Shazam! Fury of the Gods star Rachel Zegler -- who plays Athena, a Daughter of Atlas -- says she believes the movie is getting unfair negative reviews.
Alongside several behind-the-scenes photos from the set of the film, Zegler gave a passionate plea for people to go and see the movie. "[H]ey our film is actually really good!" she tweeted, adding that she had a great experience during filming and loved everyone she met working on the movie. Zegler also shared that she believes some of the movie's negative reviews are overly critical. "[S]ome people out there [are] just being… senselessly mean," she said. "And it's unnecessary." Adding that she's aware that being able to handle criticism is part of the job, Zegler clarified that she genuinely believes in the movie's quality. "Our film is actually very good," she said. "It’s just cool to hate on fun nowadays."
This is not the first time the actor has spoken about how much she loves the movie. In a recent interview, Zegler shared that she was struggling for work when she was cast, but was "really excited" to get the role. "I'm so lucky that I got this job," she said. "I made some of my best friends on this job and I just absolutely adore this movie, too, so I'm excited." Zegler's first movie, Stephen Spielberg's West Side Story, had not yet been released when she was cast in Fury of the Gods due to pandemic delays. Following widespread critical acclaim for her performance as María, which included a Golden Globe win, Zegler has not been short on work. She is set to star in The Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and will appear as Snow White in Disney's upcoming live-action remake.
In defense of the movie, Zegler also cited its 85 percent Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score [now 88 percent], which stands in stark contrast to its 53 percent critical score. The sequel is currently narrowly beating its predecessor in Audience Score, where 2019's Shazam! achieved an 82 percent. However, the original movie was much more popular with critics, scoring an impressive 90 percent. Beaten only by Wonder Woman's 93 percent, it stands as one of the best critically received movies in the entire DCEU.
However, Fury of the Gods is also lagging behind its predecessor in one other crucial department -- opening weekend box office takings. According to director David F. Sandberg, the $30.5 million in domestic sales, just over half of the first movie's $53.5 million, wasn't too shocking. "It’s not like this comes as a surprise. I saw where this was heading a long time ago," he said, jokingly adding that he got paid upfront.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods is in theaters now.
Source: Twitter