Shazam! Fury Of The Gods – 4K Review
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Warner Bros. | 2023
PG13 | 2hrs 10mins | Comic Book | Action | Adventure | Fantasy
HD | 1080P | DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
Native 4K | 2160P | HDR10 | Dolby Vision | Dolby Atmos | Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Staring: Zachary Levi | Asher Angel | Jack Dylan Grazer | Rachel Zegler | Adam Brody | Ross Butler
Directed by: David F. Sandberg
Ratings & Reviews
Please see here for my comments on reviewing movies.
My ratings are simple being marked out of a maximum of 5+. My reviews are biased towards the technical production aspects of the film with brief comments about the story line. Extras, sorry, that’s just not my ‘bag’.
So what did the 4K HDR10 video look like? Almost reference, and the 7.1 soundtrack? Good.
Entertainment: 4+
Video: 5-
Audio: 4+
Technical Review – Native 4K UHD HDR10
Shazam! Fury Of The Gods was captured digitally by cinematographer Gyula Pados in the ARRIRAW format at 4.5K using A
The image flies onto your screen as an almost reference HDR10 presentation. With the film shot in a high resolution format, this 4K release has good overall image clarity with plenty of crisp, sharp detail with refined texturing throughout. Buildings, objects, clothing, threads and facial close-ups provide excellent detail and definition, from the costume detailing, hairs in Djimon Hounsou’s beard and dreadlocks, to the dragons “pointy” scales. With facial, stubble, wrinkles, eyelashes, hair strands and features all being accurately rendered without any undue exaggerations. CGI and special effects integration are generally good, having realistic textures, blending well with the real action shots and never looking soft. Effects like explosions, flying objects, debris and smoke are quite well integrated into the live action with few distractions.
Contrast balance was generally good throughout. From the brilliant uncompressed whites of several daylight exterior shots and various lighting specular highlights to the internal darker blacks of buildings, car parks and the Unicorn lair, that generally showed good low level and shadow detail. Peak whites and specular highlights from the staff blasts, lightening and dragons breath to the illuminated lightning bolts, many light sources, surfaces and explosions, all sparkle with a degree of realism, with metallic surfaces offering up a glistening, realistic shine. All creating a good dynamic contrast range and enhancing visibility of objects in both exterior and interior shots, generating a good depth of field.
Although the color palette is a little subdued on occasions favoring a more neutral color scheme, all colors show good fidelity, with saturated primaries and secondaries and hues that are pleasingly accurate favoring grays, golden browns, tans and ambers, particularly for the Daughters of Atlas and their realm. Not to be outdone there are plenty of, reds, fiery oranges and yellows contained in the many explosions and fires, accompanied by bright Dragon breath blasts, shinny gold finishes, the yellow van, the neon and purple elements of the gangs den and plenty of more muted colors of the costumes, dome, vegetation and flowers. Skin tones and facial complexions looking very natural throughout.
This video is very good on all fronts, almost providing an HDR10 reference image.
Audio – Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Shazam! Fury Of The Gods creeps into home theaters with a low level Dolby Atmos mix that defaults to Dolby TrueHD 7.1 in my system. It appears that the Warner sound engineers are taking guidance from the Disney sound engineers with this track needing to be turned up by a minimum of +6dB, and on occasions +8dB would have been in order! This ultimately upsetting my overall sound balance and hence my lower grade. With the significantly increased gain the soundtrack was then generally engaging whether during an emotional drama or an action scene, having good bass, clarity and dynamics.
The overall sound presentation is quite dynamic, with generally good sub involvement but less than stellar surround action. The soundstage is wide and surrounds are active with moderate ambience, directional cues and movement, delivering an environment that tries to drop the listener both into the quieter environments and action-packed sonic spectacles alike. Powerful action sequences certainly bring the movie to life with surround and main channels very active, supporting; Shazam’s electric shocks, the bridge sequence, the goddess’s building relocations, when the Daughters of Atlas secures the staff, Kalypso’s use of her hypnosis speech powers, body impacts and even the occasional dragon fly-by. However, the spacial effects of the more intimate settings, from characters moving around the house, general conversations, the gangs Rock of Eternity’s den to the the room of doors, all felt a little lifeless. There isn’t much openness and life to these environments having little echo, reverb and ambience to give those spaces the appropriate feelings of envelopment and size.
Sub action is generally quite good, with a deep, solid, low end, but it isn’t what that this movie deserves. Even at this significantly raised level it only just manages to do justice to the various explosions, lightning bolts, Shazam’s electric shocks, the goddess’s building relocations, the Unicorns pounding hoofs and the dragons; breath, roar and flapping wings. Imaging feels quiet broad and expansive following the action as it moves on and off-screen. Dialogue is always crystal clear and well detailed with solid front-center imaging and prioritization, providing good clarity and detail no matter the level of action.
Flushing out the soundscape and supporting the movie throughout its entire length, the films score, composed by Christoper Beck offers a good supportive mix. Levels hit a good balance between the dialogue and effects providing a light spill into the surrounds and good integration within the soundstage.
A good audio track that compliments the almost reference video.
Story Overview
Billy Batson (Zachary Levi), aka Shazam, and his fellow foster children; Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer/Adam Brody), Eugene (Ian Chen/Ross Butler), Pedro (Jovan Armand/D.J. Cotrona), Darla (Faithe Herman/Meagan Good) and Mary (Grace Caroline Currey) are now bestowed with the powers of the gods and are working hard to learn how to deal with their new found alter-egos. As they all juggle their teenage lives with their Super Hero personas they continue to try to keep Philadelphia safe but it takes a toll on their adoptive family life as their own interests and goals impact their everyday lives. Looking for the return of their magic and to rejuvenate their realm by planting the seed of the Tree Of Live, the arrival of the Daughters of Atlas, Kalypso (Lucy Liu), Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Anthea (Rachel Zagler), a vengeful trio of ancient gods, pushes the entire family into a battle to retain their superpowers, their lives and save the world.
My 2 cents
Sorry, but while the video and audio kept me engaged I found the script and acting lacking in substance and luster. However, for those followers out there I am sure you will enjoy this follow on from the original Shazam!
Purchase from Amazon here.
