The DC Cinematic Universe

[Benjamin Haines]

[lhb412]

Hoping Joss Whedon's past skills as a script doctor can translate into being, basically, a film doctor for Justice League. That's not to say that I hope he'll just up and turn it into a Whedon film, but rather that those same script doctor powers of going in an fixing things that don't work and making what does work better can be applied here.

[The Shadow]

After I first watched Batman Vs. Superman last year, I had a notion that the movie was perhaps the starting point for a soft reboot for the DC movies.

I thought Man of Steel was a superior Superman movie to Superman Returns, but I thought some of the characterization of Jonathan Kent and Clark was off, all part of the "gotta make it grim 'n gritty" trend. However, I did not have an issue with Superman ultimately making the decision that he needed to kill General Zod to stop him, though a more accurate depiction of Jonathan Kent's character & Clark earlier in the movie would have better framed killing Zod as an ultimately troubling but necessary decision for Clark.

I think that Man of Steel's "grim and gritty" criticism is well deserved, and even though Batman Vs. Superman sufferers from some of that "grim & gritty" trend it seemed to me that with Superman's death in the movie it was a necessary part of creating a breaking point in movie tone going forward. I guess you could say that BvS serves as a way to restore the hope that should have always been a part of the DCEU movies. Since BvS, we've had Wonder Woman and one could argue that hope is a critical component of the plot, and judging by the trailers so far the upcoming Justice League seems to retain that necessary hope.

[mr.negativity]

[mr.negativity]

[mr.negativity]

[lhb412]

HAHAHA! This is frickin' wild.

[mr.negativity]

[klen7]

Is this Zack Snyder's last involvement in the DCU? I recall he was unhappy that bad word of mouth kept Batman vs Superman from being a bigger hit

The trailer i saw for JL in front of Blade Runner looked like a cartoon movie, like the whole thing was green screen with actors that had CG animated enhancements and then significant color grading over top all of it.

[mr.negativity]

[mr.negativity]

'Justice League' Gets Delayed Rotten Tomatoes Score of 43 Percent



JUSTICE LEAGUE Review: Finally, A DC Movie That’s Actually Fun



‘Justice League’ Review: Beyond Saving

[Outkaster]

Man I hoped the reviews would be better. It's all over Facebook. The hate is intense for this already.

[mr.negativity]

[canofhumdingers]

The fact that it’s getting pretty solidly mixed reviews actually has me hopeful. I know the current DC moviverse isn't everyone’s cup of tea, but I actually like it. MoS was solid. I really like the extended cut of BvS (the theatrical cut is garbage). Suicide Squad wasn’t great but I didn’t hate it. Wonder Woman is magnificent.

And, excepting WW, none of those movies got very good reviews. So odds are, if this is scoring even close to MoS, I’ll probably like it. And the thing is, I’ve ALWAYS had a much stronger affinity for DC superheroes. Batman is my guy. Always has been, always will be. Superman and Wonderwoman (kinda two sides of the same coin in a way) have always been in my top ten, probably top five (ok, supes is second only to Batman and always had been).

As someone mentioned, DC’s big names are more archetypes than marvels more character driven heroes. And as I’ve said countless times over the years, I’ve always felt a strong pull toward strong archetypal heroes. That upstanding beacon of hope, justice, strength, always doing the right thing no matter how hard. It sparks something very deep down in me.

And even if the movies are only ok, I’ll still like them because of the characters. I know not everyone likes these particular iterations, but again, I’m ok with them. They’re not perfect, but they are good enough for me to see them as the iconic heroes they represent. And I actually REALLY like the casting. Affleck is (to my surprise) incredible as both Batman and Bruce. While I don’t think he’s really been given his chance to shine, I think Henry Cavill is a perfect choice for superman. And Gal Gadot IS Wonder Woman now. I’ll be sad if this movie fails and the DCEU or whatever it’s called is abandoned. I’d really love to see these actors given the chance to make one truly GREAT movie together in these roles.

[The Shadow]

I don't think any of the DCCU movies are terrible, they have their flaws but I think they've gotten steadily better since MAN OF STEEL (with WONDER WOMAN being fantastic). I'm actually rather hopeful about JUSTICE LEAGUE, the clips I've seen so far seem like it will be a fun movie -- probably not the movie I've hoped for over the years but a fun movie to watch.

I am a bit disappointed by the news that WB may let future directors do DC movies that are not a part of the DCCU. That seems like a great mistake to me -- there's no reason that multiple heroes need to be in a given character's stand alone movie but the stand alone movies should absolutely be part of the greater DCCU. WB's excuse of giving directors more individual freedom doesn't make much sense as directors can make their movie with a particular tone while it is still a part of the DCCU.

[eabaker]

I very much like the idea of the standalone movies not being beholden to an existing continuity. It lets each production team start with a blank slate, and allows for much more variety and experimentation.

[Dai]

I'm glad I avoided looking at the Rotten Tomatoes score in advance because the 'consensus' is more irrelevant nonsense, crucifying yet another action movie that's greatest sin is being good rather than great (just look at the contrast to the reviewer scores on the same site).

Justice League was good fun. It wasn't surprising. It wasn't genre-defining or redefining, and frankly felt too much like disposable, popcorn-munching entertainment for the weight Warner has placed on its shoulders. But if you have affection for any of DC's superheroes, odds are you'll enjoy it. Personally I loved Man of Steel and enjoyed Batman v Superman (especially the extended version), but there's no denying that the darker depiction of the heroes in those movies was divisive. Justice League presents them in a more classical style, as if they stepped right out of a comic book panel. Unlike recent Marvel movies, the humour is pitched perfectly, slotted into incidental moments while leaving the more dramatic scenes to be played straight.

The movie shares many of the same strengths and weaknesses as the first Avengers. A bit too much time is spent bringing both teams together, but it's worth the wait once they are. Both movies have unremarkable, one-dimensional villains backed up by an army of insectoid aliens. Both climax with an epic battle that feels like it needed one more twist before the villain was defeated. Both are ultimately just an excuse to have a bunch of beloved heroes team up to stop the apocalypse. And that's okay.

I think Justice League deserves some credit for being coherent and entertaining after its tortured production. It went through two rounds of extensive reshoots, including tonal changes that could have easily reduced it to gibberish like Suicide Squad, but it doesn't feel fragmented. Its director had to step aside six months before release due to a bereavement, but it ultimately blends the radically different styles of Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon to great effect. Its plot was culled from being the opening half of a two-parter to being a standalone movie, and while there's the lingering sense that Batman v Superman foreshadowed more than this movie resolved, it can't be accused of skimping on the scale of the conflict, and ends with a satisfying full stop.

Really, my only complaints are the aforementioned bland villain and that Danny Elfman's score gets buried in the mix a lot of the time. Listen out carefully for brief reprises of a couple of legendary themes.

[O.Supreme]

Not sure why JL dosen't have its own thread but....

I really liked this film... I am not partial to DC or Marvel, I like them both pretty equally, but I am a product of the times I grew up in. From the late 70's to mid 80's it seems animated shows about DC characters were probably on the air 2 to 1 vs Marvel characters, and I really didn't start reading comics outside of Transformers and Godzilla until my late teens. As a result, I knew of the Justice League, long before the Avengers (Also remember that basically from the 80's to late 2000's, the X-Men had overshadowed the Avengers as Marvels Iconic team, what a difference 10 years makes.., and being bought out by a corporate giant)....Also considering the first appearance of the Justice League pre dates the Avengers by 3 years, and that the DC heroes seemed more Iconic to me is what drew me to them.

Now I know this will sound odd. But in 30 or so years of wondering what a JL movie would look like, I will admit that THIS FILM. is not what I pictured...However...in this unique case, it is not a bad thing. I really enjoyed the film. Did it feel quite as iconic as it should have...no, but maybe if this had come prior to The Avengers (2012), I might feel different (I mean that film, I don't think anything will ever touch it...maybe Infinity War, but we'll see...).

I really liked the team chemistry, and how they all came together. The lighter tone (while not descending to being disrespectfully goofy like Thor 3) was a nice change. I had no reservations of taking my kids to see this, unlike B v S. I really liked the backstory. I know many people are complaining that Steppenwolf was the typical generic villain, but I thought he was fine, serviceable. We all know something (well actually several things) better could be coming. Hopefully Warner and DC figure things out on the business and story sides so the movie verse doesn't implode on itself.

I think it did draw from the New 52 a little more than I hoped for, but I understand why they are doing it. I've heard many people speculate that a longer cut could be made available when this comes to DVD. If so, I will be all over that. I know probably people would praise the decision to cut this film to 120 minutes, but I would not have minded if it was a little longer. In fact, I dont think I've ever complained about a movie being too long, and I've seen the extended cut of Return of the King several times . I just hope this movie does well, and we can finally just movie forward without all the studio politics, and drama, and just make good comic book movies like this one.

I just wish, that in some way shape or form, we could get a movie with the original 7. Heck I'd take an animated film, as I am a huge fan of animation anyway. Did you know of all the times that members of the Justice League have appeared in cartoons, film, and TV the "Original 7" have only appeared all at the same time in one animated film (New Frontier), and one animated TV series (Young Justice) that I can think of...An animated film about the first appearance of the League in its original form would be amazing IMHO.

[Benjamin Haines]

[Benjamin Haines]

[mr.negativity]

[canofhumdingers]

I think O.supreme did a pretty good job summing up my impression of the movie. I really liked it, and the more I think about it, the more I want to see it again. However, ultimately it doesn’t feel as epic as it needed to, and it doesn’t do anything particularly new. The reason I like it so much is because it’s my favorite superheroes finally faithfully represented together in a live action film. I really like these versions/casting of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Aquaman was pretty great too. And they were in a serviceable “save the world team up” story. But that’s the big problem. It’s a common trope that has been seen too many times already in live action superhero films recently. (And far more than that if you read comics or watch the animated stuff).

It sucks this seems to already be deemed a failure. They’re just now really hitting their stride with the characters and I really want to see more of them played by these actors. Hopefully in even better (dare I wish for above average?) stories.

I’ve got more I want to say, but I’m outta time.

[Dai]

It's insane that this movie is underperforming at the box office compared to a complete mess like Suicide Squad. I'd expected that the goodwill generated by Wonder Woman would have overcome any audience hesitation resulting from the choppy theatrical cut of Batman v Superman, especially considering how prominent WW has been in the advertising push for Justice League. It's also infuriating to see the media gleefully rushing back to their favourite pastime of sounding a franchise's death knell because it dared to turn out a pretty good action movie instead of Citizen Kane (or Spaceballs, if the critical gushing over Thor Ragnarok is anything to go by).

[Benjamin Haines]

WB was probably banking on goodwill from Wonder Woman carrying over to Justice League but it's clear that moviegoers are looking at it as the sequel to Batman v Superman. I haven't seen it yet but I've read several reviews that complained about shots of Wonder Woman being very male-gaze-centric compared to her solo flick. I don't know if that's true but I thought those same complaints were overblown regarding Black Widow in The Avengers.

Being the follow-up to Dawn of Justice and the third entry in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel trilogy is handicapping Justice League. The silver lining is that this bodes well for Wonder Woman 2 in November 2019. Since audiences clearly aren't treating Justice League as a follow-up to Wonder Woman, all of the goodwill and anticipation from the biggest domestic hit of summer 2017 should be preserved for its sequel. I think Aquaman should likewise have no trouble standing on its own next December, just as Wonder Woman was unaffected by Dawn of Justice's reception.

Suicide Squad's box office performance was just fascinating. It defied a lot of conventional wisdom about what constitutes an A-level comic-based title. It's about a team of mostly B- and C-list supervillains called the Suicide Squad, and it scored a $133m opening weekend! It finished with $325m domestic, leggier than either Man of Steel or Dawn of Justice, and it was definitely profitable with $745m worldwide on a $175m budget. I wonder if WB and DC have really processed what that means for what their movies could potentially be.

I think it goes to show the sheer drawing power of DC's stable of characters. There are a lot of people who will pay to see these characters brought to life on the big screen by likeable actors. Moviegoers didn't treat Suicide Squad as a follow-up to Batman v Superman. It didn't get penalized for the poor reception of the prior cinematic universe entry because that's not why audiences show up. People just want to see these DC characters in entertaining movies whether they're connected or not. You let Harley Quinn and the Joker headline a supervillain ensemble, cast Will Smith as Deadshot and you've got people's attention. The underperformance of Justice League compared to all four of its DC Films predecessors shows that audiences aren't specifically drawn to the concept of cinematic universes and crossovers. It's the characters, stories, and individual franchises that people have to care about first before mingling them together can multiply their drawing power. If Aquaman and Wonder Woman 2 are well-received, a Wonder Woman & Aquaman team-up movie could be huge.

[Dai]