Justice League is out at the end of this week! Here’s what I’ve learned from obsessively reading every single article, interview and social media reaction about it so far.
About the movie itself
The movie will have a lighter tone…
Everything that we’ve seen and heard so far about Justice League — from the clips, to the social media reactions, to interviews from the cast themselves — points to this movie being much lighter and more fun than Snyder’s previous two entries into the DCEU.
While this was always Snyder’s intent — even prior to the reaction to Batman vs. Superman — it’s safe to say that WB also felt a bit of course correction was necessary to appeal more to general audiences.
That leaves us with a movie in which we’ll get to see Batman’s trademark dry humor (probably learned from ultimate sassmaster himself, Alfred Pennyworth), Ezra Miller’s youthful, enthusiastic Flash deliver what many critics describe as a breakout performance, and Aquaman apparently just going around and giving Batman tons of shit.
…But don’t expect it to be a quip-filled comedy
However, the lighter tone doesn’t necessarily translate to a light movie. Justice League is the finale of Zack Snyder’s planned trilogy, a story of redemption and optimism that flows out of the darkness and heaviness of Batman vs. Superman. The lightness, however, doesn’t come at the cost of the levity inherent to the story.
Henry Cavill, who was nice enough to join the Justice League cast in promoting a film we all have to pretend he isn’t in, described the movie as “a serious scenario with moments of humor and lightness peppered throughout,” and said that he hopes audiences walk away “having enjoyed it and had fun, but more importantly to have it inspire, and to walk away with a sense of hope.”
You and me both, Henry.
It combines Zack Snyder’s visual style and storytelling with Joss Whedon’s flair for character dynamics
After Zack Snyder stepped down following the tragic loss of his daughter and Joss Whedon was brought on to finish up re-shoots for the movie, there was a lot of discussion as to what this would mean for the film. Would the movie turn into a breezy quip-fest? Would it be a disaster in terms of conflicting tonal shifts?
Turns out it meant exactly what WB has been telling us all along: that this is essentially Snyder’s film with some connective tissue provided by Joss Whedon — what Ben Affleck described as “sprinkling some his of fairy dust” to finish the movie.
There are two end credits scenes
WB has done a good job keeping critics mum on even vaguely hinting at the content of these two scenes, but they do all agree one thing: it is imperative that you remain seated all the way through the end credits.
However, if you’re really curious, I will say that if you look around the internet hard enough (which of course I did), you can get a pretty good idea of what these two scenes are going to be. If these leaks are accurate, then both DC die-hard fans and casual viewers alike are in for a real treat!
About the characters
Superman will be ‘full of hope and joy’
WB has done a fantastic job in not spoiling any plot details about Superman’s inevitable return, even going so far as to not really include him in any of the marketing despite all of us knowing that he is definitely going to be in the movie.
Luckily, Henry Cavill has been included in all the press junkets so far and has given us a hint as to what we should expect from Superman, saying that Justice League is “the first time we see the true Superman. The Superman who is confident, and sure, and full of hope and joy.”
Aquaman may not be the most likable at first
The next big DCEU film on the WB docket is Aquaman, which is set to release next winter.
As such, it makes sense to give fans just enough of Aquaman to get them interested in watching an entire two hour film about a guy who talks to fish (and other badass things, I know, I’m not down on Aquaman!). So far, all the trailers and clips point to Aquaman as being pretty reluctant initially to join the Justice League but being pretty badass once he commits.
However, Momoa warns fans that “it may be tough for a lot of fans to watch what they’re going to see,” and that “he doesn’t believe in himself, he doesn’t know what to do with the powers he has.”
Rest assured, though, Aquaman fans! While we’ll need to wait until the solo movie to get into the meat of Aquaman’s journey, Momoa promises that it’s a huge growth for Aquaman and “a gigantic arc for Arthur Curry.”
Barry Allen isn’t technically The Flash yet
The Flash we meet in Justice League is easily the most inexperienced member of the team, readily admitting to Batman in a recent clip that he’s never done battle — he’s just pushed some people and run away.
A recent interview with Ezra Miller highlights just how new in his superhero journey Barry Allen actually is, with Miller explaining that “Barry is just Barry at that point” and going on to discuss a cut scene where he spends a lengthy amount of time trying to figure out what he should call himself.
Cyborg is the emotional center of the movie
Ray Fisher’s Cyborg has been described by Zack Snyder as being the emotional center or heart of the movie. He’s a character that Ray Fisher describes as being in “complete isolation as he attempts to deal with everything he’s lost: his body, his mother, and the life he once knew.”
While Cyborg is one of the lesser known heroes — at least to general audiences — as compared to the other members of the Justice League, when speaking about the character, Ezra Miller confidently stated that he believes there’ll be a huge demand for a Cyborg film after watching this movie because of the “emotional gravity” of his story and “the level of artistry that [Ray Fisher] brings to the role.”
Batman is more hopeful, less of a loner
The official synopsis for Justice League literally describes Bruce Wayne as being “fueled by his resorted faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s sacrifice,” so it’s no surprise that the Batman we see in Justice League is much more hopeful and motivated than the version we last saw in Batman vs. Superman.
Just as Cavill describes the Superman in the film as “the true Superman,” Ben Affleck likewise described the Batman as taking on “a more traditional role for Batman.”
This means we get see Batman as a tactician and a detective, Batman with a dry wit and always slightly exasperated, Batman as a member of a team.
“It was fun to get to show some other colors,” Affleck said in a recent interview. As a longtime Batman fan, I cannot wait to see them play out on the big screen.
Wonder Woman kicks ass because of course she does
Did you honestly expect to hear anything different?
Gal describes the Wonder Woman we meet in the film as being “more experienced and…with a greater sense of responsibility than before,” which makes sense given that she’s spent the last 100 years covertly fighting injustice in man’s world.
However, she is still the same compassionate, loving hero we met in her breakout film this last summer, someone who “makes each and every [team member], even if it’s in small moments, feel stronger and loved and capable.”
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