1. The Movie’s tone (right)
One of the biggest criticisms that plague the Worlds of DC (commonly referred to as the DCEU) is the tone, and the main point is that the movies are said to be too dark. Starting with Man of Steel, back in 2013, it was clear that the live action DC shared universe was going to be less lighthearted and colourful when compared to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Batman v Superman went even further down the dark path (pun intended) and cemented the DC universe as ‘dark’ in the eyes of viewers everywhere, even after it was stated that it would eventually be lighthearted with the upcoming movies. That promise came true when we saw Zack Snyder’s Justice League (commonly referred to as the Snydercut). We saw what Zack Snyder really wanted for the movie, and he had full creative control over the project, and it was declared to be non-canon to the current universe, leaving Joss Whedon’s version of the movie as the definitive one. The movie was surprisingly lighthearted, seeing as Zack Snyder’s best work is often dark. That being said, it is refreshing to see that the promise to make things a bit more lighthearted in the future was going to be upheld by the filmmaker.
2. The Different Soundtracks (right)
One thing the DC Universe is known for is the soundtracks that it chooses. The soundtracks are amazing and get people invested in the scenes, and this is especially true with Zack Snyder’s movies. The soundtracks in his DC entries are breathtaking and immersive, with the top of the list being Wonder Woman’s track from Batman v Superman. There was also the promise that every character would have their own soundtrack, and the promise was delivered. This helped the characters stand out on their own and give them all more of their individual personalities. Wonder Woman’s soundtrack was one that showed a warrior’s grace and might. Batman’s soundtrack was less terrifying and larger than life than his previous appearance’s, and took on a lighter, more hopeful tone that was matched by the movie’s tone. Cyborg’s soundtrack was one that had intrigue and a bit of desolation, showcasing the character’s interest in his powers and how miserable he was. Aquaman had music that showed adventure and just his general badassery. Flash had his music show intrigue and curiosity. It was the strangest one of them all, and we see that he is also the most awkward one of them all, so it is fitting as well.
3. Character Introductions (right)
With four hours, one would safely bet that the characters were fleshed out well. But, no amount of fleshing could possibly be good enough to satisfy people if the characters aren’t introduced well enough, and this movie delivers on introductions. Everyone had a memorable introduction which would factor into their development throughout the adventure. Aquaman was probably the most surprising one of them all. He was introduced in such an honored way that it’s weird to imagine that the fanbase thought of him as a useless joke for decades. Even though the character was treated with seriousness, fans still mocked him and addressed him as a joke. This movie changed all those notions and he is now taken seriously. The most interesting one after Aquaman was Barry Allen’s. His story was very fascinating and showed that he had a lot to offer as a character.
4. The Villain’s Development (right)
Something DC movies never fail to deliver with is their villains. They have the most interesting and well-developed villains in comic book movie history, with the undisputed crown going to Heath Ledger’s Joker, who is still looked up to 13 years later and after two adaptations which proceeded his. This movie did wonders when it came to Steppenwolf; a relatively unknown villain amongst the movie fanbase. Comic fans knew him, but it is safe to say that the character only became interesting to the comic fanbase once he was announced as the villain for this movie. He was also handled far better in this version than he was in the Joss Whedon version, who only seemed to be obsessed with the motherboxes because he saw them as his mother…or something. We never really understood his fascination with them either. This version of the movie gave him a personality, a goal and something more to say other than the fact that the heroes don’t understand The Unity’s power and are too weak to see anything through. In this movie, he was so well-developed that it was a bit sad when he died, because we all knew that he just wanted to go home.
5. The Runtime (right)
One might look at a movie’s runtime, and sigh with exhaustion upon seeing that it’s more than two hours long. This movie was 4 hours long, and with good reason. Say what you want about it, but this runtime was completely justified. A movie that intends to introduce 15 big characters with extensive comicbook history and complex personalities cannot do that properly in 2 hours. One might argue that it could…but then that would mean cutting down on a lot of things that would have been fun…or necessary to include about the characters. The runtime also allowed for everything to be made clear to the audience. Even those who are not familiar with the comics would be able to understand this one…unlike Batman v Superman.
6. The Runtime (wrong)
Okay, hear us out. The runtime had its upside and its downside. This is the downside. The downside is obvious. It is very long. It is difficult to imagine oneself having to watch a movie for 4 hours. There are just so many things one would imagine missing out on during those 4 hours. That wasn’t the only problem either. The other problem was that it messed with the movie’s pacing a lot. The second act of the movie felt very slow and boring at times. It seemed to go on forever. Some may argue that it is for the best, but when you start to feel that a movie is dragging, you know that something wrong is there. There were figures revealed as well stating that over half of the people who watched the movie didn’t sit through the whole thing in one go. That should say a bit about the runtime and how it affected the pacing of the movie.
7. Superman (wrong)
No, we’re not talking about the age-old complaint that Superman is too dark and brooding like all the other Pages. This downside is about what Superman was in the movie. We all saw Superman die at the hands of the Zod zombie in Batman v Superman, and we saw a hint that showed that his resurrection was imminent at the end of that movie. But in the Justice League movie based on Zack Snyder’s original vision, Superman was brought back to life by the motherbox. That isn’t the biggest issue with the movie’s showcasing of Superman. The main problem comes with the suit. Why exactly does he wear the black suit in the movie? In the source material, he wore the black suit after coming back to life because it would absorb more sunlight quicker than his blue suit could, because when he came back, he was still very weak. But, in this movie, he came back fully powered, and flew away, then decided to wear the black suit. Why did he do that?
8. The Soundtrack (wrong – you know which one)
Remember how we said that Wonder Woman’s soundtrack was really cool? Yeah, it is very cool. In fact, she has the best soundtrack of the trinity. The problem with her soundtrack is that in Justice League, it was different, and it was very overplayed. Can you remember any moment (other than when she was looking into Darkseid’s history) where she was on screen and they didn’t play that song? Theme songs are supposed to remind you of characters and bring fond memories. That’s why we have the classic Superman theme from the Donnerverse. That’s why we have the classic Spider-Man theme by Danny Elfman. When those themes are played, we remember the characters fondly. When we hear the Wonder Woman theme that was chosen for this movie, I’m sure we all get sick of hearing it. Almost everything she did required this song in the background, and it got really old really fast.
9. Darkseid (wrong)
This one will be among the most common complaints, and it is valid. Darkseid’s presence in the movie took away from Steppenwolf’s. We first see Darkseid attempt to conquer Earth because it’s what he used to do: just conquer planets. To add to that, there was something he wanted: the Anti-Life Equation. But when he arrived on Earth, he found unusual resistance, and it drove him away, mortally wounding him as well. Thousands of years passed, and the invasion was forgotten, and he forgot where the Anti-Life Equation was. Steppenwolf stumbled upon it when he coincidentally came to Earth to conquer it as part of debt he owed to Darkseid. Steppenwolf spends the whole movie reporting to Darkseid, and this takes away from the threat that Steppenwolf poses. It makes it seem like he is nothing and the real threat is his master. There is nothing wrong with that approach, but if you establish that right in the beginning, and show it to be a bad guy who had already been defeated by the forces of Earth, then it falls short and reduces the menace of the villains. This point doesn’t just involve Darkseid, but Steppenwolf as well.
10. Sequel-Bait (wrong)
With all the drama that went on behind the scenes with the production of this movie, we would think that it would be a one-and-done deal. At least, that’s what WB stated before the movie was released. They said that this movie would come out, and it would be the end of the initially planned DC Universe, and that this movie was being released just so that fans could see what Zack Snyder really wanted for the universe. Snyder got money to finish the scenes he had not yet concluded, and one scene stood out amongst all the others, and that was the Martian Manhunter scene. That scene was added during the time that Snyder was putting the finishing touches on the movie, and one could not help but notice just how much that scene indulged in the fact that there would be sequels…or, should be sequels. It may be a stretch, but it would still be a valid statement, mentioning that the scene was meant to provoke audiences into campaigning for a sequel, just like they campaigned for this movie to be released. Not only were the words by Martian Manhunter sequel-baiting, but the statements by Snyder himself about originally wanting John Stewart in the scene, having filmed the scene and announcing who the casting choice was, were very on-the-nose. It wasn’t a very good move, since he knew that it would be his last hoorah in the Worlds of DC, and he knows just how rabid and passionate his fanbase can be about such things.
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