DC's Change into more Palpable Material: Reaction to the Justice League Trailer

Most people have consistently criticized DC Films for their dependency on darker, more serious themes compared to their rivals at Marvel Studios. While there can certainly be some hindrance to the identity of a franchise by gearing the films encompassing it in a dark overtone, I had never found that to personally be the issue with DC Films. Man of Steel was certainly not the happy-go-lucky Superman story many people are familiar with, but it succeeded in analyzing what a Superman in the real world might look like: how he might impact the lives of others, what his fears and doubts about his affect on the world might be. For all of the criticisms of Man of Steel and director Zack Snyder (and it's got it's fair share of criticism to have), it most certainly isn't the fault of the tone that the film fails in areas.


The same can be said for Zack Snyder's follow-up, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Folks might have been burned out with the dark and edgy DC Films tone (again, another fair critique since that's what we were exposed to in all DC films after The Dark Knight), but it's my opinion that the tone is not the primary problem of the versus film. The ultimate issue of BvS was its muddled plot, mixed with tons of exposition in the effort to set up the several films that would follow it. Not only that, but the disconnect in messaging from the film to the audience, in terms of expectations for the film's overall goal, was completely mishandled. Batman V Superman can certainly be described as a mess, but the tone definitely isn't the primary issue.


Enter Suicide Squad, a DC Film that arrived just 6 months after Batman V Superman, and give it to a studio so desperate to seem appealing to its audience that the retroactively edit what most likely would've been a dark, devious film featuring B-level DC Comics villains teaming up to go on a live-or-death mission mandated by a shady government organization, and change the tone of the film to be somewhat of a dark action-comedy featuring great musical hits every 7 minutes. The issues with Suicide Squad are actually more easily identifiable, in the splintered story, weak antagonist, and mismatched direction. And while I personally love Suicide Squad, I'm not going to bury my head in the sand and pretend not to see it's problems.  But the tone is not one of them.


Wonder Woman thus gave audiences what they were clamoring for: a hero to support, to get behind, because Wonder Woman herself saw the best humanity could offer, and fought for it. Not dissimilar to a classical Superman or the modern Captain America, Wonder Woman restored the idea that the world is worth saving not because it happens to be the place where we live, but because the beings that live on it are capable of great things. And unlike the modern Superman, Wonder Woman was able to see that from the beginning, despite her own tribulations with them. Nevertheless, Wonder Woman was the DC Film audiences responded to the best, and DC executives most likely attributed that to the tone of hope.


So, we now see a Justice League film advertising both stakes and lighthearted fun: a Batman that is more charismatic, a Flash that cracks wise, a rock-star Aquaman. The color palette is of a brighter, more vibrant choice. The camera seems to be shooting sharper, clearer imagery. The CGI seems to be the best DC has had thus far. Justice League offers a culmination of a story started since 2013's Man of Steel, with both a change in identity of the franchise and attitude to filmmaking.

Now, this could also be because previous director Zack Snyder had to step down due to a family tragedy, and director Joss Whedom (The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron) has since made his mark on the film. Both are comic book fans, both grew up reading comics like The Justice League of America, but it's clear that Joss likes to stick more in the realm of comic books when creating his superhero projects, while Zack takes after Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Trilogy) and tries to ground his films as much as he can, while remaining true to the comic book aesthetic. Clearly, DC Films, tired of losing to their competitor in the critics' favor, have taken it upon themselves to borrow more elements that make Marvel films fan favorites than they originally planned.

I'll say this much: Justice League looks fun. It looks like high-octance, action-packed, superhero fun. The cast looks great, I'm interested in seeing how the humor turns out, and I'm engaged in seeing where this franchise goes as a result of the new direction, both in the overall tone and the narrative results of the film. I only hope that DC doesn't become "Marvel 2" as a result of them reading the wrong signals from the audience. Dark is okay. Dark can even be good! Look at the Marvel-Netflix TV series like Daredevil and Jessica Jones, it can be done well. DC Films doesn't have to sacrifice it's entire identity as a film series just because people are misconstruing the problems with their films. Again, Justice League looks like it's gonna be a good time at the movies, but I just wish it wasn't so obviously a change in trying to steal some of the Marvel glory.

Then again, the entire idea of a DC Film franchise was stolen from Marvel, so maybe this was the natural turn of events.

Wonder Woman Movie Review

After 76 years, we have arrived. The third member of DC Comics' trinity of superheroes has arrived with her first feature-length summer blockbuster, while her companions Batman and Superman have been dominating the big screen for the last four decades. Trust me on this: it was worth the wait.

What director Patty Jenkins has delivered is not your average origin story. As Diana Prince/Wonder Woman sits in her office within the Louvre, she receives a photo of herself and her friends from World War I courtesy of her modern-day ally, Bruce Wayne. This propels her to reminisce of her entry into the world of man, and her abandonment of the Amazon life that she knew. As she enters the fray of World War I with her guide, Steve Trevor, ushering her into the world of man, Diana is faced with the difficult decision of saving mankind or abandoning it to ruin. It's a story that's engaging, well-paced, and enjoyably dense with character, chemistry, and action from start-to-finish.

Gal Gadot really does bring her a-game in this film. In her past films, such as her appearances in the Fast and the Furious franchise, as well as her Wonder Woman debut in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, it was clear that she was new to the art of Hollywood acting. She was sometimes wooden in her line delivery, or had difficulty conveying the intended emotion at times. Thankfully, she has improved immensely since her last outing as the titular superhero. While she's still not as strong as some other actresses in the role might have been, the kindness, love, and toughness that radiates with the character of Wonder Woman certainly radiates with Gadot. Her fighting and wit is impressive, and it's an absolute joy to see on-screen. It's clear now why director Zack Snyder hired her back in 2013, and it makes me all the more excited to see her grow even further as these films go on.

The supporting cast made up of notably Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta, and Robin Wright as Antiope are all the mainline attractions. Unfortunately, because the latter two do not stray from their home island of Themyscira, they don't have much opportunity to work beyond the first 30 minutes of the film. That being said, it allows Chris Pine to shine as Steve Trevor, who I would want showing me the way man's world worked if I was an outsider. He's charming, he's smart, and he's just humble enough to work excellently as the second-in-command to Wonder Woman's ragtag group. Several smaller characters dot the film with quirky personalities, and help to explain for Diana what man's world really is like: the female secretary Etta Candy represents the role of the woman in 1918, Charlie represents the war veteran and the horrors it can cause people to deal with, and Chief and Sameer represent the inequality struggles of minorities, just to name a few. Wonder Woman is dotted with characters that comment on the problems of the world, but unlike Diana's own aversion to the evils of war, they never beat you over the head with their messaging. It makes for an intellectual way to simply understand the plight, think about it after the film, but not feel lectured to. Besides the casting, the subtle messaging is one of the smartest things this movie does.

My one true gripe would have to be the CGI. For one reason or another, it never seemed to look it's best at every single point. I went to this showing in an IMAX 3D theater, so it wasn't like I was deprived of a quality screen. In a film, I understand that a director has to balance a budget and put the money where it can best go. For example, the scene of Wonder Woman storming through the lines of the trenches to rescue the town (as shown in several trailers) is a stunning sight. It's my favorite part of the movie: Wonder Woman leading the way to victory. But certain other scenes, such as the final confrontation between Wonder Woman and Ares (who is talked about throughout the film, so don't worry about spoilers) were somewhat not as sharp. I'm willing to bet it was the CGI spectacle that was the fight between the two gods, whereas the storming of the gates and the trenches looked to be put in more practical sets. It's not a huge issue, and it doesn't suck away from the fun of the film, but when leaving the theater, it's something I was thinking about. It certainly shouldn't stop you from seeing this wonderfully told, acted, and directed motion picture.

Wonder Woman should've had at least 5 movies made before this one. She should've been as much of a public icon as Batman or Spider-Man. But the patience of the world has paid off in spades, and director Patty Jenkins has delivered to us something great. If you're looking for the next big superhero movie, this is the one. It's fun, heartfelt, and full of wit. It's full of hope, and full of life. Gal Gadot is a great Wonder Woman, and I can't wait to see more of her in the future. For now, I'll just wait with baited breath that this movie is a sign of change for all DC films moving forward.

Rating: 10/10*

*Note that a 10/10 rating from me does not mean that a film is flawless; rather, it means that it's a masterpiece and should not be missed.