Ahem.
I've never understood all of the hate supposed comic books fans have for DC Comics films and/or Zack Snyder in particular. Rest assured that hate is rampant. While some of it has been fueled on by offhand comments carelessly made by creative folks before and behind the camera, much more of it seems purely organic, ranging from 'I hate Batman because he's just an insufferably dark character' to 'I hate Superman because he's just an insufferably upbeat character.' Granted, the caped and cowled men and women within the wider DC Universe don't have the usual snarkyness and/or cynicism commonly associated to comic book characters from other publishers -- attitudes which tend to align with the expectations of comicdom's audience of predominantly younger readers -- but at the end of day aren't they all fictional to begin with and can't we all just get along?
For those who are unclear on the history, Zack Snyder bowed out of production on Justice League (2017) due to a family tragedy, so producers were quick to sign Joss Whedon to climb aboard and finish the feature. Not happy with what was being done, Whedon crafted his own story and engaged in reshoots in order to meet the deadline ... and the end result was the theatrical release that didn't quite feel organic to some, felt rushed to others, or seemed like a middling effort granted a higher effects budget in order to give it the look and feel the new director wished. At the time, DC enthusiasts (from what I recall) argued that the film treated too many principles as secondary characters (not necessarily unfounded, but, hey, the script essentially introduced three main players as well as the villain in less than three hours of screentime); and it didn't take long for fans to hypothesize how Justice League would've looked had Snyder been able to complete his version.
For me, Justice League was a good film, flawed in small yet important ways which ended up hampering some of my ability to appreciate it as an introduction to a greater world, the wider universe of DC Comics' characters. But being a dog older than most, I was thrilled to finally get to see this particular band of heroes up on the silver screen, even if that meant having to accept something that didn't quite feel like it needed all of them around to save the day (my chief complaint with the big finish). Not every superhero played a part custom fit to his or her speciality -- in fact, I'd argue practically any in the DC pantheon could've been fit into the climax and not a beat would've been missed. Was it too easy? Well, yes and no ... it certainly wasn't easy ... it just didn't feel like it needed to be this six instead of any other six ... and I hope you get my point.
Well, prayers have been answered, and fandom is getting what it wanted as Warner Bros., DC, and HBO have teamed up to give Zack Snyder an almost unheard of opportunity: he's completed his version of Justice League, and it'll be streaming for HBO's latest portal -- HBO Max -- in 2021. As I understand, it'll be released in a miniseries-style format with four one-hour episodes, though I've also read that they're naturally considering other venues to deliver a stand-alone feature worldwide.
Part of me is glad this is happening.
Snyder's Man Of Steel was particular good as it re-introduced Superman to the silver screen in such a way that it didn't quite dismiss the greatness of Superman (The Movie). Yes, it was a cinematic reboot -- much in the same way any newcomer to the role of Big Blue is -- but it did so in a way that colored within the lines thematically with what had come before. It didn't escape controversy -- Superman killed Zod in the feature, an action many felt disqualified Snyder's interpretation of the character -- and still I looked on it much like I did Supes' changing of the timeline in the 1978 film, meaning, "Buddy, you're going to pay a price for this that you're not going to like." Superman II (1980) tweaked that price to be paid, and that Man Of Steel learned he couldn't have his cake and eat it too if he wanted to be mankind's savior.
Likewise, Snyder's Batman V Superman performed in much the same way that late 1970's one-two punch did: Zod's death led to the creation of Doomsday, which inevitably led to the death of our hero, closing the loop in the same way ... actions -- even those of the all-powerful -- come with a heavy, heavy price ... thus making Kal-El sacrifice his own life to save those he loved.
It's this arch I'm curious to see continued with Snyder's new version.
Will it be?
Well ... only time will tell ...
In any event, here's the trailer. Enjoy!
I've never understood all of the hate supposed comic books fans have for DC Comics films and/or Zack Snyder in particular. Rest assured that hate is rampant. While some of it has been fueled on by offhand comments carelessly made by creative folks before and behind the camera, much more of it seems purely organic, ranging from 'I hate Batman because he's just an insufferably dark character' to 'I hate Superman because he's just an insufferably upbeat character.' Granted, the caped and cowled men and women within the wider DC Universe don't have the usual snarkyness and/or cynicism commonly associated to comic book characters from other publishers -- attitudes which tend to align with the expectations of comicdom's audience of predominantly younger readers -- but at the end of day aren't they all fictional to begin with and can't we all just get along?
For those who are unclear on the history, Zack Snyder bowed out of production on Justice League (2017) due to a family tragedy, so producers were quick to sign Joss Whedon to climb aboard and finish the feature. Not happy with what was being done, Whedon crafted his own story and engaged in reshoots in order to meet the deadline ... and the end result was the theatrical release that didn't quite feel organic to some, felt rushed to others, or seemed like a middling effort granted a higher effects budget in order to give it the look and feel the new director wished. At the time, DC enthusiasts (from what I recall) argued that the film treated too many principles as secondary characters (not necessarily unfounded, but, hey, the script essentially introduced three main players as well as the villain in less than three hours of screentime); and it didn't take long for fans to hypothesize how Justice League would've looked had Snyder been able to complete his version.
For me, Justice League was a good film, flawed in small yet important ways which ended up hampering some of my ability to appreciate it as an introduction to a greater world, the wider universe of DC Comics' characters. But being a dog older than most, I was thrilled to finally get to see this particular band of heroes up on the silver screen, even if that meant having to accept something that didn't quite feel like it needed all of them around to save the day (my chief complaint with the big finish). Not every superhero played a part custom fit to his or her speciality -- in fact, I'd argue practically any in the DC pantheon could've been fit into the climax and not a beat would've been missed. Was it too easy? Well, yes and no ... it certainly wasn't easy ... it just didn't feel like it needed to be this six instead of any other six ... and I hope you get my point.
Well, prayers have been answered, and fandom is getting what it wanted as Warner Bros., DC, and HBO have teamed up to give Zack Snyder an almost unheard of opportunity: he's completed his version of Justice League, and it'll be streaming for HBO's latest portal -- HBO Max -- in 2021. As I understand, it'll be released in a miniseries-style format with four one-hour episodes, though I've also read that they're naturally considering other venues to deliver a stand-alone feature worldwide.
Part of me is glad this is happening.
Snyder's Man Of Steel was particular good as it re-introduced Superman to the silver screen in such a way that it didn't quite dismiss the greatness of Superman (The Movie). Yes, it was a cinematic reboot -- much in the same way any newcomer to the role of Big Blue is -- but it did so in a way that colored within the lines thematically with what had come before. It didn't escape controversy -- Superman killed Zod in the feature, an action many felt disqualified Snyder's interpretation of the character -- and still I looked on it much like I did Supes' changing of the timeline in the 1978 film, meaning, "Buddy, you're going to pay a price for this that you're not going to like." Superman II (1980) tweaked that price to be paid, and that Man Of Steel learned he couldn't have his cake and eat it too if he wanted to be mankind's savior.
Likewise, Snyder's Batman V Superman performed in much the same way that late 1970's one-two punch did: Zod's death led to the creation of Doomsday, which inevitably led to the death of our hero, closing the loop in the same way ... actions -- even those of the all-powerful -- come with a heavy, heavy price ... thus making Kal-El sacrifice his own life to save those he loved.
It's this arch I'm curious to see continued with Snyder's new version.
Will it be?
Well ... only time will tell ...
In any event, here's the trailer. Enjoy!
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