The sequel to the likable 2019 kid superhero adventure Shazam! rejoins the six Philadelphia foster children gifted with an array of magical powers, but argues that the real super-strength is family. And, yes, it’s a corny and unoriginal message, but the film acknowledges this with a sly nod to The Fast and the Furious franchise. Rejected by his mother and father, Billy Batson (played by Asher Angel as a kid and Zachary Levi in his super-incarnation) clings a little too tightly to his foster family. It’s causing friction with his best friend, Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer/Adam Brody). But adolescent social angst turns out to be the least of their problems when they learn that Billy has inadvertently unleashed a trio of vengeful gods, the daughters of Atlas, into the human realm.
Billy’s inane babbling gets a little wearing, but the action sequences, featuring dragon-based mayhem, cyclopes and an army of formidable hell unicorns hopped up on candy, are pacy and fun.