With ‘Justice League,’ DC Needs To Decide What It Wants To Be

There’s a lot riding on Justice League. Sure, there’s a lot riding on any major tentpole movie, like Thor: Ragnarok or Star Wars: The Last Jedi. But Warner Bros.’ has had a rockier go of it with their slate of DC Comics superhero films than Disney has had with either the Marvel or Star Wars series. While those latter franchises release hit after hit, having figured out the intricate algorithm designed to make back their big budgets while also pleasing audiences and critics alike, the DC films have stumbled a bit.

They’ve made money, to be sure, with all four entries (2013’s Man of Steel, 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad, and this summer’s Wonder Woman) blowing past $275M domestically. But critics and audiences haven’t been as kind to them as the Marvel movies. Just look at the Rotten Tomatoes critics and audience scores for the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe. Marvel’s 17 films average an 83% critics score and almost an 84% audience score. DC’s four films average a 50% with the critics and a 72% with audiences (those numbers drop to 36% and 66%, respectively, if you leave out Wonder Woman, BTW).

I bring up the audience scores because this is what DCEU devotees–and lord knows they are a vocal bunch–tend to overlook when accusing critics of taking bribes from Marvel to trash DC movies. Yes, somehow that is a thing that happens! While audiences don’t respond as negatively to Henry Cavill’s broody Superman or Jared Leto’s tatted out Joker as critics, they also didn’t like these movies as much as the Marvel’s. And it’s not as if Marvel’s average is improved by having made four times as many movies. Hell, Marvel’s scores jump even higher if you just look at the four most recent of their films (Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok): critics average is 89% and audience average is 88%.

There’s a group of fans that love the DC movies, obviously, as they’ve made over a billion dollars domestically. But DC’s quality control problem has been talked about on repeat for the last few years, as Warner Bros. execs have admitted there’s a problem. That problem, at least for three of the four DC movies to date, has been tone–and that tone is bluish-gray.

The first three DC movies were grim and gritty affairs, with scowling heroes (or in the case of Suicide Squad, grimacing maniacs) doling out lethal justice while cloaked in a muted haze. Not only were the movies dark (Superman kills, Batman kills, the Suicide Squad obviously kills), they were literally dark, with all the action occurring seemingly in the winter months at 4:45 p.m. sharp. The only real moments of levity came at the expense of the films themselves, like when we all watched Wonder Woman read an email from Batman and watch YouTube videos.

There’s a time and place for this dark tone, obviously; it’s hard to imagine a movie titled Suicide Squad being an upbeat joyride. The MCU has their own adult-oriented entries too, like the two most recent Captain America films. But DC didn’t shift that intense tone an inch when changing leads from Superman to Batman. Superheroes in the DC comics are awe-inspiring, inspirational, and aspirational, possibly even more so than Marvel’s, but the films chain these icons to Earth through dreary “realism.”

All that changed with Wonder Woman. Okay, not a lot changed from the looks of the film, as WW still employs the same blue-gray monotone we keep seeing over and over again from these movies. But for once, DC and Warner Bros. made a film that felt–cinematography aside–totally unique to its title hero. Wonder Woman, just like its namesake, was a goodwill ambassador to all those that lost their faith in the franchise. It offered hope, humor, and heart, three things missing from all that came before. What the film lacked in a compelling villain or original third act, it more than made up for in terms of, well, heroism. Wonder Woman was a heroic movie, starring a resilient champion, teaching a real lesson about compassion. It felt good to watch Wonder Woman, and in 2017, feeling good is a rare and wonderful thing.

And that’s where we find Justice League, the first film after Wonder Woman and, therefore, the film that determines where this franchise is headed. Warner Bros. obviously noted Wonder Woman’s success with critics (92%), moviegoers (89%), and with people wanting to give it money ($412M domestic). It not only outgrossed every other DC movie, it also outgrossed domestically every Marvel movie other than the two Avengers films. That’s why the trailers and posters for Justice League have put Wonder Woman front and center over Batman, a well-deserved promotion for the character after 76 years. The film’s gonna feature more Amazons, too, albeit in eye-rollingly sexy armor. But Wonder Woman succeeded because it was allowed to be its own thing within the larger DC tapestry. And the Marvel movies have stayed fresh well past their presumed expiration date because they keep changing things up; even their more comedic outings like Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man and Thor: Ragnarok utilize different styles of comedy. The DC movies need more variety and they need to take more risks.

Justice League is a bit up in the air. The trailers have leaned towards bombast (in the form of Jason Momoa’s Aquaman) and humor (courtesy of Ezra Miller’s Flash), two areas previous DC movies haven’t really ventured into. Then again, the film comes from MoS and BvS helmer Zack Snyder. But then again then again, rewrites and reshoots were overseen by Avengers quipmaster Joss Whedon. Justice League could go either way, but whichever way it goes may very well be the way the DCEU goes. Will these films keep delivering the same self-serious melodramas? Or can they keep surprising us like Wonder Woman?

Where to watch Wonder Woman