I think that part of the reason that Marvel’s been succeeding in these movies in general and this series in particular is that they’ve internalized that these are comic book movies. And that’s not just in the plots or the characterizations, either: the colors are kind of important, too. Compare the Guardians of the Galaxy 2 palette…
…to that of Batman v Superman:
Quick: which comic book movie franchise remembers that they used to publish stuff in four-color format? Also: which comic book movie franchise is currently kicking the other one’s rear at the box office? The two answers are not entirely unrelated.
I still don’t understand how there’s people out there who like DC movies over Marvel movies. Do you understand why?
Because there are people who don’t like comic books. I think it really is as simple as that.
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What I don’t get is how DC can do all these wonderful TV shows that just absolutely nail the appeal, and then turn around and make all these movies that entirely miss the point.
No, I’m talking about people who hold the DCEU movies up as better than MCU movies. I know Hollywood hates comic book movies of all kinds. However there is a small, but noisy, group of online critics who despise everything MCU and think DCEU is better (The Dark Knight Trilogy is good, but that isn’t DCEU cannon). It’s rather annoying, because they are wrong. The MCU may have a villain problem, but I think the hero is more important than the villains myself.
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That’s because WB learned the absolute wrong lesson from The Dark Knight Trilogy. Batman is supposed to be dark and brooding, not Superman or Wonder Woman.
That’s exactly what I’m talking about.
Someone who hates comic books will not like a movie derived from comic books that respects the source material. And will hold that the movie subverting the source is preferable.
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(See also: Starship Troopers)
Well, the mainline DCEU characters started off as being a bit more iconic than MCU’s: after all, the MCU didn’t start off with having X-Men, FF, or freaking Spider-Man to play with. We all want to see GOOD Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman movies. That hope may fuel a certain rose-colored vision.
Nope, but there hasn’t been a good non-Batman DC movie in a long time. About the best that’s been managed is a small degree of mindless fun. Though Wonder Woman and Justice League have good trailers at least…
Gah. I loathe Fleetwood Mac.
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The movie looks great, though.
And yet DC is kicking Marvel’s rear in actual comic book sales, go figure. I think it comes down to respecting the core of the characters and not thinking that you as the writer and/or director know better and fundamentally changes the character.
This.
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Thor being female, and Captain America being Hydra are prime examples.
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As is Superman being a utilitarian in the movie.
I can forgive Female Thor in a way that I can’t Hydra Cap. The walking stick goes to who it goes; it’s not inconceivable that, over the centuries, a woman might have picked it up. But GO TO HELL MARVEL CAPTAIN AMERICA IS NOT A HYDRA AGENT.
DC is also kicking Marvel’s rear on the small screen too (except the Netflix series rocks).
That’s the annoying bit, isn’t it? DC’s TV department clearly has an idea of what is what. Why can’t they port that over?
Continuity.
There’s a larger difference in tone and power level between DC properties than between Marvel properties. A storyline for Superman has limited room for the Green Arrow. (And vice versa.)
Take Lex Luthor, Superman nemesis extraordinare. In the modern incarnation, he’s a super intelligent multimillionaire industrialist who is risking everything as a vigilante to counter what he sees as an existential threat to humanity. There’s not much there for Batman to even mildly disagree with. Any time Batman shows up in the storyline, Lex has to become much less interesting lest the “not so different” slap the audience across the face.
Likewise, Joker is hardly compelling when you’re invulnerable, can hear everything he says, watch him through walls, move faster than he can possibly react, all your loved ones are far away, etc. At best, it’s a curbstomp of a forgettable villain.
DC’s TV shows work because they follow one hero with an occasional cross-over event when appropriate, or they’re an ensemble where the right characters for the story can take the spotlight, or fade into the background as required (as an extreme example, two of the most popular episodes of Justice League Unlimited featured The Question and Booster Gold as protagonists.)
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The second reason is simply control. Marvel has complete control. DC doesn’t. Ignoring the movies, Young Justice was a breakout hit for DC (for good reason, I must add). Millions loved it. Cartoon Network cancelled it after two seasons because it was attracting an older demographic than what their advertisers were targeting.