Summary
Zachary Levi criticizes Hollywood's frequent release of subpar movies, expressing frustration with the industry's lack of effort in making great content.
Levi's remarks follow the underwhelming performance of "Shazam! Fury of the Gods" at the box office. This indicates that even his own movie failed to live up to expectations, despite efforts to surpass its predecessor.
Although the sequel aimed for cohesiveness and grandeur, it deviated from the endearing portrayal of a family's journey that made the initial film a hit. Consequently, it resulted in a forgettable and average experience.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods actor Zachary Levi has recently voiced his criticism towards the consistent production of mediocre movies in Hollywood. This critique comes after the release of the DC sequel Shazam!, which unfortunately underperformed at the box office, becoming one of the studio's significant flops. In light of this disappointment, Levi has expressed his overall frustration with the film industry.
Making his remarks at the Chicago Fan Expo, Levi showed his support for the ongoing strikes by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). According to Entertainment Weekly's report, Levi passionately denounced the quality of movies being produced by Hollywood. When discussing the current state of the world's leading filmmaking model, Levi had this to say:
The amount of subpar content that Hollywood produces is disheartening. The lack of effort in creating quality content for viewers is evident. If we want to see a change, we need to actively avoid supporting these low-quality films. It will make a significant difference. These comments are especially ironic considering that Levi's own film, Shazam! 2, was a major box office failure for Warner Bros. and DC. While Levi's concerns about Hollywood's output are valid, they also reflect the reality of why Shazam! Fury of the Gods failed. Despite its budget of around $100 million, the film only managed to gross $135 million worldwide, making it one of DC's biggest flops.
Was Shazam! Fury Of The Gods Really That Bad?
Levi's comments questioning the quality of Shazam! Fury of the Gods raise the question of whether his criticism is applicable to his own film. In reality, the sequel is not as subpar as Levi's comments suggest. The film displayed some semblance of coherence, with director David F. Sandberg making an effort to build upon the dynamics and elements that made the first Shazam! movie great.
However, the main issue with Shazam! 2 lies in its forgettable nature. In an attempt to create a bigger and better sequel, the film lost sight of the heartwarming family narrative that was at the core of its predecessor. Although moments of this essence were evident, the sequel ultimately suffered from an inflated superhero storyline that aimed to surpass the first film. Consequently, it would be too harsh to classify the movie as the kind of trashy films that Levi was criticizing. Instead, the failure of Shazam! Fury of the Gods can be attributed to the disorganized state of DC movies and the unmemorable nature of its plot and characters.
Source: Entertainment Weekly