—and it’s funny like that the whole time. It’s like watching “Big,” which I loved, except with immortals and superpowers. All of the Shazam family of foster kids are adults with their inner child fully activated, just like Tom Hanks was in “Big,” and it’s what makes them all so charming and also makes their romantic interests ambiguous to say the least.
“What’s with our boys and older women?” foster mom Rosa (Marta Milans) asks hubby Victor, played by Cooper Andrews, a part-Samoan actor known from “The Walking Dead.” Sorry Rosa, but when you spend half your time in an adult male body, it doesn’t seem that weird to crush on Wonder Woman, imho. And she might even crush on you back! Who is this weirdest for???
I appreciated the “Clash of the Titans” simplicity of this movie. It’s got just enough lore and mythology to make you want to learn more—on your own, without being given a detailed explanation of every single thing—and it’s not a massively tangled web of multiverse madness. It takes you back to when Greek mythology was much more popular and it has all the requisite elements of those endearing and yet frustrating stories. Basically, the daughters of Atlas, of which there are three—and I don’t know why that is so fun, but it is—want their staff and their “realm” back. We spend the movie watching the Shazam kids and the Atlas daughters, and the wizard, play hot potato with the staff, and it’s fine. Makes sense and doesn’t lose momentum.
Atlas’ three daughters (from left: Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren, and Rachel Zegler) are after the staff that was taken from them. (Image courtesy: New Line Cinema)
As was common amongst the gods in most cultures with pantheons, daughters Hespera (Helen Mirren), Kalypso (Lucy Liu), and Anthea (Rachel Zegler) fight amongst themselves, not only about how to deal with the staff and their revenge, but especially when it comes to how they feel towards humans. Kalypso wants to punish humans severely. To her, they are degenerate irredeemable animals who wreaked havoc on her realm and deserve all the mess she can throw at them. Hespera is the most focused on a straightforward grab and go scenario, while Anthea develops a soft spot for Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer/Adam Brody) and I can’t say more. You know everything’s going to be okay because the humans have allies on the god side. I had to remind myself that no one dies in these movies (except innocent bystanders, of course).
Just to recap, Atlas was (is?) a titan—they came before Zeus and his gang. He’s the one in charge of holding up the sky so it doesn’t fall on us. Seems sort of like a guy we’d not want to mess with but the past is the past, yo. Atlas had multiple daughters, not just three, but you can expect DC Comics to take some liberties with the original (if there can be said to be an original) and that’s not a problem—that’s kind of fun. You might recall Kalypso/Calypso as being the girl on the side that Odysseus dallied with for QUITE SOME TIME before he went home after the Trojan War. Atlas features in many other Greek myths, such as to do with Hercules/Heracles and Perseus. Supposedly he received his punishment from Zeus because he did not side with them, ie. the Olympians, during the “Clash of the Titans” (just had to put that in there).
Another fun element of “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” was the golden apple or seed of the Tree of Life. I think that combined a couple of different stories, but for me, it was magical to see the iconic golden apple sitting on a table in a musty library, disguised with a black coating. Some symbols just last, is all I’m saying. And boy have apples gotten us into a lot of trouble!
But back to the people, especially the nefarious Kalypso. I’ve had a girl crush on Lucy Liu since way before “Charlie’s Angels.” I’m not sure when it started; it’s just always been there. I think she can be credited with being one of the first actresses of Asian descent who became so ubiquitous, we hardly made comments anymore—and that’s a shame. I loved the way she played this part. There was her usual resting Cheshire cat face, except with no smiling ever. I adore her freckles and her upturned nose—oh yeah back to the movie—and the placid expression she had the entire time. That is how a god should act. Not like a human—which is the trademark of Greek gods (to act like humans). Liu is angry but cool. And she rides a dragon like a BOSS.
Woven amongst all of this is Billy Batson’s (Asher Angel) need for security and fear of losing his foster home and his friends when he turns 18. He’s become a bit of a control freak, or so the rest of the Shazam kids think, especially Freddy, who likes to go out on his own to fight crime. Also Billy would really like to know what his name is—but we all know that Shazam equals Shazam equals Shazam, right? I don’t think I’m spoiling anything there. It’s him, it’s everything he stands for, and it’s his magic word. Which they succeed in making really cool. I never get tired of them saying it and transforming. It’s a lot of fun and a bit of an adrenalin jolt (get it, jolt?).
Eugene (Ross Butler) and Mary (Grace Caroline Currey) in the Shazam cave. (Image courtesy of New Line Cinema)
Apart from Billy and Freddy, the other kids/heroes seem pretty unbothered by an identity crisis. There’s Superhero Darla (Megan Goode), who loves unicorns and is the perpetrator of a way too lengthy Skittles commercial (but with bada$$ unicorns). There’s Superhero Eugene, played by Ross Butler—his mother is Chinese Malaysian—who spends his time trying to figure out where all the doors go in the Shazam cave. Superhero Mary (Grace Caroline Currey) apparently parties on her off time, but sticks around to support Billy when needed; and Superhero Pedro (D.J. Cotrona), who I don’t have anything to add about. They make a good team, and their individual struggles for independence don’t really undermine that.
Everyone works together when it counts for the show-stopping finale of what is a satisfyingly simple superhero movie (for a change). Billy gets the reassurance he hoped for, which the rest of us knew was there, and the amusing age gaps in everyone’s love lives go on, until next time.
Kai can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.