Marvel Studios has changed change the face of movie making. They have taken what was only done in comics and later on TV and brought it to the big screen. They’ve created a sustainable universe of individual yet interconnected movie franchises with an overarching storyline that brings them all together. With live action movies, no less. With massive success!
Now, DC wants to create their own cinematic universe and the first true installment comes out this year. No Man of Steel doesn’t count. Sit down, I’ll explain.
When Marvel decided to make a Cinematic Universe, they went in with a plan. Ironman was the first, though at first it seemed to be a standalone movie. Then the post-credit scene happened. OMG, Nick Fury, The Avengers! Are they really doing it?! Then came The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America. Each time being a good standalone movie but hinting at a bigger universe in the post-credits. Then finally, the Avengers.
There’s something to be said for the slow build up. Like foreplay. Plenty of excitement along the way, then the big climax. DC, it seems, is trying a different approach. Fumbling around with the condom before going right to the main event. The condom in this analogy being the Man of Steel.
prevent “Superman Returns”
You see, Man of steel was originally meant to be a standalone franchise, a la, Nolan’s Dark Knight series. Same as they’ve always done. Suddenly, more than 5 years after Ironman’s release but after Man of Steel was in the can, someone said “Hey, let’s do that, too.” But they had one important thing to figure out. Where to start.
The first obvious answer was to reboot everything and start fresh but they’d just released this new Superman origin story and no one wants that again so soon. So they decide to build on what’s there. Start with Superman. The premise is a pretty good one. The world reacts to Zod’s aftermath. The rise of new heroes begins. We get to see new heroes climb up from the ashes of devastation to help their neighborhoods and the world, at large. We can see each individual story of their growth into iconic beings before some new global threat brings them together as the Justice League, allowing us to know them and grow with them.
Say what now?
You say the first DCCU movie has an old Batman thrown together with Superman and Wonderwoman. OK, well Marvel took 4 years before we saw Avengers, Maybe this will introduce them and then we’ll get to see some of the other Justice Leaguers in their own films before the big JL movie.
Huh? Say that again?
Justice League comes out next year?
You’re Lying!
Really?
Wow. I guess there’s no patience there. DC’s really rushing in like some over-eager virgin.
To be fair, Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman are both slated to come out before Justice League but honestly, it’s not enough. Suicide Squad feels like a side story with little to do with the buildup to JL (though I could be wrong as we still know very little about the plot). Wonder Woman is likely to be an origin story. Or not. I hope it is though. We need a movie that can establish this universe instead of throwing us into it and telling us to figure it out.
Of course DC could be responding to the recent outcries of “NO MORE REBOOTS”, but I think that would be a misinterpretation of why people are so frustrated. Marvel, lately, has been proving that origin stories can work. We just need new stories. We’re sick of seeing the same 5 heroes get rebooted over and over. Cyborg, Flash, Green Lantern (a good one), These are movies I would have liked to have seen before the JL Movie.
Well, it’s already too late. The virgin is in the hotel room with his prom date (read: us moviegoers). Might as well get it over with and see how it turns out. Who knows. We might even enjoy it.
