Blog
# Superhero Movies
7/17/2021
So the hashtag Snyder Cut of Justice League was released a while ago on HBO Max. I know that for a website that shows such borderline cultish fascination with DC Comics, it’s probably a little strange that I didn’t talk about this weird juggernaut of fandom, but I actually do have a reason why; I’m honestly just not that big a fan of comic book movies.
Don’t get me wrong, I *LIKE* comic book movies. They’re fun. They were especially fun when they were still a new thing. I can still feel the crevasse in my skull from when the post-credit reveal of Sam Jackson as Nick Fury at the end of the first Iron Man movie literally broke my brain, and I have a distinct memory of being so amped during my opening-night screening of Avengers that I, this is true, broke the seat in front of me.
Don’t get me wrong, I *LIKE* comic book movies. They’re fun. They were especially fun when they were still a new thing. I can still feel the crevasse in my skull from when the post-credit reveal of Sam Jackson as Nick Fury at the end of the first Iron Man movie literally broke my brain, and I have a distinct memory of being so amped during my opening-night screening of Avengers that I, this is true, broke the seat in front of me.
But something changed between then and now. At the time, comic book movies were talking directly to me, the comic book nerd. My love of these characters was being celebrated whole cloth. Nowadays, the lauded MCU is so much it’s own thing that it’s connection to the original comics is almost vestigial. I enjoy it, but I no longer feel like it’s talking directly to me, the comic fan. It’s talking to MCU fans. It’s actually reached a point where I’ll be talking to someone about comics and I almost cringe when they start talking about the movies, because that means we aren’t really talking about comics anymore, and that’s what I’m really interested in.
But I’ve digressed a little bit, because we weren’t talking about the MCU; we were talking about DC in the movies. Once upon a time I was very comfortable almost completely ignoring DC’s movie offerings because they just never seemed capable of finding the right characterization from the comics. Sure, Chris Nolan made a couple good movies with Batman in the title, but the character of Batman as I understood him was nowhere to be seen in them. In the internet debate about Zach Snyder’s use of ridiculously gloomy violence, I was firmly in the “This Isn’t Superman” camp. I actually don’t remember ever being angrier in a movie theater than I was when watching Batman V Superman and it’s abject failure to produce a character I recognized. When this happened:
But I’ve digressed a little bit, because we weren’t talking about the MCU; we were talking about DC in the movies. Once upon a time I was very comfortable almost completely ignoring DC’s movie offerings because they just never seemed capable of finding the right characterization from the comics. Sure, Chris Nolan made a couple good movies with Batman in the title, but the character of Batman as I understood him was nowhere to be seen in them. In the internet debate about Zach Snyder’s use of ridiculously gloomy violence, I was firmly in the “This Isn’t Superman” camp. I actually don’t remember ever being angrier in a movie theater than I was when watching Batman V Superman and it’s abject failure to produce a character I recognized. When this happened:
I can honestly say that, in that moment, I suddenly understood how a person could feel compelled to commit arson.
Bear in mind, this isn’t the first time a movie made me furious. Back in 1997, 18-year-old me honestly believed that Joel Schumacher’s infamously campy Batman & Robin was practically unforgivable. Yes, the movie is silly and lots of people were mad about it, but I was also at that age where I took myself incredibly seriously, and really believed that making a movie that didn't sync with my personal take on the character amounted to a deliberate, personal attack against me.
I'm sure you recognize that mindset; it makes up about 60% of the internet.
With age and whatever passes for maturity, I've managed to realize that these are movies, and they're meant to be fun. If you're not having fun? Well, then the movie isn't for you. No harm. There are plenty of movies out there that ARE for you.
In any case… this is a very long-winded way of saying that I don't generally feel compelled to absorb every new comic movie. Justice League as it was originally released passed largely unnoticed for me. I watched it, it was bad, it roundly failed to produce anything resembling the characters as I enjoyed them, and life went on.
But then something very interesting happened. Without explanation, DC started some sort of movie home run derby with itself. Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Shazam, Birds of Prey… out of nowhere, DC movies suddenly became unwaveringly fantastic. Were they exactly the characters as I imagined them? No, (My personal headcanon is so wildly esoteric from working on this project, it would be impossible, and probably a bad idea, for any movie to fully emulate it.) but the movie versions of all these characters clicked, and the movies themselves were genuinely loveable. Marvel might be off printing money with their wild ongoing experiment in longform storytelling that no one seems to be able to duplicate, but as far as actual movie-making is concerned I'd argue that DC has a substantial lead. This finally feels like the same studio that made Christopher Reeves Superman and Michael Keaton's Batman.
Bear in mind, this isn’t the first time a movie made me furious. Back in 1997, 18-year-old me honestly believed that Joel Schumacher’s infamously campy Batman & Robin was practically unforgivable. Yes, the movie is silly and lots of people were mad about it, but I was also at that age where I took myself incredibly seriously, and really believed that making a movie that didn't sync with my personal take on the character amounted to a deliberate, personal attack against me.
I'm sure you recognize that mindset; it makes up about 60% of the internet.
With age and whatever passes for maturity, I've managed to realize that these are movies, and they're meant to be fun. If you're not having fun? Well, then the movie isn't for you. No harm. There are plenty of movies out there that ARE for you.
In any case… this is a very long-winded way of saying that I don't generally feel compelled to absorb every new comic movie. Justice League as it was originally released passed largely unnoticed for me. I watched it, it was bad, it roundly failed to produce anything resembling the characters as I enjoyed them, and life went on.
But then something very interesting happened. Without explanation, DC started some sort of movie home run derby with itself. Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Shazam, Birds of Prey… out of nowhere, DC movies suddenly became unwaveringly fantastic. Were they exactly the characters as I imagined them? No, (My personal headcanon is so wildly esoteric from working on this project, it would be impossible, and probably a bad idea, for any movie to fully emulate it.) but the movie versions of all these characters clicked, and the movies themselves were genuinely loveable. Marvel might be off printing money with their wild ongoing experiment in longform storytelling that no one seems to be able to duplicate, but as far as actual movie-making is concerned I'd argue that DC has a substantial lead. This finally feels like the same studio that made Christopher Reeves Superman and Michael Keaton's Batman.
So if there's any compliment to be paid to Zach Snyder's Justice League it's this; the movie finally feels like it belongs here. The characters and world-building all feel natural, like the logic of their existence finally feels like something we, the audience, can follow. Almost none of the movie seems pointedly stupid or out of place. It's big and epic and manic and probably even a little dumb, but it WORKS. I can sit and watch this thing and not feel insulted. At this point, that's actually a pretty big compliment.
It is way way WAY too long, though. I understand that the only reason movie studios try to limit movie length is to cycle butts through theater seats, so with the movie only being released through streaming services Zach could just make it however long he wanted? But come on… this is too long for most domestic flights. That's insane.
So those are my thoughts on Zach Snyder's Justice League… and you can probably see why I don't usually do these. I just have a lot more to say about comics than I do about the movies based on them.
It is way way WAY too long, though. I understand that the only reason movie studios try to limit movie length is to cycle butts through theater seats, so with the movie only being released through streaming services Zach could just make it however long he wanted? But come on… this is too long for most domestic flights. That's insane.
So those are my thoughts on Zach Snyder's Justice League… and you can probably see why I don't usually do these. I just have a lot more to say about comics than I do about the movies based on them.
Just as a fun post-script, since we've brought up the Joel Schumacher Batman movies? They're nowhere near as bad as teenage me thought. Compared to the dourness of Dawn of Justice, they're actually pretty entertaining, and also include the most comic-accurate Dick Grayson we've ever gotten. If you have the inclination, you might think about giving them another try.