DC Movies 2017
DC comics only put out two movies this year but I liked both of them. Wonder Woman was amazing and Justice League was very good despite a lot of critics disliking it. Some people are just too picky. Spoilers ahead.
Wonder Woman was a great movie and not just because it featured a female superhero and was very empowering for young girls. It was also a well-done origin story for Diana and it was a great blend of humor, action, and heart.
My only quibble with it was that I just can’t buy David Thewlis as Ares. He made sense as the disguised version of Ares because he looks like a quiet, timid person so no one would suspect him of being the Greek god of War. But once he was revealed, I was expecting him to turn into some large warrior type. It was odd seeing his skinny, mustached self in the flashbacks facing off against Zeus. I suppose it could be argued that as a magical being, it was his power and not his appearance that mattered but it still felt odd.
Gal Gadot, on the other hand was perfect as Princess Diana. She was a strong warrior who looked believable in every fight but she also had compassion, wisdom, and determination. It was amusing seeing her reactions to London society whether cooing over babies or challenging sexist, stuffy old men. The scene where she tries on dresses and tries to see how well she can fight in them to the shock of older ladies, was very funny.
I loved the scene where she left the trench and strode across the torn battlefield, knocking bullets aside, and going to save the townspeople because she couldn’t bear the thought of their suffering. Also, the fight with the Nazis in the tower was awesome as was her dance in the snow with Steve.
Chris Pine was good as Steve Trevor although I had a feeling he was going to die even early on. He seemed too bent on his mission so I figured he would have to sacrifice himself to achieve his goals. His reaction to being on a magic island filled with immortal warrior women seemed a bit subdued. I liked that he tried to resist the lasso of Truth while being interrogated.
I really liked all the scenes of the Amazons training on Themiscyra. I liked Lucy Davis as Etta, especially when she was trying to carry the sword and shield, but she wasn’t in it that much. I liked Robin Wright as Antiope and her death was very sad. I liked Steve’s little ragtag group of helpers.
The film as a whole was just so well-done with a great blend of humor, action, and even sadness. And to think, DC executives once said they weren’t going to do a Wonder Woman movie because people weren’t interested in female superheroes. This movie proves that they’re interested but that you have to have a good plot, good actors, and a good director to keep it all on track. Hopefully, any future sequels will be as good if not better.
Justice League was definitely an improvement over the two mediocre Superman movies that preceded it. This was Superman as he should be, a symbol of hope and someone who fights to make the world a better place. The world without him is falling apart as the opening montage shows. Even Bruce acknowledges that the world needs Superman.
Steppenwolf was a credible threat but he also feels like Darkseid “lite.” He’s just there as Darkseid’s minion to conquer Earth and transform it into a new Apokolips. However, he did feel like a credible threat as he carved his way through the Amazons like they were nothing. The parademons were creepy, especially at the end when they all attacked Steppenwolf because he smelled like fear, and they appeared to be eating him alive.
I feel like each of the superheroes were given a reason to be there and they weren’t just shoehorned in. Of course, the trinity tend to be the most interesting and they command the most attention but the other three all had some good moments.
Aquaman was pretty badass. He reminded me of the angry, bearded version from the original Justice League animated series. Jason Mamoa looked like he was having a lot of fun swaggering around and being a pain in everyone’s ass. The underwater fight scene with Mera and the other Atlantians fighting Steppenwolf was very well done. I liked her angry scene with Arthur who arrives too late to help them.
I also liked how he kept needling Bruce/Batman. Although, when Bruce went to the remote village to recruit him, it seemed as though he outed himself as Batman to the villagers who were within earshot when he told Arthur who he was. Way to protect your secret identity there.
Cyborg was integral to the plot because the technology keeping him alive was created from the motherbox technology. I like the way he was hiding out and didn’t want anyone to see him. He definitely wasn’t the more cheerful version from the comics. I was amused that they cast Joe Merton as his father considering he was also the scientist who created the Skynet program in the Terminator movies.
Flash was something of a disappointment. I know he doesn’t have to be exactly the same as in the comics but this version of Barry came off as an odd, awkward, loser who was homeless and didn’t even know how to fight. He certainly wasn’t the competent scientist that he was in the comics. His powers were useful but he was more of the bumbling comic relief than I would have liked.
I knew they were going to bring Superman back somehow but I didn’t expect it to be with the Kryptonian version of a Lazarus Pit. It was a little scary when he came back pissed off but if he really wanted to kill Batman, he would have. I like the part where Flash races towards him at superspeed and Supes turns his head and looks right at him, freaking out Barry. I love that it was Lois who brought him back to his senses.
I liked the fight scenes and the special effects. There were a lot of humorous moments and the interactions between the characters was well done especially with Bruce’s loner nature clashing with his need for the team. I liked Alfred’s line about missing the days when all they had to worry about was exploding penguins.
This movie was definitely an improvement and I hope DC continues to put better movies out. It irritates me when I see people online gloating over a comic book movie not doing well. Any true comic book fan should realize that when superhero movies do well, it helps the comic book industry as a whole and boosts the chances of new readers trying comic books. Then again, I never understood the whole DC vs Marvel thing anyway. They’re both great companies in their own way. We should just be glad they keep making good comics and movies for our enjoyment and leave it at that.
Wonder Woman was a great movie and not just because it featured a female superhero and was very empowering for young girls. It was also a well-done origin story for Diana and it was a great blend of humor, action, and heart.
My only quibble with it was that I just can’t buy David Thewlis as Ares. He made sense as the disguised version of Ares because he looks like a quiet, timid person so no one would suspect him of being the Greek god of War. But once he was revealed, I was expecting him to turn into some large warrior type. It was odd seeing his skinny, mustached self in the flashbacks facing off against Zeus. I suppose it could be argued that as a magical being, it was his power and not his appearance that mattered but it still felt odd.
Gal Gadot, on the other hand was perfect as Princess Diana. She was a strong warrior who looked believable in every fight but she also had compassion, wisdom, and determination. It was amusing seeing her reactions to London society whether cooing over babies or challenging sexist, stuffy old men. The scene where she tries on dresses and tries to see how well she can fight in them to the shock of older ladies, was very funny.
I loved the scene where she left the trench and strode across the torn battlefield, knocking bullets aside, and going to save the townspeople because she couldn’t bear the thought of their suffering. Also, the fight with the Nazis in the tower was awesome as was her dance in the snow with Steve.
Chris Pine was good as Steve Trevor although I had a feeling he was going to die even early on. He seemed too bent on his mission so I figured he would have to sacrifice himself to achieve his goals. His reaction to being on a magic island filled with immortal warrior women seemed a bit subdued. I liked that he tried to resist the lasso of Truth while being interrogated.
I really liked all the scenes of the Amazons training on Themiscyra. I liked Lucy Davis as Etta, especially when she was trying to carry the sword and shield, but she wasn’t in it that much. I liked Robin Wright as Antiope and her death was very sad. I liked Steve’s little ragtag group of helpers.
The film as a whole was just so well-done with a great blend of humor, action, and even sadness. And to think, DC executives once said they weren’t going to do a Wonder Woman movie because people weren’t interested in female superheroes. This movie proves that they’re interested but that you have to have a good plot, good actors, and a good director to keep it all on track. Hopefully, any future sequels will be as good if not better.
Justice League was definitely an improvement over the two mediocre Superman movies that preceded it. This was Superman as he should be, a symbol of hope and someone who fights to make the world a better place. The world without him is falling apart as the opening montage shows. Even Bruce acknowledges that the world needs Superman.
Steppenwolf was a credible threat but he also feels like Darkseid “lite.” He’s just there as Darkseid’s minion to conquer Earth and transform it into a new Apokolips. However, he did feel like a credible threat as he carved his way through the Amazons like they were nothing. The parademons were creepy, especially at the end when they all attacked Steppenwolf because he smelled like fear, and they appeared to be eating him alive.
I feel like each of the superheroes were given a reason to be there and they weren’t just shoehorned in. Of course, the trinity tend to be the most interesting and they command the most attention but the other three all had some good moments.
Aquaman was pretty badass. He reminded me of the angry, bearded version from the original Justice League animated series. Jason Mamoa looked like he was having a lot of fun swaggering around and being a pain in everyone’s ass. The underwater fight scene with Mera and the other Atlantians fighting Steppenwolf was very well done. I liked her angry scene with Arthur who arrives too late to help them.
I also liked how he kept needling Bruce/Batman. Although, when Bruce went to the remote village to recruit him, it seemed as though he outed himself as Batman to the villagers who were within earshot when he told Arthur who he was. Way to protect your secret identity there.
Cyborg was integral to the plot because the technology keeping him alive was created from the motherbox technology. I like the way he was hiding out and didn’t want anyone to see him. He definitely wasn’t the more cheerful version from the comics. I was amused that they cast Joe Merton as his father considering he was also the scientist who created the Skynet program in the Terminator movies.
Flash was something of a disappointment. I know he doesn’t have to be exactly the same as in the comics but this version of Barry came off as an odd, awkward, loser who was homeless and didn’t even know how to fight. He certainly wasn’t the competent scientist that he was in the comics. His powers were useful but he was more of the bumbling comic relief than I would have liked.
I knew they were going to bring Superman back somehow but I didn’t expect it to be with the Kryptonian version of a Lazarus Pit. It was a little scary when he came back pissed off but if he really wanted to kill Batman, he would have. I like the part where Flash races towards him at superspeed and Supes turns his head and looks right at him, freaking out Barry. I love that it was Lois who brought him back to his senses.
I liked the fight scenes and the special effects. There were a lot of humorous moments and the interactions between the characters was well done especially with Bruce’s loner nature clashing with his need for the team. I liked Alfred’s line about missing the days when all they had to worry about was exploding penguins.
This movie was definitely an improvement and I hope DC continues to put better movies out. It irritates me when I see people online gloating over a comic book movie not doing well. Any true comic book fan should realize that when superhero movies do well, it helps the comic book industry as a whole and boosts the chances of new readers trying comic books. Then again, I never understood the whole DC vs Marvel thing anyway. They’re both great companies in their own way. We should just be glad they keep making good comics and movies for our enjoyment and leave it at that.