DC FanDome Thoughts From a Former DC Fan Boy

I wrote out a big long paragraph giving context to the DCEU but if you're reading this you probably already know all the shit that was in there. The floor for DCEU movies is incredibly love and the ceiling is also incredibly low... the whole house is underground. I like Shazam! And Birds of Prey at least tried to be different, all the rest are the same. I really want these movies to be great but they just fall short. Hopefully some things announced at DC FanDome can be a new beginning for the old Detective Comics.

Movies

---

The Batman

Batman is just a really fucking weird idea but I tend to be excited for Batman movies. At this point a Batman movie is like a Robin Hood or King Arthur movie. I know he's not in the public domain but he's treated like he is. There have been so many different takes on the characters involved in the Batman mythology so I'm excited for a Batman movie that seems to be more focused on the detective side of his vigilantism than the trying to beat up a big bad side of his vigilantism. Also, just love new takes on villians that aren't "Da Joker Baby". The trailer that was showed during DC FanDome seems like what the Zack Snyder version of Batman was supposed to be, a tormented man who has to deal with inner turmoil as well as a broken city but it stars Robert Pattinson, one of my favourite actors and probably one of the best in the last 2 years. The Lighthouse was one of my favourite movies of last year and I enjoyed his performance in the King much more than I enjoyed the movie. I'd take a young actor and completely new take on Batman by a director who can write gritty characters (Matt Reeves) over a boring old actor (Ben Affleck) and a director who's substance comes from his visual flair which isn't really cool anymore (Zack Snyder). If Zack was doing shit like 300 and trying to blow the audiences mind with Batman, yes please, but didn't do that.

Verdict: So please let me go to a theatre and watch The Batman Nature, I beg you.

Wonder Woman 1984

Was the '80s really that cool? Can Gal Gadot act? Should Kristen Wiig be in more movies? The answers to these questions are no, no, and... yes. I understand how people can like the first Wonder Woman movie and I like a lot of movies that aren't capital G Great but Wonder Woman, to me, was just to same as every superhero movie where there's some good enjoyable stuff at the beginning but it just devolves into meh by the end. The superhero genre has this problem where the movie starts with some really interesting ideas but then it has to fulfill the obligation of a CGI smackdown between the big bad and the hero and they aren't really as cool as they should be. There are ways to make this formula fun like by having good choreography and by bringing some style to the fights but few movies are able to do that in significant ways. The first Wonder Woman didn't really do any of this in the fight against Ares and the small clip of the fight with Cheetah doesn't give me much hope that anything has changed. The strength of almost every movie is the characters and Patty Jenkins did a pretty good job with them in the last movie, it just kinda fell flat on me. Maybe I was superhero fatigued so I guess the pandemic was good for one thing.

Verdict: I just want to support Kristen Wiig movies because the 2016 Ghostbusters really didn't deserve the treatment it got.

The Suicide Squad

This movie looks like what they tried to do to the 2016 version after they got screening notes saying it should be brighter and funnier (Sidenote: How do I get screeners for movies? Does anyone know?). The Suicide Squad is an actual ensemble movie instead of Suicide Squad (2016) which was an ensemble of Margot Robbie, Will Smith and Jai Courtney... I guess? James Gunn has put together a cast of actors that are likeable and seem to have bought into playing weird characters. There's a bunch of "that guy" actors and some A-listers. Who would've thought Flula would be in a 2020 superhero after watching the party proper video he made in his car in 2012. Pete Davidson can also get me to see almost any movie and of course they've got the big names like Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Nathan Fillion, Michael Rooker and Peter Capalldi.

Verdict: You can have more of my money Mr. Gunn

The Snyder Cut

Why?.... Why do we need this? I'm glad Zack Snyder is getting the chance to show us his vision for the Justice League but at least break it into two parts. It also supposed to be 3.75 hours... 215 minutes. To put this into perspective, that like Avengers: Endgame except instead of getting a new movie after 10 years of build-up we get the same shitty movie from 3 years ago plus an hour of nonsense and another CGI villain that no one cares about. Justice League was suppose to be two parts so show us your original two part vision Zack not just one part people will zone out and fall asleep to. ALSO, this is not a movie for grown-ups Zack Snyder, two of the characters wear capes that don't do anything (not a grown-up move) one uses a lasso, and the other two are basically Frankenstein monsters and they're fighting for boxes against aliens. THIS IS A MOVIE FOR 35-YEAR-OLD MILLENIAL FANBOYS. Grown-up movies tend to have a purpose and message they want to convey. Villian bad isn't a message.

Verdict: I'm going to watch the shit and I'll try to like it but can we just give up on Batfleck and Snyder's vision for the DCEU, just let him adapt some other comics or something.

All The Other Movies

I was really excited for the Flash to come out because it was supposed to release on my birthday what feel like 5 years ago but alas, those times have passed. I like the multiverse idea but can he get stuck in a multiverse where they make movies that are fun to watch? The Flash should be a romp or I'll riot.

Black Adam is the least exciting thing I've heard about in a long time. I know the Rock sells tickets but can we get someone who can play a character that isn't a strong guy. I won't say he ruined Fast and Furious (Because that's impossible) but he is certainly one of the weaker parts. Also, he's being a bitch, Vin Diesel was there first, back off. What if Vin joined the Jumanji cast and started fucking with you? Just be nice.

Warner Brother making a second Aquaman is the least surprising sentence I've ever written aside from "my nAmE cAldEr," which I wrote in kindergarten, actually, I take that back, it was surprising because I figured out how to scribble something that looked like words.

Shazam! Fury of the Gods should be fun. I think Shazam! is the best DC movie and all the same, people are working on this one so I'm sure it'll be another good one.

Video Games

---

Gotham Knights

Superhero games can be hit or miss and trying to make one is not a job that I envy. There are a lot of heroes that are just too overpowered to make a game that is fun and challenging. Superman is essentially impossible to make a game for unless every enemy has weapons with trace amounts of Kryptonite in it. Batman is made for videogames though, his character has game mechanics built into him with the largely melee combat and elements of stealth. He can't just zoom around at the speed of light and take out everyone in a room before they notice. This is just a long way for me to say that I'm excited for Gotham Knights and it so uld be cool if there was optional campaign co-op.

Verdict: I don't buy many games when they launch, I usually wait for sales, but I think Gotham Knights will be a day one purchase for me.

PS: I will also be playing through the Arkham Games so expect some content related to those.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League

Rocksteady will forever have my trust. I love the Uncharted games but I cannot believe that Arkham Assylum and Uncharted 2 came out the same year because the quality of those two games is not even close. Uncharted 2 is a chore to play and Arkham Assylum is one of the smoothest games I've ever played. The story in AA is also incredible and I know it's not original to deconstruct the similarities between Batman and Joker but it does it very well. This game is far away but I think that this and The Suicide Squad movie will show an enjoyable side to these characters that people should've been introduced to from the start. They're a collection of weirdos and hopefully, that's played up.

Verdict: Rocksteady will get my money for this game.