For those of you who don’t know, DC had an online event yesterday where they announced huge news about their upcoming slate of movies and video games. Because the world is how it is, there was obviously no in person Comic Con. I mean… they had something like this but it was kind of lame. Opting out of that, DC decided to do their own thing instead. That turned out to be a really, really good move as the whole news cycle was dominated by them yesterday. Seriously, all of my social media feeds were flooded with nothing but DC moves. So, it was a big win for them.
As you probably know, I am mostly a Marvel guy. I’m going to admit that here. But, I’m not huge on shitting on the other side either. I love DC. I grew up watching Keaton’s Batman and Reeve’s Superman. Joker was one of my favorite movies of last year. Birds of Prey is up there for 2020. I’ve read a ton of the comics. I’ve watched a couple of the tv shows. I play the video games. Basically, what I’m trying to say is that you shouldn’t hold my love for Marvel against me with any of my opinions. Just wanted to put that out there for anyone who stumbled upon this.
As a big DC fan, I’m very intrigued by a ton of what they were throwing down here. In fact, this might end up being a fairly lengthy post because I’ve got some thoughts. Some might be in the same vein as everyone else’s. A few are… I don’t know. A tad more controversial. But, I think they’re all worth sharing and discussing. So, be sure to let me know what you think as well, either in the comments below or on my Facebook feed. I love discussing movies and these are the type I tend to have the most fun debating. That being said… let’s get to it.
Wonder Woman 1984
Wonder Woman is probably my favorite thing to come out of the DCEU. I love Gal Gadot’s portrayal of her. I love Patty Jenkins’ directorial style. I really, really loved the first movie. So, of course a sequel is going to have me pumped up. The fact that it’s set in the 80’s is an interesting turn too. I like the aesthetic. And, I really enjoy the looks we’ve had at Pedro Pascal as Maxwell Lord, even if we don’t completely know what his role in all of this is quite yet. I’m into the idea that he gives people what they want and somehow has made his way into the White House. A villain in the White House? Crazy talk. (Sobs.) But, I do have to admit that I’m a tad nervous about Cheetah. That’s going to be such a hard character to pull off. My dad mentioned that she looked like a character from Cats, which I can’t really argue with. Having an actor in the role like Kirsten Wiig, who is primarily known for comedy, won’t help in taking it seriously either. I hope I’m wrong. I’m still very excited for the movie. I want to get back to that world. You will find my butt in the theater the first showing of opening night with a giant grin on my face. I’m just a tad worried that the third act is going to seem laughable.
Gotham Knights
Is this the first time I’ve talked about video games on this blog? I think it is. Don’t worry. I’m still movie focused. But, holy crap, this looks amazing. I love the Bat-Family. I think they’re all really intriguing, kick-ass characters. Getting Batman out of the way and focusing on them for a bit seems like a brilliant move. And, the concept of playing as four different characters in a universe as fleshed out and cinematic as this really excites me. The fact that they allowed the colors to remain bright and popping is a nice change of pace too. It seems like DC is always trying to mute their color pallet to make things more “grounded.” To see mostly comic accurate costumes puts a smile of my face. Speaking of, The COURT OF OWLS ARE THE FREAKING VILLAINS! I remember reading those comics as they came out and reveling in the fact that I was witnessing the creation of the next iconic Batman villains. I’m excited to see them presented to the world of fans outside of the comic book readers. Because they really are super cool and dark and mysterious. The only thing I’m slightly disappointed in is the fact that this game exists outside of the iconic Arkham cannon, but that’s a very minor gripe. I can get over that fairly easily. I’m definitely pumped to give this game a shot. It looks terrific.
The Flash
I don’t really have a ton to say about The Flash, because, honestly, the panel didn’t either. Just wanted to mention that I’ve spent so much time just starring at this piece of concept art. It’s gorgeous. Michael Keaton is back in all of his glory. I will always love his movies. He is THE movie Batman for me. I can’t wait for him to suit up again. I hope it lives up to my hype. Also, it’s very cool that Ben Affleck is coming back. I thought he had a lot of promise in BVS that was thrown away in Justice League. I think he was one of the few movie Batmen who’s wings felted a bit clipped. There’s a lot of unexplored potential there, so I’m happy we may get to see a bit of that. So, my Flash thoughts are mostly Batman thoughts… Shit… I’m glad to see Ezra Miller back too. He’s another one I feel got the short shaft in the DCEU. We knew he was coming back though.
The Suicide Squad
This! This is the movie I’m most excited for in the DC lineup right now! I cannot wait to see Jame Gunn’s Suicide Squad. It looks so cool. We didn’t even get a full trailer and I still came away thrilled. I love that all of the actors described this as something different. A movie unlike any we’ve seen before. I love how stacked the cast is. And, I definitely love that a lot of them are playing D or even F-list characters, because that means Gunn has free reign to kill them off if need be. And that’s what Suicide Squad should be about. These guys are expendable. That’s the whole point. You can’t just have one of them die in the beginning of the movie and then have it be causality free from that point on like the first movie did. This one is going to be mayhem. It’s going to be James Gunn’s edgier work like Super fused with his mainstream Guardians flicks. It’s basically Gunn in his ultimate form. Or, at least, that’s what I’m hoping for and these sneak peaks give me no reason to doubt that. I’m definitely 100% on board here.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League
This, I think, is where the controversy starts. I am openly not a fan of Zack Snyder’s take on the DC characters. I like Man of Steel. I thought it was a good introduction to Superman. But, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice completely squashed my enthusiasm for the Justice League. And, then, Justice League came along and did not fix things. Now, I get it. The JL we saw was not Snyder’s intended vision. It was a mashup between two very different takes on the universe. However, a lot of the moments I did enjoy in that movie felt distinctly Joss Whedon and the ones I didn’t felt a tad Snyder. I’m just not sure I can ever be on board with what he wants to do with these characters. There’s nothing in this trailer that convinces me otherwise either. I think he’s a great visual director, but his “gritty” take rubs me the wrong way. I much prefer the DCEU’s lighter fare like Wonder Woman, Shazam, and Birds of Prey. I’m more than willing to give Snyder another shot though. He’s very passionate about getting this out there. The cast wants it released. And, obviously, the fans are hungry for it. So, there must be something there worth seeing. I’m skeptical, but also happy that its coming out so we can put this whole thing to bed. We can all see what Snyder’s third act could’ve/should’ve/would’ve been and then move on however it’s deemed appropriate. If it rocks everyone’s socks off, we can continue with that vision. If it sucks, it’s another bad take on a bad movie. There’s really no risk here I guess. You know what, I talked myself into it. Let’s do this.
Oh, it’s four hours… well… back to skeptical it is…
Black Adam
I don’t really have a whole lot to say on Black Adam. I’m just excited that they’re bringing in the JSA. My personal theory is that he’s going to kick their asses, like, absolutely destroy them. I haven’t read a lot of Black Adam but I’ve seen that he can get incredibly brutal and just dead serious. So, I’d have him go in there, slaughter the JSA, and then tease a matchup with Shazam. This creates real tension for the crossover because we’ve seen how much they conflict at that point. I think it’d perfectly set the table for Shazam 3. But, that’s just my theory. They could end up turning him into an anti-hero since it’s The Rock. I really hope not though, because I think Black Adam could/should be very scary.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods
Fist of all, it looks like Sinbad is finally going to be in a movie called Shazam, even though I am still convinced that already happened. Second, it looks like the team is back. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I think they were kinda the weaker parts of the first movie. Still, I liked Shazam so I’m definitely looking forward to more.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Remember when I said that I was disappointed that Gotham Knights didn’t take place in the Arkham universe? Well, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League does, which is fantastic news. I loved those games. It’s one of my favorite takes on Batman. In fact, I’m replaying through the first one now. To see the world expand a bit outside of the Batverse is exciting to me. And, everything looks amazing here. The graphics look top notch. The character design is great. The banter between the characters feels fun. The team lineup is neat, though I’m hoping it’s a bit more extensive then what they’re showing us. It feels very cinematic. And, the Justice League is going to there! Can you imagine how scary it’s going to be to play as Harley, with nothing but a bat, going up against Superman? This game is going to be so good! There’s no way I’m going to miss out on it.
The Batman
And, finally, the big splash. The Batman trailer. I definitely have some thoughts here. Let me start off with my more negative ones. This is not the Batman movie I was hoping for. From the cast announcements and the director, I thought we were heading towards a take on Hush. And, more importantly to me, one that felt like the comics. I, honestly, feel like we haven’t had a comic accurate take of the caped crusader on screen yet. We got a couple of Tim Burton movies, some neon fever dreams from Schumacher, gritty crime dramas from Nolan, and Affleck’s Batman never really got to take off. I want something like the Arkham games or Batman: The Animated Series or, you know, the comics. I feel like stepping into a Fincher-esque crime movie is retreading the Nolan-verse to a certain degree. I digress though. There’s no reason to complain about what a movie is not. Let’s take it for what it is. By that standard, I’m very impressed. It looks terrific. The costume is great. Pattinson seems to fit into the part perfectly. I like the brutality of the one action scene we got. The Riddler seems dark and mysterious and very cool. I like the more grounded takes on the Batmobile and the Batcave. The directing seems to be topnotch. It all looks very cool. It’s almost like they’re taking the Nolan stuff even a step further, which I can actually appreciate. So, I’ve kinda got mixed feelings. It’s not the movie I wanted (but maybe the movie I needed right now? Sorry. Bad joke.) I’m still excited for it. I’m definitely going to go see it. The fact that they were able to put together this good of a trailer this early into production is a great sign. I’m just not nerdgasming in the same manner a lot of other Batfans are. Not yet at least.
And those are my thoughts on DC Fandome. There were a couple of other panels, but nothing that really caught my interest the way these did. Overall, a very good day for DC. I’m super excited about what the future holds for them. Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman are the two I’m most into right now. The rest, at the very least, look interesting. It’s going to be a good couple of years.
So, what did you think of DC Fandome? What are you excited for? Am I completely wrong about the Snyder cut? I’m sure you’ll let me know. Like I said, I thought it was a pretty good event. I’m pumped about a lot of DC stuff right now. And that’s all I could really ask for.
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