Justice League Review: Using CGI to cover up that you don’t know who Batman is.

This weekend, DC’s biggest heroes came together in Justice League. By Saturday though, it was clear that Justice League had underperformed at the box office. And while I’d like to say that turn of events is surprising, I can’t. Justice League is not bad per say, it’s just fine. It’s enjoyable for what it is, especially if you’re capable of putting up with the CGI and strangely written characters. But for many, those issues won’t be easy to overlook.

First, though, let’s look at what Justice League did well. The characters of The Flash and Cyborg are both very entertaining and engaging. They undergo a small amount of development in Justice League but it left me far more fantasticated and hyped for their solo movies than I had been before this outing. I especially enjoyed the banter between the two when they were digging. It was also great to see the characters being proactive and actually trying to get a head of Steppenwolf, rather than being caught off guard and reacting, as superheroes have a tendency to do.

And that’s about it, honestly. The fight scenes were decent but the CGI was very distracting. Steppenwolf looked like he’d stepped out of a cut scene from Injustice or Dragon Age and as a result all of his fights ended up looking like a video game sequence. If the whole film was computerised in that way and was classified as an animation, that might be acceptable but as it is, with Steppenwolf looking so different from everyone else in the film, it’s just strange and disorientating.

From old gods to new gods.

Steppenwolf as a villain is fairly one note and there’s nothing particularly challenging about him. He’s strong, sure, and he’s got a big axe but the biggest obstacle for the Justice League is dealing with Steppenwolf without Superman. Following the events of Batman Vs. Superman, I don’t think anyone was fooled into believing that Superman would stay dead. Even in the comics, Superman was eventually resurrected from his death at the hands of Doomsday. But I don’t think anyone expected him to return in Justice League. Because, spoiler, he does.

Of course, Superman was resurrected. He’s the biggest name in DC. But he’s also a cop out. There was an opportunity here to have the team come together and utilise individual skills to beat a singular enemy who had confounded them separately. That’s sort of the point of these team up films, that there’s an enemy that the heroes can’t beat alone. Instead of figuring out a way to do it themselves, the Justice League’s go to plan is to bring back Superman. And it works, because Superman promptly curb-stomps Steppenwolf and makes the rest of the heroes look like chumps. Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t a complaint that Superman is too strong and therefore boring. This is a criticism that Zack Synder doesn’t know how to utilise the Justice League without Superman.

What’s particularly baffling is that Batman is the one who suggests using the ancient, alien technology to resurrect Superman. The guy with a moral code so strong he won’t carry a gun; who refuses to kill his evil clown nemesis despite the crippling of one side kick and the brutal murder of another. This suggestion is more likely to come from the lips of Mr. Freeze and the type of thing Batman would stop. And while I’m aware that in the comics that Batman did look into resurrection with the intention of perhaps bringing back Jason Todd I find it hard to believe, knowing what we know about Batman’s ethics, that he would go through with it.

“What if he’s at peace?” “He’ll get over it.” – An actual line from Batman in Justice League.

One might argue, however, that this Batman is somewhat jaded and willing to go to more extreme measures in his old age. But beyond the morality, the choice to resurrect Superman is the least interesting choice possible. I’d have much rather seen the team devise a plan to beat Steppenwolf without the Man of Steel. Batman is also known as being the most proactive of superheroes, devising plans and contingencies for almost all events and outcomes. As it is, Batman basically rolls over and says, “whelp, guess we need Superman”.

Finally, there’s the humour issue. The dark and gritty nature of Man of Steel and Batman Vs Superman has hung over all of DC’s projects. Some have accused DC of lightening the tone to match Marvel but I would point the finger at Deadpool rather than the MCU. Following the release of the 18 rated Deadpool, Suicide Squad went through a number of edits and changes that it was reported were intended to lighten the tone of the film. The result was very choppy and not particularly entertaining. Following the inclusion of Joss Whedon to the Justice League writing squad, many expected the same fate for Justice League.

I’m happy to report that Justice League doesn’t seem to suffer from overediting or a lack of focus. So, I suppose you can count that among the good parts of the film. There’s also much more humour in this script than in any of Synder’s previous films, and it’s so predominant that it’s clear that it couldn’t have been added in the eleventh hour by Whedon. But it’s also a little awkward. Those previous films were so dark and now the characters are cracking wise while a god-like being smacks them around and threatens to destroy the Earth. It’s like, why weren’t they like this before? Ezra Miller has gone on record that Zack always intended for the ‘Justice League to rise out of the darkness’. And the collective response of the internet was ‘sure you did, Zack.’

I wish I could say Justice League was better. It’s okay, maybe good at a stretch, but nowhere near as good as it should or could have been. If you thought Justice League was a masterpiece hit me up with a comment, and then perhaps see a doctor for a MRI. You can also contact me through social media, where you might also want to follow me if you’ve enjoyed what you read here and want to keep up with new content on this blog. You can also keep up to date by subscribing to the site itself by hitting the button at the side. And, don’t forget to check out my own novel, Carrion Youth, over at Swoonreads.com. Until next time, thanks for reading.

Silence

So the Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer has been out for a while and bar some twitter comments, I haven’t seriously said anything about it. Not that I expect the world is waiting on bated breath for my opinion on the subject, but this is a blog, my blog about my interests and my interests do include films about superheroes, so it might be seen as strange for such a topic not to grace the pages of Preposterousprose. But the reason is really quite simple. There’s very little to say.

The means of releasing the trailer was quite humorous. Not content to simply post the video up and promote it via twitter, DC and Warner Bros put out a teaser for the trailer first. Batman V. Superman isn’t the first film to get the trailer teaser treatment but I really hope it doesn’t become a consistent means of promotion. Trailers already divulge so little informations that there really doesn’t need to be another form with even less footage. This was further aggravated by the fact that the actual trailer was leaked and in an attempt to lessen the blow, the trailer was released a day early. After all that trouble, wouldn’t it really just have been easier to just release the trailer in the first place?

Bad marketing and advertising decisions aside though, the trailer was rather innocuous. Lots of night time shots, rain and voice overs of reporters analysing Superman’s affect on humanity. Nothing very challenging. Films featuring Batman do tend to spend an inordinate amount of time in the dark and rain, a reflection of his gloomy soul. It was nice that Nolan’s Batman did get to do some sleuthing in the daylight, and maybe he’ll get some sun in actual film but for the Dawn of Justice trailer, the weather was as one might expect for a film with the Dark Knight.

Because what this film needs is romance.

Speaking of the caped crusader, the trailer did give us our first look of Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne. Not that there was much to see. The shot was Affleck looking at the Bat suit, possibly in anger or just indecision. Perhaps the implication is that Wayne hung up his boots for a while and he’s questioning whether to come out of retirement to fight Superman. Or he may be considering whether, because Gotham is his base of operations, an alien in Metropolis is his problem. Or the two shots might be entirely unrelated. Trailers have a habit of sticking two unconnected clips together to make it look like something is happening, when actually Bruce Wayne might be getting angry at a news reporting showing Superman killing thousands of civilians in a fight with General Zod.

If the trailer can be believed, it’s looking like Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice will deal with the repercussions of that battle at the end of Man of Steel. Zack Synder appears to be drawing on actual fan criticism of the previous film, with many reporters questioning the destruction Superman has wrought. It’s true that Superman destroyed as much of Metropolis as he saved, but most reporters are big picture kind of people and can see the benefits of having a super powered protector. Besides, hasn’t Superman been helping rebuild the city and stopping other violent crimes in the meantime? The only reason I can see for the backlash against Superman is that it comes much later in the film than it appears, likely after Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luther has turned Metropolis against him.

All we know for certain is that a rather stubbly Bruce Wayne puts on a Bat suit with unusually small ears (at least its not nipples, right?) and meets Superman in the rain. Although actually, the bat suit he fights Superman in is more mechanical, looking like one of the Iron Man prototypes, and it distorts his voice so that it sounds half human/half computer. It’s still clearer than the mess Bane’s voice was, but there’s no word on whether that’s just how Batman hides his voice or if it’s because of the mechanical bat suit. Logic would dictate its the latter but the DC films don’t always go with what makes the most sense.

That hair has got to go.

As cool as it might be to see Batman and Superman duke it out, I feel like Marvel beat them to the finish line again with the Iron Man/Hulk fight in Avengers:Age of Ultron. Iron Man and Hulk have often been seen as Marvel’s counterparts of DC’s mainstays. Both Batman and Iron Man are billionaire playboys who moonlight as super heroes whose only superpowers are their ingenuity and initiative. Superman and Hulk are both nigh-invincible beings that tackle their problems by punching. The only difference I can think of that matters is that Hulk can’t fly and can be subdued. Unless Batman has some kryptonite lying around, he’s not going to be able to weaken Superman. And why would he? In this universe, Superman only recently appeared and the location or effect of the green rocks aren’t widely known.

I do want to clarify that I didn’t hate the trailer. I haven’t been positive about the upcoming film, mostly because DC and Warner Bros have squandered some potential here in order to quickly build a Justice League team and compete with Marvel. But the trailer didn’t add to any of that. More than anything, the trailer didn’t excite or annoy me and that’s the main problem. The trailer should evoke a response. The sad fact is that the publication of trailer was more interesting than the trailer itself.

For a trailer, it didn’t turn any of my preconceived notions on their head and there’s still a lot to speculate about. There really isn’t much to say about the trailer because much of the conversation leads into hypotheticals about the film. There just aren’t enough facts to paint enough of the picture yet. It’s like playing Catchphrase with only one tile revealed. Entertainment Weekly recently added a few more tiles, revealing Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luther. The picture is coming together but there’s still a lot to be revealed between now and March 2016.

Suicide

The big entertainment news coming out of this week is Warner Bros. casting announcement for the upcoming DC Comics film, Suicide Squad. Rumours and hype had been building up to the announcement over the last month. Margot Robbie was reported to be in the role of Harley Quinn then there were suggestions that Jared Leto, Will Smith, Tom Hardy and Jai Courtney were all in talks with DC. So this has been coming for a while but it was good. It gave us confirmation of who we can expect to see and the roles they’ll be playing. And people are excited. Me? I’m approaching the film with a cautious optimism.

However, I will say that I am a lot more interested in seeing Suicide Squad than I am of the upcoming Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Maybe that’s just because I’ve know less about the Suicide Squad and the development of the film. That’s not to say that I’m on the inside but I’m well aware that Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice was originally a Man of Steel sequel that has gotten lumped with the job of creating a shared universe, a role that Marvel gave to five separate films. And don’t let Warner Bros. fool you. The fact that they moved Dawn of Justice so that it wouldn’t clash with the opening of Captain America: Civil War shows that they don’t have faith in the movie to compete with Marvel.

Ladies and Gentlemen, your Suicide Squad cast.

Done right, Suicide Squad could be a good way of DC Comics finally planting their foot in the superhero team up scene. Sure, it should have happened in 2013 instead Man of Steel but better late than never I suppose. And unlike Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice this isn’t DC Comics forcing Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman into a situation to make it crystal clear that they all exist in the same universe and to act as a wink-nod that there is definitely a Justice League film coming. Christopher Nolan dissuaded Zack Snyder from inserting a post credit scene to Man of Steel (though he disputes the exact quote). Why would he need one? Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is pretty much one big pre-credit stinger for the two part Justice League films in 2017 and 2019.

Suicide Squad will be hard to do wrong. There is a pre existing story and plot that they can adapt for the screen. Furthermore, it has an advantage over other superhero groups in that these are bad guys forced to do good. That even separates them from Sony’s upcoming Sinister Six spin off, although we know so little about that film that there may well be some overlap. But Suicide Squad still has the trump card of having more recognizable villains. I like Spider-Man, even the new Amazing films, but I will admit that none of his rogues gallery, not even Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus, are half as iconic as The Joker.

Joker’s presence in the Suicide Squad does throw up a red flag for me though. While Jared Leto can do menacing and insane, my concern derives from the fact that The Joker was never actually a member of the Suicide Squad. If I’m wrong on that, feel free to correct me in the comments below. I do know that he was involved in some of the backstory for some members but as far as I am aware he never joined. It might be interesting if Joker’s presence was only in Harley Quinn’s flashbacks, and Leto was simply cast as a teaser because they plan to use him later. That would be a good way of building a shared universe and having your films inform one another. But it could also be that Warner Bros. doesn’t trust Suicide Squad to sell tickets and are sticking big names in the roster to entice audiences. This is compounded by rumours that Jesse Eisenberg may reprise his role as Lex Luthor, though my feeling is that will largely depend on how fans react to him in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.

The casting does worry me a bit as well. I like all of the actors individually. As mentioned, I think Leto has the talent and ability to play The Joker. Tom Hardy is also a very likeable actor and will probably help to make audiences care about a group of villains. Margot Robbie is there for sex appeal but The Wolf of Wall Street revealed that she can at least do mean and manipulative. Outside of those actors, it could go either way. Will Smith was good in action films in the late 90s, early 2000s but his recent films haven’t had the same acclaim. Cara Delevangne is known more for modelling than acting. Jai Courtney isn’t an actor I’m familiar with and while he is on the rise, Terminator: Genisys could put a stop to that.

Can you imagine Margot Robbie and Will Smith in these roles?

Out of those six actors only two aren’t big name actors. And of those two lower list actors one is actually well known outside of film. On top of that, Oprah Winfrey is the first choice to play Amanda Waller, with Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis next in line. That’s a lot of star power for a film that shouldn’t really need it. And WB can’t use the excuse that casual viewers don’t know who the Suicide Squad are. Guardians of the Galaxy was not a household name before their movie and Bradley Cooper, the most well known actor in that group, was a voice actor. Even if they don’t know who the squad are, even people who don’t read comics and don’t watch movies know who The Joker is. Before Guardians of the Galaxy, no one knew who Groot was. Warner Bros. already has name value.

Why this worries me is because it looks like Warner Bros. is trying to stack the odds in their favour. They are so concerned about getting people to buy tickets and get them into the theatre. There is no thought going into the actual content. Is Leto the best actor to play the The Joker? It doesn’t matter. He’s an Oscar winner and people pay to see his films. Done well, Suicide Squad could be better than Guardians of the Galaxy. It could be the best DC film in years. But that’s not what they’re aiming for. So I’m cautiously optimistic. Optimistic because this could be great. Cautious because I can already see the signs of self-sabotage.

Joke

The big news coming out of the past couple of weeks is that some guy called Scoot McNairy has landed a role in the upcoming DC Comics film, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Nothing official has been announced as of yet about what part he will have but word from the rumour mill is that Scoot has been hired to play Batman’s most famous arch-nemesis, The Joker. Rumours being what they are you can’t take them too seriously until they are confirmed and hopefully this turns out to be false. McNairy playing the Joker seems ludicrous to me and probably not for the reasons that everyone might be thinking.

Let me be clear, this is not Heath Ledger nostalgia. There are a lot of fans out there who will say that Heath Ledger played the Joker better than any one ever will and casting anyone else in the role is asking for a disaster. While I do believe that the late Heath Ledger did a fantastic job as manic foil to Batman in The Dark Knight I also think that it is unreasonable to expect the Joker to never appear in a Batman film ever again. Batman has an enormous rogues gallery to choose from so there are plenty of villains the movies could explore without ever touching on the Joker again, such as Killer Croc, Black Mask or perhaps a version of Bane that doesn’t wind up being someone’s errand boy. But at the end of the day, the Joker is so ingrained in the Batman mythology that as soon as Batman’s name crops up the Joker’s is sure to follow.

With so many new characters, will Superman see any further character development at all?

So if McNairy is cast as the Joker I could easily understand why they would want to. It’s not the choice of actor that makes me believe it is a bad idea, despite calling him ‘some guy’ in the opening paragraph to this article. I do think he is unproven though. McNairy has been around since the early 2000’s and hasn’t done anything of note. He’s been a few big movies but the actor himself has rarely stood out. His biggest role is probably that of Monsters, Gareth Edwards’ previous foray into science fiction monster movies prior to this summer’sGodzilla blockbuster. Ledger at least had an award winning performance in Brokeback Mountain under his belt before taking on the Joker role. No matter who they cast though, not everyone will be pleased because every person has their own opinion on who should play the Joker role. Some might go more famout, like Leonardo DiCaprio, but I’d actually go the opposite route and just suggest someone even more unknown. The best actor to play the Joker is sitting out there, waiting for the part.

At this point, I expect you’re all wondering what the problem could actually be. The actor isn’t an major miscast and a Joker return is acceptable, so where’s the issue? The issue lies in what has been the problem with Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice ever since they announced the inclusion of Batman into a Superman film; there are just too many people in this movie. The cast list already touts the likes of Jeremy Irons, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa and pretty much the entire cast of Man of Steel reprising their roles. With each actor added roster the existing cast members lose precious character development.

Perhaps what is most concerning is that the film already has a main villain in Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Eisenberg wouldn’t have been my first pick to play Luthor but he will do well in role so long as they stick to highlighting his mental fortitude. So could we see a Luthor/Joker team up to take on Superman and Batman? Not likely. Luthor’s plan would probably involving killing the Bat and the Joker wouldn’t take too kindly to that. Furthermore, the Joker is notoriously unpredictable which I really doubt Luthor would that kind of loose cannon to mess up his scheme. Outside of the story, filming already began before McNairy was cast, which makes a team up even more doubtful. McNairy’s role may be significant but due to the late casting, it won’t take up a large portion of the film.

Gloomy and sombre appears to be the thematic tone once again.

Of course, he may not be the Joker at all. Given how illogical it is to involve another big villain in the movie at this late stage, it would be preferable for McNairy to have a different role. The biggest possibilities are The Green Lantern and The Flash. I feel that The Flash is more probable, mostly due to the previous Green Lantern film bombing so bad that they won’t want to remind people of that travesty. The Flash will also feature in an upcoming TV series in October, so casting McNairy as The Flash could easily play off the publicity of that.

Given how many other superheroes are in this movie, McNairy’s presence in Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice needs to be a Thanos type nod to the scene. Otherwise, this will be a cluster of superheroes, none of which are really getting any kind of development. Aside from Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill as the title heroes, Gal Gadot will appear as Wonder Woman, Victor Stone will play Cyborg, Jason Momoa might be Aquaman and then we have McNairy in his role. I get that the ‘Dawn of Justice’ subtitle means this is certainly going to be a prelude to the Justice League but there are just far too many characters being thrown into this pot without thought or preparation.

While I’d like to say that this will all come together on screen, the fact that they are adding major characters such as the Joker or The Flash this late into production makes me dubious. The film felt like a cash grab when Batman was added. It seemed bloated when Wonder Woman was announced. Now, with each additional cast member, the movie is looking more and more like overkill. Rather than developing their characters, Warner Bros are shoving all they have into one movie. I will genuinely be surprised if this isn’t the most underwhelming film of 2016.