Justice League Movies: Part One (2017) & Part Two (2019)

[TwoStep2888]

wherever you stand on Snyder/Whedon, I think we can all agree fuck Danny Elfman https://twitter.com/CinematicEX/stat...27089410076672

[KevinTH]

I’m going to jump in and defend Elfman a bit. I just read his response to the negative feedback on his score and I think his response is pretty fair. The dude got called up at the very last minute to score a movie that was still undergoing reshoots and was a mess of a production. Can you really fault him for having an uninspired score?

[M. Steng]

Originally Posted by KevinTH

I’m going to jump in and defend Elfman a bit. I just read his response to the negative feedback on his score and I think his response is pretty fair. The dude got called up at the very last minute to score a movie that was still undergoing reshoots and was a mess of a production. Can you really fault him for having an uninspired score?

The fact he replaced Junkie XL's work to begin with is the true disgrace.

Even give the time crunch, he still could have come up with something that didn't sound like something from the 80's. He basically just recycled stuff he'd already used for other projects. Sort of understandable but at the same time, lazy.

[MOWJO8185]

Seeing this tonight! Excited to chime in!

[KevinTH]

Originally Posted by M. Steng

The fact he replaced Junkie XL's work to begin with is the true disgrace.

Even give the time crunch, he still could have come up with something that didn't sound like something from the 80's. He basically just recycled stuff he'd already used for other projects. Sort of understandable but at the same time, lazy.

Originally Posted by MOWJO8185

Seeing this tonight! Excited to chime in!

Agreed, but that's on Whedon not Elfman. Fans are so attached to these characters and it means a lot to us. However, sometimes we forget that this is still a job to these people and it doesn't always mean the same for them. There's been work put in front of me at my job that I blow through because I have no interest in it. Millions of dollars or not, a jobs a job sometimes.

The more I read about Whedon the more I truly dislike that dude as a writer and director. I keep thinking of lines that he clearly added into the movie and I think how he had no regard for the characters that had been developed. I'd say he phoned it in too, but I think it was a combo of not caring too much for the project while also just getting the job done. I still loved the movie, because there wasn't enough to ruin it for me. I really hope if his Batgirl movie gets made he doesn't some how get ushered into the DC universe as the new lead director for the movies.

About time MOWJO. Interested to hear your thoughts.

[M. Steng]

If I know MOWJO like I think I do, he will be in the same boat as us Kev- good time but could have been much better given what else we know was out there and/or planned.

[KevinTH]

I'm out at 1 and have a whole afternoon to myself while the wife is working...should I got for viewing #3??? Seeing that movie in IMAX is totally worth every penny.

[MOWJO8185]

Originally Posted by M. Steng

If I know MOWJO like I think I do, he will be in the same boat as us Kev- good time but could have been much better given what else we know was out there and/or planned.

I expect you to be right in that I will be entertained but also somewhat underwhelmed, but I don't know that I will feel as strongly as you do that a full Snyder cut would have necessarily been much better. I have no doubt it would have been more ambitious and would have striven for something bigger/deeper, but there's just no way for me to ever conclude definitively if it would have hit the mark unless a Snyder cut ever comes out (which I doubt). All I can use as reference is Man of Steel and BvS, one of which I really liked and one of which I admire for effort but also find beyond frustrating.

Anyways, full thoughts tonight/tomorrow.

[M. Steng]

Originally Posted by MOWJO8185

I expect you to be right in that I will be entertained but also somewhat underwhelmed, but I don't know that I will feel as strongly as you do that a full Snyder cut would have necessarily been much better. I have no doubt it would have been more ambitious and would have striven for something bigger/deeper, but there's just no way for me to ever conclude definitively if it would have hit the mark unless a Snyder cut ever comes out (which I doubt). All I can use as reference is Man of Steel and BvS, one of which I really liked and one of which I admire for effort but also find beyond frustrating.

Anyways, full thoughts tonight/tomorrow.

Enjoy, bro!

[sheldonlevene]

Regarding Elfman - I think the Batman's only had one theme commentary has gone a bit off the rails. Headlines saying he was mad that it wasn't used in Nolan's trilogy etc. were way overblown and out of context, if not just outright misquoting.

I didn't love the OST but aside from the Avengers reusage I didn't find it distracting. Again, I really enjoyed the BvS score with the notable exception of the Batman motif which is just the monochromatic blaring horns of impending doom. Honestly think Batman wouldn't have been received as such a dick if he had something a little more operatic/heroic...conceding that that might not have worked.

[chadizzy1]

So, my thoughts on Justice League. Beware, I’m a huge DC fan, so this may turn into a Junior post.

I remember as a child in the late 80’s/early 90’s what it was like to encounter the Justice League for the first time. Seeing all the character I knew and loved come together to stand together against villains. Seeing the individual characters I knew and love come together gave me an idea of teamwork that transcended what I learned in the real world. I enjoyed every issue, every page, every adventure.

This movie was the realization of a dream I had as a child that I can’t believe came true: seeing the Justice League in live action on the big screen. And I loved every moment. I got goosebumps when I heard the old Batman and Superman scores mixed into the soundtrack. I got giddy when I saw the brief cameo of a Green Lantern (even though it wasn’t Hal or John). So many great moments in such a great film. And no, I didn’t even notice the CG removal of Supes’ mustache. I was hesitant going in about the actor playing The Flash, but I even enjoyed him. Seeing the team together, I couldn’t have been happier. People may have laughed seeing a 33 year old man watching a movie by himself and saying “YES!” when the full team appeared together on screen, but I didn’t care. The movie was great - the cinematography, the music, the cast, the plot; I loved every part of it. When a movie makes you leave the theater with a big smile on your face, you know they did something right.

It captured all of the magic for me that I felt reading about these heroes in the pages of DC Comics. Seeing it come to life on the screen was everything I had hoped for and more. It was worth the wait and made me feel like a child again.

On the end credit scenes:

I remember reading the Silver Age comics where Superman and The Flash raced and never imagined I would see it on the big screen. I seriously felt 10 years old when that happened. I loved it.

I’m still not the biggest fan of this franchise’s Lex Luthor, but I loved seeing Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke. I think he’s going to crush the role and the costume looked great.

Click the "Show Spoiler" Button to reveal hidden text.

[DMBZeppelin]

Funny or Die’s new video is DC Comics Press Secretary defends Justice League: http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/ae8...justice-league

[MOWJO8185]

I hate to be negative after it seemed most people around here liked it... but I really didn't think it was that good.

I'll preface this by saying that whereas I am familiar with almost all of the Marvel characters, my knowledge of DC is largely limited to Superman and Batman. Therefore, there are probably a lot of you that had a joyous reaction to just seeing all of these characters on screen together, and I totally get where there would be a lot of value to this film just in that alone, but that's not where I was coming from based on my background with these characters.

I just felt like none of it felt earned. The lightened mood felt completely forced. I actually hated Flash. Like, really really disliked him. Did not think he was funny at all, and every joke felt like they were trying way too hard. I really found him so off-putting that it made the team-up itself feel unearned, like I honestly didn't even feel like it was believable that Bruce would seek him out.

Also found the Bruce quips pretty forced and bad.

It also felt like the first 50 minutes were exposition, which is just a result of the rush to Justice League and the mandated short runtime. But I just felt like we were told a lot about these characters origins through lines of dialogue as opposed to seeing anything. There were so many goofy lines to communicate important things, like that dude on the roof with Batman in the first scene being like "They are here because Superman died, right?" Uggh.

Of the new characters, I actually liked Cyborg the best. I bought him joining the team the most. I bought Wonder Woman's conversation with him about it. I bought the struggle they gave him with dealing with his newfound abilities/programming. Barry annoyed me, and Aquaman didn't have anything resembling an arc. Hopefully he is fleshed out in his own movie.

The action scenes were great. Wonder Woman was great like usual. And the part the elicited the strongest positive reaction from me was Superman joining the final fight. That had me geeking out majorly. There were other nice moments, like Batman and Wonder Woman talking. That was some nice development for both of them.

I don't know. It was fine. Maybe the positive reactions in this thread got my hopes up too much. Or maybe I need to focus on enjoying it as its own movie in a vacuum instead of in the context of what came before it. I just felt like the shift in tone felt completely unearned based on the previous few films, and it all just felt a little awkward and not authentic to me.

1. Wonder Woman
2. Man of Steel
3. BvS
4. Justice League
5. Suicide Squad

[TwoStep2888]

"I don't know. It was fine." is a good summary of how I felt too

[M. Steng]

I largely agree with you, MOWJO. Interesting perspective from someone who isn’t a lifelong DC fan like myself, Kev, Chad, Sheldon, or TwoStep.

I don’t know about “earning it”, though. I can kind of see what you mean in that the Avengers was a “payoff”at the end of 3-4 solo films. Again this is just one of a long list of problems WB/DC has to deal with coming after Marvel’s success.

[MOWJO8185]

By unearned I mean that it felt like a bunch of focus group-approved concepts for box office success thrown together, rather than anyone’s unique vision of what this movie should be. Maybe inauthentic is a better term. This review puts it best for me: http://mashable.com/2017/11/18/justi.../#xXJ9Anf3YPq6

[M. Steng]

Originally Posted by MOWJO8185

By unearned I mean that it felt like a bunch of focus group-approved concepts for box office success thrown together, rather than anyone’s unique vision of what this movie should be. Maybe inauthentic is a better term. This review puts it best for me: http://mashable.com/2017/11/18/justi.../#xXJ9Anf3YPq6

Well, they originally had a director with a clear vision and then chopped and edited that version to bits. So they got what they wanted, an easily digestible, thin, hollow plot with some cool moments and good characters. Basically just the Avengers but with cooler heroes.

[MOWJO8185]

Originally Posted by M. Steng

Well, they originally had a director with a clear vision and then chopped and edited that version to bits. So they got what they wanted, an easily digestible, thin, hollow plot with some cool moments and good characters. Basically just the Avengers but with cooler heroes.

Agreed. Don’t know how Snyder’s cut would have landed with me, but it certainly would have felt like a film with a creative purpose.

[Jake]

I still liked it, but really what hurt it was BvS. they had to shoehorn in that story and it took away from it. And Batman went from brooding to funny guy.


if they ignore BvS the whole movie is better.

[ExistenceNow]

BvS Blu-ray for $3.99

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Batman...ay/130492/?e=1


Overpriced IMO but thought some of y’all might wanna grab it.

[UCFish]

Originally Posted by Jake

I still liked it, but really what hurt it was BvS. they had to shoehorn in that story and it took away from it. And Batman went from brooding to funny guy.


if they ignore BvS the whole movie is better.

Exactly if there was no BvS I think Justice League is a big success.

Justice leagues biggest enemy by far was BvS....will grab it next year for $1.99 when accurately priced.

[WidespreadMule3]

Just saw it this afternoon. It was okay. Probably 6/10. 7/10 if I'm being generous. Wasn't a fan of the first half of the movie. It felt forced and rushed bringing together all the heroes.

Also, I know Superman is THE superhero but he almost feels unstoppable. The bad guy was decent then oh look there's superman. Movie over.

[gocubsgo3822]

Worst superhero movie ever based on return on investment. SAD!

[sharvey]

Originally Posted by WidespreadMule3

Just saw it this afternoon. It was okay. Probably 6/10. 7/10 if I'm being generous. Wasn't a fan of the first half of the movie. It felt forced and rushed bringing together all the heroes.

Also, I know Superman is THE superhero but he almost feels unstoppable. The bad guy was decent then oh look there's superman. Movie over.

Totally agreed on superman being unstoppable. And I can't believe I'm defending this movie, but the entire reason steppenwolf attacked earth was because superman was dead. If superman wasn't dead steppenwolf wouldn't have attacked cuz he knows his ass would be grass right?

[ExistenceNow]

Originally Posted by WidespreadMule3

Just saw it this afternoon. It was okay. Probably 6/10. 7/10 if I'm being generous. Wasn't a fan of the first half of the movie. It felt forced and rushed bringing together all the heroes.

Also, I know Superman is THE superhero but he almost feels unstoppable. The bad guy was decent then oh look there's superman. Movie over.

That's why Superman in general has always been a boring character to me.

[BotheLaneFan]

The only way Superman can be interesting is if you have him explore the "Elvis Presley question", and even then he's kind of boring.

[MOWJO8185]

Funny enough, even though I think I might have liked BvS more than Justice League, I think I agree that the main reason Justice League is bad is because of BvS. I just kept thinking that all the characters were basically acting like different people for no apparent reason other than WB-mandated lightness and that so much was at odds with what we knew about this world. But I think if I could have removed the lens of what had come before and just viewed it as a fresh take, since that's exactly what i was, I would have probably enjoyed it a lot more.

[KevinTH]

Originally Posted by ExistenceNow

That's why Superman in general has always been a boring character to me.

And that’s why MoS is so good. Because Snyder actually explored something interesting about the character.

[chadizzy1]

Originally Posted by chadizzy1

^Steng, you have WW at #3, but did you still enjoy the movie? I’m not sure if that’s a low ranking or just where it fell in the list.

If I had to rank mine:

1. BvS
2. WW
3. MoS
4. SS

Now that I've seen JL, it's clearly at the top for me now.

1. JL
2. BvS
3. WW
4. MoS
5. SS

[junior94]

just thought I'd share this... my brother-in-law, who generally does like to follow along with comic book movies (his teenage son, my nephew, is particularly a big Flash fan), but I suppose is right in the wheelhouse of who you'd call a "casual fan" (he's WAY bigger of a sports guy). Well I just learned yesterday how genuinely surprised he was to learn that Superman was in the JL movie at all. I mean, he wasn't like jaw dropped, "no fucking way!" surprised, but it was new information.

and I stand corrected. I would've honestly thought even the most casual movie fans, if they were interested enough to want to see Justice League in the first place, understood well enough that Superman wasn't literally "dead" and he'd be making at least SOME kind of appearance. Then again, there have been other things over the last couple years that showed me bro-in-law wasn't as bright as I'd long thought.