Shazam! star Rachel Zegler thinks critics just like to “hate on fun”

Shazam: Fury of the Gods is out now in theaters, and so far it’s going…fairly meh, I guess. Critics mostly didn’t like it, audiences mostly did, and the movie is making less money than expected, and it wasn’t expected to make much, at least not compared to its predecessor. So fairly meh.

The cast and crew are taking aim at the critics in particular, who have awarded the movie a 53% rotten rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing. ““Some people out there and just being… senselessly mean,” wrote star Rachel Zegler, who plays Anthea, on Twitter. ““And it’s unnecessary. And I know, I know, ‘If you can’t handle the heat…’ and all that nonsense, and you’re right. But our film is actually very good, it’s just cool to hate on fun nowadays. That’s okay. We’re good.”

An actor standing up for her work against a barrage of unfair criticism or a performer defensively blasting people for doing their jobs and pointing out that the movie she’s in is fairy meh? You decide.

Why did Rachel Zegler agree to be in Shazam: Fury of the Gods? “I needed a job.”

Zegler recently broke out as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. But before that, she was hard up for work, which is what led her to her role in Shazam in the first place. “I needed a job. I’m being so serious,” she said on the red carpet for the premiere, per The Hollywood Reporter. “The reality is we’re in the middle of a pandemic and I was not working and I couldn’t get a job for the life of me, because West Side Story hadn’t come out yet. It was really hard to book work for me.”

"I loved the first movie, and the fact that they even wanted me to come in for a callback and then a camera read and then everything in between, I’m so lucky that I got this job. I made some of my best friends on this job. I just absolutely adore this movie, too, so I’m excited."

I suppose if Zegler feels the movie saved her during a time when no work was coming along, it could explain why she’s so passionate about it as the mediocre reviews roll in.

After mixed reception, Shazam director “definitely done with superheroes for now”

Director David F. Sandberg also took issue with the reviews. “On Rotten Tomatoes I just got my lowest critic score and my highest audience score on the same film,” he wrote on Twitter. “I wasn’t expecting a repeat of the first movie critically but I was still a little surprised because I think it’s a good film. Oh well. As I’ve been saying for a while now I’m very eager to go back to horror (as well as trying some new things). After six years of Shazam I’m definitely done with superheroes for now.”

"Just to be clear, I don’t regret even for a second making the Shazam movies. I’ve learned so much and gotten to work with some truly amazing people. Will forever be grateful that I got to direct two of these! They’ve been very challenging but valuable experiences. One thing I’ve really been looking forward to is disconnecting from the superhero discourse online. A lot of that stresses me out so much and it will be nice not having to think about that anymore."

Before becoming the Shazam guy, Sandberg directed movies like Lights Out and Annabelle: Creation. Fury of the Gods is in theaters now.

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