I think it’s safe to say Warner Brothers and DC really won the internet yesterday with their DC Fandome event. I didn’t get to see the whole thing live, but I saw bits and pieces throughout the day, and I watched all the big videos and first looks that were dropped. It’s honestly a cool setup, and it’s one I hope the company considers continuing even after this whole virus is cleared out and the world has gone back to normal.
Today, I figured I’d cover the big movie trailers that were dropped. Now, to be clear that means I won’t be covering certain big things that were discussed, so if you just want a quick opinion on those before we go in depth on the trailers, here you go:
The Flash: The concept art looks cool, was already pretty intrigued, and I think the multiverse offers a ton of potential that I hope the filmmakers really take advantage of. I’m assuming we’re all cool with Ezra Miller despite that choking video? Or did we all just collectively forget about it? And don’t think I didn’t notice the Michael Keaton batsuit. I’m keeping a close eye on you, movie.
Black Adam: I know next to nothing about this character, so I don’t know what to expect. The art and costume looks legit, and with Dwayne Johnson involved, you know he’s gonna commit to making this as entertaining as possible. I’m eager to see more.
The Suicide Squad: The roll call video definitely gave us a solid look at the characters we’ll be seeing, but was a little disappointed that we still don’t know who Taika Waititi is playing. The behind-the-scenes clip looks fun, I like the vibe they’re going for. I trust James Gunn to deliver.
Video games: I love the concepts behind Gotham Knights and especially Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. Both trailers are honestly a bit longwinded, but they show a ton of promise. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for those.
Alright, now that that’s out of the way…
Wonder Woman 1984
Boy, does this look delightful. I really liked Wonder Woman, and I’m honestly not as bothered by some elements like its third act to the degree that others seem to be. There definitely is room for improvement, and it looks like Patty Jenkins is really leaning in on all the best qualities of the first film with this. And while the excuse might end up being super flimsy, I’m very happy to see Chris Pine back. The fully formed Cheetah look leaves a bit to be desired, but that might just be the dark, murky lighting. I’m still not entirely sure what is driving the plot, or more specifically, what Maxwell Lord is up to, but at least they’re saving something for the theater. Speaking of, I’m still a bit apprehensive of the decision to keep this in theaters at this time. While theaters are now opening up, I don’t feel totally comfortable going, and I sure as hell don’t trust these chains to fully enforce their rules because they rarely did that even before the pandemic. But still, as far as the film itself goes, I am excited to see it, whenever that ends up being.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League
While it had some fun moments, I was not all that into Justice League when it came out. I also wouldn’t consider myself a fan of Snyder’s take on these characters. I actually had quite a strange journey with them. I loved Man Of Steel upon initial viewing, but over time found things about it that didn’t hold up, and by the time Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice came around, I was actively resistant to it. Now, I would say that while I don’t necessarily like them, I find them to be intriguing exercises of a filmmaker (who I generally like) fully applying his unique vision, warts and all, to a property. To me, they’re a curiosity, and I would say the same for this new cut of Justice League. I’m very curious, I want to check it out, and see how it differs with what we got theatrically, which appears to be quite a bit. Plus, I love the idea of using Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” considering it’s notorious use in Watchmen (a film I love) for the trailer. It’s honestly very well done. I’m also intrigued by the decision to keep this in the IMAX aspect ratio. I hope the fans like what they see, though it seems like some will like it no matter what, I know this movie seems to have a lot of baggage, too much frankly for a movie like this, but all that aside, I’m looking forward to it.
The Batman
I gotta say, the use of Nirvana’s “Something In The Way” is really, really doing it for me. It’s an inspired choice, probably more inspired than anything in the trailer itself. Now, don’t get me wrong, this looks great, but it’s all stuff I more or less expected. The whole noir vibe by way of David Fincher’s Zodiac and Se7en, the DIY costume aesthetics, the Bat voice, the action, it’s pretty much exactly how I imagined Matt Reeves would deliver. The only real surprise came in finding out that the big guy was Colin Farrell as the Penguin, genuine shocker. I’m not purposefully trying to be a Debbie downer here, to me Batman has reached a point to where I see him like I see a zombie movie, I don’t get excited for it, but then I watch it, and I’m immediately reminded why I love these so much. That beatdown is an especially satisfying moment. Look, I’m basic as hell, I love Batman just as much as the next guy, I’m sure I’ll dig the hell out of this movie. And as trailer, this might be the best of the bunch, and it sure was a great way to cap off the event.
And that just about covers DC FanDome. I’m going to cover every little announcement made, and I’m likely not going to cover whatever is brought up in the event when it comes back in September 12th. I just wanted to cover the cinematic stuff. Feel free to tell me what you thought of these trailers and announcements in the comments!