"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" arrived this year to much controversy at how dark the film was. After all, it pit two of DC Comics' biggest superheroes against each other. That's enough to make people go see the movie, which they did, eventually earning the movie a good looking $872 million worldwide.
But critics were aghast. Reviews were mostly negative. The hilarious Honest Trailers from Screen Junkies pointed out the film's flaws flawlessly. Moreover, it showed the obvious: that Clark Kent was mopey and powerless, while Bruce Wayne was slightly over obsessive. The film was dark, indeed, and it delivered in terms of action sequences. Fans even expected a big resolution that would probably begin a sexy new bromance between the two superheroes, but all they saw was two broken men whose moms had the same name. Very anti-climactic.
During this year's San Diego Comic Con, Warner Bros. released first footage of "Justice League, which is set to arrive in November next year. It featured first glimpses of Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, and Ray Fisher as Barry Allen, Arthur Curr, and Victor Stone, respectively, and a very tired looking Ben Affleck trying to recruit his own X-Men. Surprisingly, the footage looked like an amazing trailer...for a Marvel movie. It featured fantastic scenes! It featured jokes! It was a departure from what "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" was and still is. It seems that director Zack Snyder has truly turned over a new leaf.
In fact, director and comic writer Kevin Smith agrees that the move towards a lighter, more fun "Justice League" film was a good one. He saw down with Canoe to talk about the DC Extended Universe, and that he understood exactly why "Batman v Superman" didn't work.
According to Comic Book, Smith explained that when moviegoers watch superhero films, "We don’t want doom and gloom. We want them to like each other. We want them to have an interplay." This is what Marvel continues to do right (see "Avengers," "Guardians of the Galaxy"), and DC, not so much. However, Smith credits Warner Bros. and DC Comics for going in that direction with "Justice League," given the feedback on "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." He even went on to say that the elements lacking in the film seem to be present in "Justice League," which makes it more exciting to wait for.
"Justice League" arrives on November 17, 2017.
