The Golden Raspberries have officially released their nominations and the list wasn’t all too shocking for the most part. Films like Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey and Expendables 4 rightfully deserve their Worst Picture nominations; however, arguably the biggest surprise of the bunch was seeing Shazam! Fury of the Gods is in that category as well.
Warner Brothers Discovery hasn’t particularly had a good year. The moment James Gunn announced the end of the DCEU was when audiences opted to skip out on the last remaining films tied to that universe. Shazam! Fury of the Gods notably garnered lackluster reviews, but calling it one of the worst films of 2023 may be a stretch.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods Is Nothing More Than A Generic Superhero Film
The biggest crime that Shazam! Fury of the Gods committed was making a generic superhero feature that you’ve seen a million times before. What made the first film so fun was its zany sense of humor and the fun concept of a kid turning into one of the most powerful beings on the planet. The differences between Billy and Shazam were a fun contrast, with the movie nicely exploiting that oddball dynamic.
I was hoping that Fury of the Gods would dive deeper into the mythology that brings out the uniqueness of the character, while still maintaining the same level of charm that made the first film so good. Fury of the Gods does keep the charm, but the story isn’t as engaging as its predecessor. It was ultimately a bland and generic retelling of the villains wanting to destroy the world, forcing Shazam to save it in a matter of minutes.
The film is ultimately harmless; basically, a solid watch if you see it, which is something you can’t particularly say about the other films on the list. The Razzies always had head-scratching nominations on their list; for example, Brian De Palma‘s three nominations for Dressed to Kill, Scarface, and Body Double to Stanley Kubrick also received the same nomination for The Shining. However, this one felt like more of a stab at the DCEU and Zachary Levi – who stirred up some controversy after the film bombed – more than anything.
The Films That Should’ve Been Nominated Instead
Children of the Corn is a big film that stands out. The script is laughable at best and it commits one of the cardinal sins that a movie should never make – it’s boring. It currently sports an awful 12% on rotten tomatoes, yet this film somehow escaped the Razzies without receiving a single nomination. White Men Can’t Jump is another feature that went under the radar. This was the very definition of an unnecessary remake, adding nothing of value to a film that remains a great watch over 20 years later.
I guess in some ways, the film is harmless because it doesn’t tarnish the legacy of the original film; however, that film never justifies its existence. House Party is ten times worse, keeping the same outline from the original film, but it lacks basic structure, self-awareness, and worse of all, anything funny, within its 100-minute runtime. Ghosted (which was nominated in other categories), You People, and Heart of Stone were worse than Shazam! Fury of the Gods as well.
I know that part of the Razzies is tongue-in-cheek, but some of the worse mainstream films slip under their radar. This is an awards show that should be honoring the worst of the worst, and there are easily ten other movies that were a better fit for the Worst Picture category than Fury of the Gods.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods Is An Example Of How The DCEU Went Out On A Whimper
Shazam! Fury of the Gods doesn’t deserve to be listed as one of the worst films of the year, but interestingly enough, there isn’t any uproar about the nomination either. That’s because the final set of films of the DCEU has been disappointing. Blue Beetle is an exception as it’s truly a good film, but it suffers the same issue of being a superhero picture that we’ve seen millions of times before.
I know that the plan wasn’t to cut off the DCEU after Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, but this string of films represents the uneven quality and mess that was the DCEU ultimately. It’s a shame as this universe had so much potential in the beginning, but Warner Brothers Discovery focused so much on trying to catch up to Marvel that it eventually backfired. Fury of the Gods being nominated for worst picture isn’t as bad as Brian De Palma and Stanley Kubrick nabbing their nominations, but it leaves another bad mark for the disappointing DCEU.
Follow Us
