News from DC FanDome

Yesterday (August 22nd) saw the first DC FanDome- a DC-themed "immersive virtual fan experience" discussing all things comic books, TV shows, video games, and- of course- movies. When this year's Comic-Con was cancelled, DC announced their own online convention. At the Hall of Heroes, there were various panels and discussions on all things DC.

There's a lot of news that has come out of the event, so here's a round-up of what's coming up in the DC Movies Universe.

WONDER WOMAN 1984

Director Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman, Monster) was joined by Gal Gadot (Diana Prince/Wonder Woman), Kristen Wiig (Barbara Minerva/Cheetah), Pedro Pascal (Maxwell Lord), and Chris Pine (Steve Trevor) to kick off the FanDome by chatting about Wonder Woman 1984.

Sharing a couple of behind-the-scenes stories, Chris Pine revealed that the production was able to shut down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington to film a particular scene, whilst Kristen Wiig shared that- during one of the big fight scenes she has with Gadot- her Cheetah wig got torn off her head when it got caught in one of Gadot's bracelets. There was also a lovely appearance at the panel by OG Wonder Woman Lynda Carter. I really hope they get her a cameo in WW84.

The panel ended with a superb new trailer for the film, in which (among other things) we get to see more of Kristen Wiig's transformation into Cheetah:

Later in the event, several other cast members of WW84 came to join the main cast and crew for a game of Werewolf: Connie Nielsen (Hippolyta), Robin Wright (Antiope), Jessie Graff (Amazon Competitor), Jonathan Ayaji (Emerson), Ravi Patel (Babajide), and Kelvin Yu (Jake).

WW84 is due for release in October 2020.

THE FLASH

In a very brief panel, the main crew of The Flash movie- director Andy Muschietti (Mama, It), producer Barbara Muschietti, and screenwriter Christina Hodson- joined star Ezra Miller for a quick blast through the history of the Scarlet Speedster and dropped some intriguing hints about what to expect from the film.

As well as sharing some badass concept art of the Flash's new suit, hints were dropped that it will be a time-travel story which will open up the DC Multiverse. So, Flashpoint in all but name then?

Andy also dropped an interesting hint about the Flash's new garb- it was made for him by Bruce Wayne. But I guess the question is: which one? Will it be Michael Keaton's iteration... or Ben Affleck's? It was confirmed this week that Affleck will don the Batsuit for (probably) the last time to reprise his role as the Dark Knight in The Flash movie.

All very intriguing...

THE SUICIDE SQUAD

James Gunn headed an absolutely raucous panel for The Suicide Squad, which not only confirmed who a lot of the cast will be playing but also dropped a couple of interesting little teasers as to what to expect from the film, still currently slated for release on August 6th 2021.

First up, joining returning cast members Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang), Viola Davis (Amanda Waller), Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flag), and Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn) are a veritable smorgasboard of wrong'uns.

In no particular order, some of the new members of the Squad are:

• Michael Rooker as Savant
• Flula Borg as Javelin
• David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man
• Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2
• Idris Elba as Bloodsport
• Steve Agee (and John Economos) as King Shark
• Mayling Ng as Mongal
• Peter Capaldi as The Thinker
• Alice Braga as Sol Soria
• Pete Davidson as Blackguard
• Nathan Fillion as TDK
• Sean Gunn as Weasel, and
• John Cena as Peacemaker

Also cast in the film are:

• Juan Diego Botto as El Presidente General Silvio Luna
• Joaquín Cosío as General Mateo Suarez
• Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt, and
• Storm Reid as Tyla (Bloodsport's daughter)

As for what to expect? It's been likened to a 1970s war movie, will be a huge special effects extravaganza (according to Gunn) who has also said the studio is "overwhelmingly happy" with the film. He also made some comments about this being the best film he's worked on, so make of that what you will...

I'm excited to see how Gunn balances so many new characters, plus I can't wait to see Peter Capaldi, Nathan Fillion and John Cena in action! Here's the poster, by the way. It's definitely got a Dirty Dozen kind of vibe to it...

JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE SNYDER CUT

The saga of the Snyder Cut has been rumbling on since Justice League's release. Snyder had to step away from Justice League due to a terrible family tragedy, and the highers-up at DC brought Joss Whedon in to complete the film. Ever since then, there's been a fan movement to see Snyder's vision for the film (which, it's fair to say, is very different to what actually got released).

Fans signed petitions, started fundraisers, and even took out a billboard in Times Square to ask for the Snyder Cut. Earlier this year, it was confirmed that HBO had struck a deal and what was once the fever-dream of the Internet is now very much a reality.

In the panel, Snyder took some questions from the Justice League cast, and then spoke to two fans- Fiona Zheng and Dexter Washington - who were instrumental in getting the Snyder Cut movement started.

So, what do we know about The Snyder Cut so far? Well, Snyder has stated that there'll be "something" involving Flash's abilities which will be something new. He's also going to be fleshing out Cyborg's role. It's initially going to be released in four one-hour parts with a later option to watch it as a whole. They are also looking for an international distribution deal so people outside the US and those who don't have HBOMax can get to see it.

The panel ended with a trailer for the new cut:

"He's never fought us. Not us united." I defy anyone not to get chills after watching that.

Justice League: The Snyder Cut is due in 2021.

BLACK ADAM

There was a fantastic animated teaser (made by Jim Lee, Boss Logic, and Dwayne Johnson) to introduce and explain a little about who Black Adam is, before Johnson took to the virtual stage to discuss the film.

The pitch was light on details- as Johnson said, things are still in the early processes- but he could share a few things about the character and the film. It's going to be Adam's origin story and it will stay true to his anti-hero nature: Adam believes in an eye for an eye and will still be the "ruthless keeper of justice" he's been in the past.

Johnson also spoke with his co-star Noah Centineo, who is playing Atom Smasher, and got a couple of details about that character's journey; he has something to prove because of his lineage, he has a spirit to help, and this will be his first mission. It's also handy that he can transform into the size of the Empire State Building!

One of the main things that was confirmed is that Black Adam will show the Justice Society of America (JSA) for the first time in the DC Film Universe. Atom Smasher is one of the members, with other confirmed members being Hawkman, Doctor Fate, and Cyclone. No casting has been announced for anyone else as yet. 

Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (House Of Wax, Orphan, The Commuter), principal photography is expected to begin in early 2021 for a scheduled release date of December 22nd 2021.

SHAZAM!: FURY OF THE GODS

There was a short panel about Shazam!'s "bonkers, awesome sequel", with Zachary Levi (Shazam), director David F. Sandberg, Asher Angel (Billy Batson), Jack Dylan Grazer (Freddy Freeman), Faithe Herman (Darla Dudley), Meagan Good (Super Hero Darla) and Adam Brody (Super Hero Freddy).

There wasn't a lot of information they could give, but there was one thing they could share: the title of the sequel is Shazam! Fury Of The Gods. Originally scheduled to release in April 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it's been pushed to November 2022.

THE BATMAN

The final panel of the event was all about The Batman. Director Matt Reeves was interviewed by Aisha Tyler to discuss the film.

Reeves confirmed that the film takes place in Year Two of Batman's career. He's in the early days of being the Caped Crusader- so it won't be an origin story (let's face it, we don't NEED to see that again). The series of murders which happen brings to light the whole world of corruption within Gotham and the history of the city, and where the Wayne family sits within that. It's also a detective story and mystery, and will focus on the World's Greatest Detective aspect of the character.

The film also deals with the nascent development of several members of the Rogues' Gallery, with The Riddler (Paul Dano), The Penguin (Colin Farrell), and Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz) at the beginnings of their own trajectories. Reeves cited Chinatown, The French Connection, and Taxi Driver as influences on the style of the film and confirmed that it will link to the Gotham PD TV series currently being developed (which will be set in Year One and dive into the corruption within the police). He also confirmed that they had shot approximately 25%-30% of the film before the COVID-19 pandemic shut them down.

They also shared the first teaser trailer:

And in case you're wondering, this is the Penguin:

I think the make-up team might be getting an Oscar nomination for this film, just sayin'. The Batman will be released in 2021.



All said, the DC FanDome event was a real success. It was slick, interesting, and a lot of fun and they really whetted the appetite for future DC properties (given current circumstances, that was a very canny move). 

No panel lasted longer than 30 minutes- meaning they could clip through various properties and genres without ever getting too bogged down, and people who weren't interested in, say, the games or the TV series didn't have to wait too long until something that did appeal. 

Having a mix of things, like the cast of WW84 playing Werewolf, or a music set by Chris Daughtrey, or a panel discussing females of colour in the DC Universe was also a good thing. The rolling programme was repeated throughout the 24 hours, so you could also get to see it at a reasonable time.

I'd definitely take the time to watch another one of these in the future. Which is lucky because DC FanDome: Explore The Multiverse is coming on September 12th! Should be worth checking out!

The Watchers Film Show: Lockdown Special 3

In our third Lockdown Special, we revive something we first did way back in 2012 for our First Birthday Show - Moviemind!

The three of us all chose an individual specialist subject which the other two compiled questions on, then we bring in a very special guest Quizmaster for a quick-fire general knowledge round.

Which Watcher won? Well, watch! 

The Watchers Film Show: Lockdown Special 2

In the second of our Lockdown Specials, we discuss the current state of play with cinema and the amended release schedule for several of the big movies that were due to be released over the coming months. 

This information was accurate at the time we recorded the Special, however, because the circumstances we are in are constantly shifting, they may have already changed again!

So, if you want to find out when to expect films such as No Time To Die, Black Widow and Fast & Furious 9, check out the video above!

Comicbook Movie Round-Up: April 2019 (Part 2)

In the second part of this comic-book movie round-up, we take a look at what films featuring DC's characters are planned: but apparently the phrase DCEU (DC Extended Universe) is no longer being used. From what I understand, DCEU wasn't ever an official term, and now it's being referred to as Worlds Of DC instead - I think it's got a better ring to it, actually.

JOKER

First off, there's been a first trailer and poster for Todd Phillips' Joker in which Joaquin Phoenix is frankly bloody amazing as the failed stand-up comedian (here named Arthur Fleck) who turns to the dark side.

Now, first off, when the project was announced, I was... less than impressed. An origin story for a character who is the more terrifying because you don't know how he became that way? This was compounded at the casting of Phoenix in the main role, as I haven't particularly taken to him as an actor in the past. But, based on this first trailer, I will hold my hands up and say I'm actually looking forward to seeing it. I love how dark and uncompromising it is- playing more like Taxi Driver than Batman Begins.

Joining Phoenix will be Zazie Beetz (no stranger to comic-book movies as she played Domino in Deadpool 2), Brett Cullen, Frances Conroy, Douglas Hodge, and Robert de Niro as Murray Franklin.

BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)

I'm sorry, but I still can't take the full title seriously. Nonetheless, Harley will be fantabulously emancipated in February 2020, as that's when this film hits cinemas.

Written by Christina Hodson and directed by Cathy Yan (Dead Pigs, Down River), the film sees a Gotham where Batman has disappeared, leaving the city unprotected, and crime is running rife. A young girl, Cassandra Cain, finds a diamond belonging to a dangerous crime lord- so Harley teams up with others to protect the child. Joining Margot Robbie will be Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Helena Bertinell/Huntress), Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Black Canary), Ella Jay Basco (Cassandra Cain), and Rosie Perez (GCPD Detective Renee Montoya). 

Together, this team will take on a double threat as both Black Mask and Victor Zsasz will feature, played by Ewan McGregor and Chris Messina respectively. A shame that they couldn't get Anthony Carrigan who plays Zsasz in Gotham to reprise his role, as he's genuinely one of the (very) few good things about the show. That said, Chris Messina is a fine actor- I very much enjoyed him in Argo, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Six Feet Under- so I'm sure he'll do well. 

There have been rumours that Jared Leto has been seen on set, reprising his role as the Joker. I'll be INCREDIBLY surprised if that turns out to be true, given his role in Morbius (see Part 3 for more details on this). 

Robbie was easily one of the best things about Suicide Squad, and hopefully this film will give her the chance to explore the character further.

WONDER WOMAN 1984

Fans were disappointed to find out that Wonder Woman 1984 was going to be delayed by approximately six months, meaning that we won't get to see Diana Prince kicking ass and taking names until June 2020 (instead of November 2019). The reason for the delay? A pretty good one, actually. 

In an interview, Geoff Johns confirmed the delay was so post-production on the film didn't have to be rushed to make the original release date. It's also a canny move to shift such a marquee film from the end of the year to the start of summer (one criticism that people had about Aquaman).  

As previously announced, Patty Jenkins is back in the director's chair with Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, and Robin Wright all reprising their roles from the original Wonder Woman. New arrivals to the cast include Kristen Wiig as Barbara Ann Minerva (a.k.a. Cheetah) and Pedro Pascal in an as-yet-unnamed role (but there's been some supposition online that he'll be playing Maxwell Lord). Time will tell...

THE BATMAN

Ah, the saga of The Batman continues (DC are liking the definite article for their films these days, aren't they?). To virtually nobody's surprise, Ben Affleck WON'T be returning to the role for this film, although he's still onboard as a producer. The script focuses on Batman early in his career and apparently has a focus on the detective aspect of his character, a fit for the noir style director Matt Reeves is going for. No casting has been announced, although the film has a scheduled release date of June 2021.

THE SUICIDE SQUAD

Another film with a slightly troubled production history (losing two directors- David Ayer and Gavin O'Connor- then script issues, then cast availability issues) but all that's in the past and the film is on track for an August 2021 release. 

James Gunn (yep, the Guardians Of The Galaxy guy) will direct from his own script. Will Smith will not be reprising his role as Deadshot but Idris Elba won't be replacing him in the role; Elba will be playing a new character, which means Smith can return in the future. 

Aside from Elba, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney and Oscar-winner Viola Davis will be reprising their roles as Rick Flag, Captain Boomerang, and Amanda Waller for this film- as will Margot Robbie, who will come to this production once Birds Of Prey wraps.

THE FLASH

Well, it's certainly one way of keeping yourself in a job: Ezra Miller has been hired to co-write a new draft of the upcoming Flash solo movie (along with Grant Morrison). This is another one that's had a troubled production history- I'm noticing a bit of a theme here- with directors and writers attached then leaving the project since 2014. 

In 2017 it was announced that this would be a movie based on the Flashpoint arc- a highly-regarded story where Barry's attempt to save his mother's life creates an alternate reality where (among other things) Themyscira and Atlantis are at war, Thomas Wayne is Batman, and the Justice League was never established- I'm not sure whether that is still the case. 

At the moment, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are still attached to direct but- honestly- who knows what'll happen when (if?) production actually starts. It currently has a 2021 release date, but I wouldn't hold your breath. 

AQUAMAN

A sequel to Aquaman was confirmed in January 2019 after the positive reaction the film got- and those all-important ticket sales receipts. Jason Momoa will almost certainly be back as Arthur Curry, although the film won't be released until December 2022. A 'horror-tinged' spin-off called The Trench will come first, although it's unlikely that it will be part of the Aquaman series. 

SHAZAM!

Shazam! has barely had time to get comfy in the multiplex, and a sequel has already been announced. Screenwriter Henry Gayden is returning to pen the sequel; no other cast or crew have been confirmed as yet. The long-gestating Black Adam film- with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in the title role- is due to start principal photography towards the end of 2019, so it might be a Shazam!/Black Adam showdown in Shazam! 2

So, Worlds of DC looks to be in rude health; I think the obsession of having a shared universe has waned and they've decided to focus more on the individual characters. This can only be a good thing.


In the third and final part, we'll be taking a look at Sony's plans for their 'Universe of Marvel Characters' and have a look at exactly what's going on with the X-Men films...

Comic Book Movie Round-Up: July 2018

It's been quite a while since we've done one of these and I figured- before this year's San Diego International Comic-Con (where there's usually a shedload of news)- I'd clear the decks and get caught up with a lot of comic book movie news from the last few months. 

Oh, by the way, there may be potential spoilers ahead. Don't say you weren't warned!

MARVEL NEWS

Whilst Marvel won't have a presence at this year's Comic-Con, there's still plenty of news to share about their upcoming slate.

Captain Marvel has finished shooting. Joining Brie Larson - who will play Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel- is Samuel L. Jackson will reprise his role as  Nick Fury for the ninth time on screen. Because it's set in the 1990s, he won't have the iconic eyepatch. Former MCU participants Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, and Clark Gregg will reprise their roles as Korath, Ronan the Accuser, and Agent Phil Coulson respectively. 

New cast members include Ben Mendelsohn, Gemma Chan, and Jude Law (who is playing Danvers' mentor Walter Lawson a.k.a. Mar-Vell), whilst multiple Oscar-nominated actress Annette Bening  has reportedly been cast in an unknown role. Captain Marvel is directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, and will be released in early 2019.


The title of Avengers 4 is still shrouded in mystery- or is it? Reports suggest that the full title may be Avengers: End Game. Cinematographer Trent Opaloch- who was worked on Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, and Avengers: Infinity War- updated his website to list Avengers 4 under that title before quickly changing it back. 

The sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming is going to be called Spider-Man: Far From Home (which was 'leaked' by Tom Holland and then confirmed by Kevin Feige). The film that will kick off Phase 4 of the MCU, it will see Peter Parker on a trip around the world, fighting bad guys. Zendaya, Marisa Tomei, Jacob Batalon, and Michael Keaton will all reprise their roles from the original film, whilst Jake Gyllenhaal is down to play villain Mysterio. It has been confirmed that Benedict Cumberbatch WON'T be appearing as Doctor Strange in this movie. 

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3 is about to enter pre-production. Once again written and directed by James Gunn (who has already delivered a draft script), it's due to start shooting early 2019- most likely for a 2020 release. Gunn has said that Vol. 3 ISN'T set before Infinity War, and that it will 'end this iteration' of the Guardians team. It'll also 'complete the story of the three films'.

There's a standalone Black Widow movie coming - and it's already got a director. Cate Shortland will be taking the reins, with Scarlett Johannson reprising her role as Natasha Romanoff. This will be the first solo female-directed MCU film. 

Kevin Feige has also teased a sequel to Doctor Strange, but no firm details given other than that. 

DCEU NEWS

DC WILL be presenting at Comic-Con this year, so expect a lot of hype and some cool trailers and such from their upcoming roster. 

Expected in the UK on 14th December 2018, Aquaman is directed by James Wan. Jason Momoa will reprise his role from Justice League, facing off against Patrick Wilson as Aquaman's villainous half-brother Orm Marius (also known as Ocean Master). Other cast members include Amber Heard as Mera, Temuera Morrison as Thomas Curry, Randall Park as Dr. Stephen Shin, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, Dolph Lundgren as King Nereus, Willem Dafoe as Nuidis Vulko, and Nicole Kidman as Queen Atlanna (Aquaman's mother). Several official pictures of various cast members have been released:

Directed by David F. Sandberg (Annabelle: Creation, Lights Out). SHAZAM! will hit cinemas on April 5th 2019. Shazam is a bit of an odd choice, as it isn't particularly well known outside of comic-book circles. The basic premise is a young boy, Billy Batson, is granted superpowers by a mysterious wizard and- when he says the magic word 'Shazam!'- transforms into an adult with strength, speed and various other powers. Zachary Levi has been cast as the adult Billy, with Asher Angel playing him as a child. 

Djimon Hounsou will be 'crossing the floor' and going from the MCU to DCEU (actually, just like Zachary Levi) as he'll be playing The Wizard, the mysterious sorcerer who bestows super powers upon the young Billy. Dwayne Johnson has been cast as Shazam's nemesis Black Adam, but reportedly won't be in the film at all (but may appear in his own film, or possibly Suicide Squad 2). Other cast members include Dylan Grazer, and Mark Strong who will play the villain Dr. Sivana.

After Shazam, we get Wonder Woman 1984, in cinemas in November next year. Directed by Patty Jenkins, this will see Diana come to America to deal with a new threat. Gal Gadot will reprise her role as Diana/Wonder Woman, as will Chris Pine- although quite how that'll work given Steve Trevor died at the end of the first film is anyone's guess at the moment. In terms of villains, Kristen Wiig has been cast as Dr. Barbara Minerva (a.k.a. Cheetah). Pedro Pascal has been cast in an unknown role, and there are hopes to get original Wonder Woman Lynda Carter a role in the film (which would be frankly splendid)

Margot Robbie will reprise her role as Harley Quinn in Birds Of Prey, which she describes as an 'R-rated girl gang film'. Joining Harley in this iteration of the girl gang will be Black Canary (Dinah Lance), Huntress (Helena Bertinelli), Cassandra Cain, and Renee Montoya. The villain is supposedly a Batman comics villain who hasn't yet appeared on the big screen. No other casting has yet been announced. Birds Of Prey will be directed by Cathy Yan, and written by Christina Hodson. 

The Batman, the Matt Reeves-directed solo adventure, is still part of the DCEU plan (for now). However, it looks increasingly likely that Ben Affleck will not be playing the Caped Crusader in it. Whilst nothing official has been announced (which might change come this weekend), rumour has it that the film will focus on a younger Batman- and may contain The Penguin as the main villain. 

The Flash solo movie is still on the cards, with Spider-Man: Homecoming writers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein directing. Ezra Miller is still on to play Barry Allen and the rumours have it that the film will heavily adapt the Flashpoint storyline- where Barry creates a terrible alternate world when he tries to save his mother. Kiersey Clemons will make her debut as Iris West, after being cut from Justice League. 

OTHER NEWS

Warner Brothers and DC have confirmed that Joaquin Phoenix will play the Joker in an upcoming film directed by Todd Phillips. This will be a gritty 80s origin story, but is unconnected to the wider DCEU. 

Current DCEU Joker Jared Leto is, however, taking a role in an offshoot of the MCU. He's been cast as the lead in Morbius The Living Vampire, a spinoff from Spider-Man (so in the same vein as the upcoming Venom). Daniel Espinosa is slated to direct. 

Another spinoff from the Spider-Man universe will be Silver & Black, focusing on the characters of Black Cat (Felicia Hardy) and Silver Sable. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood is attached, although no casting or release date has yet been announced. 

X-Men spin-off Dark Phoenix has been pushed back to February 14th 2019, to allow for reshoots. Directed by Simon Kinberg, Dark Phoenix focuses on the young Jean Grey (Sophie Turner). Several members of the casts of the X-Men prequel trilogy (First Class, Days Of Future Past, and Apocalypse) will reprise their roles, with James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Alexandra Shipp, Tye Sheridan, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Evan Peters and Olivia Munn all coming back. 

They'll be joined by Oscar-nominated actress Jessica Chastain in a mystery role- but she's definitely not the alien empress Lilandra. 

Originally due April 2018, Josh Boone's New Mutants has also been pushed back to August 2nd 2019 (a second push-back from February 2019), not only to allow for reshoots, but to include a new character. Taking a more horror-themed route, the film will focus on a new generation of X-Men, to be played by Anya Taylor-Joy, Henry Zaga, Charlie Heaton, and Maisie Williams. 

I did say there was a lot to catch up on... No doubt there'll be much more to talk about once the dust settles from Comic-Con!

Review: Justice League (UK Cert 12A)

SPOILER WARNING! This review discusses and/or mentions a few important plot points. If you would prefer not to have these spoiled, please stop reading now and come back once you've seen the film.

After the death of Superman, the world seems to be a place without hope. When an alien threat arrives and places the planet in danger, Bruce Wayne (with the help of Diana Prince) decides to track down others with superpowers to help fight against this new foe. 

Predictably, general critical response to Justice League has been middling to poor. At the time of writing, it currently stands with a 41% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes (although, tellingly, an audience rating of 84%). Film is an artform, not a science. It's not something that often deals with facts (other than those concrete verifiables like box office receipts, cast and crew, any awards hype, and so on). It thrives on opinion. And that's all that film criticism is: it's someone's opinion. Art is ultimately subjective and the opinions of those of the viewing public- who pay to put their bums on seats and watch the film- are as valid as those of the professional critics.  

My opinion is this: I thought Justice League was a lot better than I feared it would be. 

So what's good? Well, the cast are pretty strong (although Affleck doesn't seem as comfortable here; more on that later). Of the new characters, it's Ezra Miller as Barry Allen/The Flash who comes off the best. Socially awkward, quite geeky, he takes to this brave new world of heroes like an enthusiastic puppy. He also gets a lot of the humour. He gets a particularly good scene opposite Ray Fisher as Victor Stone/Cyborg where they attempt to bond over digging up Superman's coffin. Fisher is decent as Cyborg, although the character feels less developed than the others. Jason Momoa is an imposing, charismatic presence as Arthur Curry/Aquaman and also gets a nice scene where he unwittingly gets a bit too close to the lasso of Hestia. 

Henry Cavill is as strong as he always has been in the role of Clark Kent/Superman. He obviously doesn't make an appearance until just after halfway through and his frenzied fight against the League is pretty impressive. Luckily, there's a deus ex machina to stop him from pummelling them into the dirt (and it isn't as ridiculous as the 'Martha' moment in Batman V Superman). Gal Gadot is assured and powerful as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. She's a de facto leader to the group and the film lifts whenever she's on screen. 

As for the supporting cast, generally strong although with such a large cast, some do get shortchanged. Amy Adams doesn't get much to do as Lois but she's good (although they've inexplicably cut the rather tender scene shown in the trailer where Clark mentions the ring). I did want to see more of J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon, although he did get a particularly good one-liner which I enjoyed. Jeremy Irons is still wonderful as Alfred whilst there's a nice cameo by Billy Crudup as Henry Allen (Barry's father). 

The slow-mo effects on The Flash are amusing (imagine the 'Time In A Bottle' sequence from X-Men: Days Of Future Past or the 'Sweet Dreams' bit in X-Men: Apocalypse and you're on the right track). Danny Elfman's score is powerful and positive and has a few nice little Easter Eggs for those who care to listen. The scene of Superman's resurrection is probably the best sequence in the film. Also, the lighting seems to have improved; there's not a lot of gloomy darkness and I could actually see what was going on most of the time. 

That's not to say the film is perfect. It's far from it. The script is uneven and occasionally very info-dumpy; it does have to properly introduce three new characters who the audience have only ever really seen in passing, but it all feels a bit clunky (especially Aquaman's little tete-a-tete with Mera). It would perhaps have made more sense to have had at least the Aquaman and Flash solo movies prior to the release of Justice League (to cut down on this). And just an FYI- London doesn't have city blocks!

Also tonally, the film is a bit of a mess- Joss Whedon's and Zack Snyder's directorial styles are very different and you can tell what's been added and what's been reshot (the farrago over Superman's CGI upper lip notwithstanding). It's why Ben Affleck feels a little less comfortable in the role than he did in Batman V Superman. There he was the tortured, brooding Batman; here, he's cracking wise. There's also an over-reliance on slow-mo (understandable when you're talking about The Flash, but it soon becomes wearying). 

However, my main complaint against the film is the villain, Steppenwolf. The CGI on him is massively shoddy (he looks like a mid-2000s Playstation character) and the motivation he's given is paper-thin. Plus, the curse of the DCEU strikes again with a massive CGI blow-out final battle which is difficult to keep track of. Bizarrely, it also feels like there's very little at stake: the human consequences of the alien invasion are pinned onto one Russian family who are barricaded into their home as the Parademons swarm. There's no jeopardy.

So yes, the film has its issues. Given the circumstances of Snyder having to withdraw due to a dreadful family tragedy then Warner Bros hiring Whedon to finish/reshoot the film, it was always going to have issues. But it's nowhere near as bad as some reviewers would have you believe. It is a superhero movie. It's two hours of- dare I say it?- fun. Not as good as Wonder Woman, but head-and-shoulders above both Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad. 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez

News From Comic-Con 2017

It wouldn't be July without a round-up of some of the big and interesting news coming out of this year's San Diego Comic-Con. Running from July 20th-23rd, it showcased some of the big upcoming events in the world of TV, film and entertainment.

At the DC Panel, the first order of business was an absolutely kickass new poster for Justice League, followed by an equally kickass new trailer:

It was announced that the upcoming Flash movie will now be called Flashpoint and will be based on Geoff Johns' 2011 comic book series which sees major repercussions in the DC universe due to Barry Allen saving his mother from being killed. This is a very interesting and quite ballsy move which will allow them to essentially press the reset button on DCEU so far (if they want to).  

Both Suicide Squad 2 and Shazam (without Dwayne Johnson as Black Adam) are due to start filming next year, whilst Joss Whedon will also start working on his Batgirl project in 2018 as well. Wonder Woman 2 is confirmed, with Geoff Johns already working on the script. Justice League Dark, Green Lantern Corps and The Batman (which WILL feature Ben Affleck as Batman, despite rumours to the contrary) make up the roster of DCEU films so far. 

There was no mention of the standalone Cyborg movie, Man Of Steel 2, Nightwing or Gotham City Sirens (the Harley Quinn/female villain spinoff) but there was new footage shown from Aquaman.

Marvel released several new posters, trailers, and pieces of concept art. The official poster and trailer for Thor: Ragnarok was dropped and looking absolutely epic:

New footage was also shown from Black Panther, featuring T'Challa and two of the Dora Milaje spying on someone in a casino. The footage also showed villains Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) and Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) in action. There was also a new teaser poster:

As well as a new teaser poster, several new cast members for Ant-Man And The Wasp were revealed. Joining Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, and Michael Douglas in the Ant-Man sequel will be Walton Goggins as Sonny Burch, Hannah John-Kamen as Ghost, Randall Park as Agent Jimmy Woo, Laurence Fishburne as Bill Foster/Giant-Man and erstwhile Catwoman Michelle Pfeiffer as Janet Van Dyne (Hank Pym's wife and the original Wasp). 

It's also been revealed that Captain Marvel will be set in the early 1990s (before the events of Iron Man). Samuel L. Jackson will be returning to the MCU as Nick Fury- but will be without the iconic eyepatch, as Fury still has both eyes at this point. It's also been revealed that Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) will be facing off against the Skrulls- an evil galactic race of shapeshifters.

There was no new footage from Avengers: Infinity War but the footage shown at the recent Disney D23 event was given another airing- to a rapturous reception. The footage has yet to be released officially (and we'll probably need to wait until Thor: Ragnarok for that). Although there is an interesting new three-part poster to advertise Infinity War which shows most of the heroes:

Away from the comic book franchises, there were new trailers for the upcoming Blade Runner 2049 (with Harrison Ford reprising his role as Rick Deckard, alongside Ryan Gosling and Jared Leto), Steven Spielberg's hotly-anticipated adaptation of Ernest Cline's cult novel Ready Player One, the remake of The Watcher In The Woods, The LEGO Ninjago Movie, Jigsaw (previously titled Saw: Legacy) and Kingsman: The Golden Circle:

In TV news, there were panels for The Walking Dead, Marvel's The Defenders (which featured a surprise appearance by Sigourney Weaver), Twin Peaks, Game Of Thrones, Westworld, Stranger Things, and Battlestar Galactica among others. At the Doctor Who panel, it was announced that Mark Gatiss will appear in the upcoming Christmas special (which will be both Steven Moffat and Peter Capaldi's final episode) with a superb trailer dropping shortly after which confirms the episode title as the rather magical Twice Upon A Time. 

There was also a special panel to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Yep. 20 years. Makes you feel old, doesn't it? OK, maybe just me.

So, as usual, a lot of exciting stuff coming our way in the next year or so!