Shazam! Fury of the Mind boldly abandons the youthful exuberance of its predecessors to deliver a powerful, poignant, and often heartbreaking coming-of-age story wrapped in a godly war for the soul. This is not a film about gaining powers, but about the crushing weight of wielding them. The central conflict is ingeniously internal, as Billy Batson’s (Asher Angel) very real-world anxieties about aging out of the foster system and finding his place directly fracture his magical bond. This psychological vulnerability is exploited with terrifying brilliance by Mark Strong’s returning Dr. Sivana and the hyper-intelligent Mister Mind, whose “Monster Society” unleashes a plague of doubt and fear, turning the Shazam Family against each other in sequences that are as visually spectacular as they are emotionally devastating.

Zachary Levi delivers his most nuanced performance as Shazam, expertly balancing the character’s inherent charm with a newfound, raw vulnerability as the magic that defines him begins to fail. The film’s true stroke of genius, however, is the return of Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam. Far from a simple cameo, his role is pivotal, transforming him into a harsh, unforgiving mentor. The dynamic between the weary, righteous god-king and the faltering, boyish hero provides the film’s philosophical and emotional core, forcing Billy to shed his childish understanding of power and confront the hard choices and sacrifices it demands.

The action is thunderous and epic in scale, but it’s always in service of the characters’ turmoil. The final battle for the Rock of Eternity is a breathtaking symphony of magic and might, but its true power lies in the gut-wrenching personal sacrifice Billy must make—a choice that marks the definitive end of his childhood. With a perfect 10/10, Fury of the Mind is a triumphant, mature evolution for the franchise. It masterfully blends massive superhero spectacle with intimate, relatable human drama, delivering a conclusion that is as emotionally satisfying as it is explosively thrilling, proving that the greatest power of all is the strength to grow up.

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