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| I've saved myself over $100 |
It’s finally happened. I am done paying the
$12 movie experience cost to see a DC film. It’s been one disappointing
film after another. Being generous we’ll say the last decent DC film was
The Dark Knight Rises. That was followed by a very solemn Man of Steel
(2013) which kicked off the DC Cinematic Universe. While Man of Steel was
not the film I hoped it would be it had the potential for sparking a fun film
franchise.
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| The first image that came up when I Googled "fun film franchise" |
Man of Steel was a disappointingly dark film but
it ended with a twinge of expectation. Superman resolved to be a beacon
of hope for the world and protect humanity. It paved the way for a sequel
that wouldn’t be so bleak. Then comes Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
(2016), a film even darker than its predecessor despite the critic and fan
outcry of its predecessor. How could DC drop the ball so badly?
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| We're sure The New 52 was a catalyst |
The quick answer is director Zach Snyder, the
Michael Bay of comic book movies, minus all the sexist and racist jokes,
actually minus humor of any kind. Based on viewing his recent films one
might gather his parents killed his puppy in front of him as a child. He
doesn’t believe in hope, just hints of hope fueled by pessimism. Can we
really blame Snyder for all of this?
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| How could he have fooled us for so long? How? |
The real culprit is Warner Brothers Studios/DC
Comics’ failure to understand what audiences loved about The Dark Knight
trilogy. Prior to Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins (2005) we were given
Joel Shumacher’s Batman & Robin (1997); a campy take on Batman with some
fun special effects, flamboyant set designs, Bat-Nipples, and awful
dialogue. It was a giant leap from the gothic origins of Tim Burton’s
Batman (1989). Burton’s film receives mostly positive accolades despite
its lack of an easily understandable plot and over acting from Jack Nicholson
as the Joker. Burton’s film focused on gadgets and an unbelievable film
score by Danny Elfman. After the dissolution of the Batman Quadrilogy
Warner Brothers rebooted the franchise with Christopher Nolan leading the
charge. Nolan went back to the dark grittiness of Burton’s film
without any of the classic Nicholson overacting. Nolan’s Dark Knight
films were a massive success with a combined box office intake well over $118
billion.
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| We can't tell if he's a nerd because of the accent but he definitely understands how to treat us right. |
During the Nolan trilogy period Bryan Singer
restarted Richard Donner’s 1970s Superman. Superman Returns (2006)
“underperformed” at the box office, grossing $391 million and fell flat with
critics causing WB/DC to pull the plug on the new franchise and Brandon Routh’s
career. The think tanks at WB/DC deduced from the “failure” of Superman
Returns that audiences wanted dark and gritty. What they failed to
understand was Nolan did not create dark and gritty. He focused on
character development and plot. They also missed the whole premise of Nolan’s
Batman. That despite all the corruption and evil that surrounds the
world, people are inherently good and evil can be overcome. So for as
pessimistic as Batman appears the underlying tone of the Nolan trilogy is
optimism. It’s a story about a man who overcomes a childhood trauma takes
control of his life and devotes everything he has into inspiring others to do
the same.
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| He needs some bat-nipples on his costumes. |
So when we get to the Superman reboot it’s all
doom and gloom. We were willing to give Snyder some latitude because he
was developing a film universe but the follow-up Batman v Superman squashed any
chance of inspiring tales of hope. As you sit through the film, it’s a
world questioning the actions of a man who flies around helping people.
This is a far cry from the comic book allegory about a refuge immigrant who is
adopted by the country he flees to after a mass genocide and goes on to become
loved and revered as their greatest citizen. Perhaps the film reflects
too closely on today’s America and defeats the purpose of a film being created
for escapism or life inspirational life lessons.
Batman and Superman spend their entire time
hating one another because the title of the film tells them too. The film
tries to explain why and build up to some awesome action sequences but falls
short. Superman who’s supposed to be the beacon of light in the DC comic
world is too depressing of a character to get behind in this film
version. Batman is written well and is the mysterious brooding loner as
portrayed quite well by Ben Affleck. Wonder Woman receives much of the
praise in the film because she’s the only one with any energy. She comes
in throws out quick one-liners and moves the damn plot along without all the
Emo Freak complaining of her co-stars. When your entire film is two tough
guys sulking in a corner than you’re going to love the girl with spunk telling
everyone what needs to be done.
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| Unless you're Ed Asner you love Wonder Woman. |
That’s the real bulk of the issue with the DC
Cinematic Universe. It’s too damn cynical! The writing is weak and the
stories are a bummer. A character like Batman gets away with being a
downer because that’s basically been his character throughout his fictional
history. A character like Superman or Wonder Woman need to be more upbeat
like their comic counterparts. I’m not saying throw personal/moral dilemmas
out the window, I’m saying they should face these dilemmas and come out of them
with a better and more positive persona much like Nolan’s Dark Knight
Trilogy. That’s what audiences want from a comic book film.
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| That and for this guy to make a damn decision already. |
Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
