What DC Films NEED

[Ωmega Man Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Ωmega Man]

Everybody has their own opinions on what the DC films need, but I'd like to know what everyone thinks is the most important things to fix about the extended DC film universe. Are there actors attached to roles you don't care for? A particular hero or two you'd like to see sooner than later? Maybe instead of all of these Batman movie spin offs DC/WB should think about the rest of the universe first?

IMHO I think *most* of the characters are too basic, and that leads into the plots looking a little bit off. And for the most part they're basic in ways that makes them differ quite a bit from the comics. Sure, a more barbarian/street type of Aquaman MIGHT work for film... but I felt Mamoa was basically just playing himself with a trident. And the pacing and general plot of most of the films [remember, we're five in now...] is barely there. Superhero films have got to break the mold at some point and quit being the origins for the characters and their enemies. A good story, or anything besides the mediocre stuff we've been getting, would certainly go a long way...

~//V\\~

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

For me, more Donner and less Snyder. That is, I feel like they should emphasize the comic book qualities. Less grim and gritty. Less stylized coolness (slow-mo, pounding music) and more fun absurdity.

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker Moisture Farmer Find all posts View Profile Close Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

Less colorful Snyder explosion energy effects. That took me out of the end of WW for what was a pretty enjoyable ride to that point. Get rid of anything that looks like Snyder inspired it actually.

Dump everything they have with their Flash and start over. Get rid of the actor, get a new costume, and rewrite his personality. The Flash shouldn't be the young kid providing the humor. Make him like the comic book version; the JL move doesn't even resemble Barry Allen. Barry Allen is like the Steve Rogers of the DCU. He can be funny but he's not intentionally funny or a clown. He's probably one of the more serious characters. Let the humor come from Cyborg and some from Hal.

I agree about Mamoa. He looks cool and is likeable, but he is only playing Mamoa. Nothing at all like Aquaman.

If you have to recast Batman, bite the bullet and do it NOW. Find an actor who will stick around if Affleck wants out. Get a new Alfred that is closer to the comic.

Bring Martian Manhunter. I feel like Martian Manhunter would be a perfect place to add the racial diversity that DC needs by having a black or Asian actor play him, part of his story is he has secret identities all over the world so he can sample human life. John Jones the white detective was just one of them and was one of the best retcons Ostrander could have added to the mythos.

Hal Jordan needs to be in the next movie. He should have been in this one. Let him provide some of the humor, and he can bounce off a more serious Barry Allen like a buddy cop duo.

Make a story that needs to be told, a vililan with a motivation that makes sense.

Good editing. These things needs to stop looking like half of it ended up on the cutting room floor and was fixed by someone trying to take it from the shithouse to the penthouse. Stop making multimillion dollar movies using people that can't make good movies. The villain shouldn't be just added to the end with pretty explosions and expect people to give a shit.

Recast Lex Luthor NOW. That little pussy turd of a kid is no Lex Luthor. Hire a smarmy actor who is age appropriate can pull off the role like a Billy Zane.

[Ωmega Man Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Ωmega Man]

I've wanted Billy Zane as Lex since the Superman TAS days.

I think what will likely happen is we'll see Aquaman, and probably Batman... those will still happen because A-Man is already done filming or close to it, and Batman has got that badass director attached. Might even get a WW sequel. Flash/Flashpoint will probably move and come sooner than later so they can fix the universe.

After that they could tie this new DCEU to the old one with a couple familiar faces [Caville and Gadot] and recast others and/or jump to a different point in their histories.... like get a younger Batman to replace Afleck, and hire Charlie Hunnam to play either Aquaman or the Flash [because at least he's blonde] and put a little more experience and confidence into one of the characters.

After putting the original universe to bed, I'd start the new one with Justice League Unlimited and have a few more characters introduced throughout the film and let them face a threat like Brainiac. HQ would get her own flick, but instead of all of the other Batman spin offs... I'd rather see something done with the Outsiders and Batman.

~//V\\~

[Mister.Weirdo Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Mister.Weirdo]

Billy Zane is too much of a "pipe dream" at this point to play Lex Luthor, lol.

Honestly at this point I think WB / DC should focus more on solo-films, going straight from MOS to BVS is looking more and more like it was a major mistake. They should have build up the DCEU much more gradually. Also try to vary the films more. Wonder Woman worked because the character actually felt like a real hero. The rest of these DC films fail because they don't seem to have any idea what they want to be.

Also if Aquaman is a failure (don't fail me wan), then they might as well start from scratch again. I guess it's better then nothing though.

[Noct Sinestro's Sparring Partner Find all posts View Profile Close Noct]

I think DC should:

1 Make an exclusive deal with Netflix now that Marvel is on the way out for their own Disney service. This is your moment DC this opportunity is been delivered to you in a silver plate.


2 Fire Geoff Johns or never let him near a media that is not comics. I get he is the DC Bendis...wait.


3 Reboot the DCEU in another form. The DC Extended Universe was dead on arrival its clear now more than ever. DC movies are not “dark” they are just depresive in a bad way and I love depresive films. The box office is Marvel territory the sooner DC and everyone else accept it the better so DC can try something different. The public perception of DC movies and superhero fatige are at the worst place right now. Some of my friends where still thinking the Green Lantern movie was part of DCEU. Let that sink in.


3 Do an epic HBO or Netflix series of the production size of Stranger Things or GoT.

4 Create a Pixar/Dreamworks style DC universe if they really want the kids to like DC or an anime a la DBZ (like, who isnt fan of DBZ?)


Or just sell their DC characters to someone who knows how to use them. Preferably not Disney or the will literally rule the world. Im thinking Netflix or HBO or even Sony... I mean they did made the first and best superhero movies with Sam Raimi after all (and I hate spiderman) those are arguably the ones who started the whole modern superhero genre.

[Darth_Andrea Owned by Natu Find all posts View Profile Close Darth_Andrea]

DC Movies need 4 things, 1st a central "Story Group" to sit down and map out each series of films leading to their large group movies. Yes I'm talking about the way Marvel does it, it apparently works.

2nd they need to stop letting their writers and directors run away from the material. Over the last 15 years their movies, Batman Begins and that trilogy, Man Of Steel, Batman V Superman and Justice League have all tried it's damnedest to ignore the things about the material and characters that causes people to love the comics. The over all world of the DC Universe, as shown very clearly in the Arrowverse on Television is weird quirky and generally full of absurdities. The movies ignore that trying to be Real Dark and Gritty grounded in a so called Reality.

3rd Stop the "Dark And Gritty" it ruins other wise good movie concepts. Man Of Steel if it wasn't trying to show a EMO Superman could have been great. But the over all tone of the movie was just terrible. Where was the color where was the bright vibrant city of Metropolis? Superman and his setting are supposed to invoke hope and a prospect of the future, not moody emo men in tights fighting in a 9/11 analog location. Speaking of which, I'm so seriously over 9/11 analogs in movies. Every damned movie has skyscrapers being destroyed trying to invoke that imagery and emotion. And it's pissing me off.

4th COLOR, Wonder Woman was the most colorful movie released to date. And it's clear from the disgusting look of Justice League Snyder filmed it with lighting designed to mute the colors. While Whedon brought many of the colors back up in grading during post and its obvious massively obvious as often the backgrounds clash with the characters and foregrounds and it often made the separation between set and CG quite obvious. If filmed in a way so that having the suits pop, color wise, was done from the start those kinds of issue will not happen and will make the movies so much better.

Lets face it, WB hasn't made a exceptional super hero movie since Christopher Reeves Superman 1 and 2. They have come close Micheal Keaton's Batman movies were close but they have gone so far down hill since then that it's likely they will drop the whole thing before long. At least until they need to reaffirm their rights.

That's my two cents on the topic have at my points .. people keep telling me I'm wrong, and yet everything I've pointed out WB is doing wrong is exactly what Marvel has been doing right. So I don't see how I'm wrong, but I'll listen and argue ..



Darth_Andrea

["Chosen" NOT his black friend Find all posts View Profile Close "Chosen"]

For me, more Donner and less Snyder. That is, I feel like they should emphasize the comic book qualities. Less grim and gritty. Less stylized coolness (slow-mo, pounding music) and more fun absurdity.

God no.

They tried that with Superman Returns and that movie is a huge sleeping pill. I can't go back and watch the original Superman movies either, they haven't aged well to me. Now if you mean fun in the way of Batman '89, that I can do.

["Chosen" NOT his black friend Find all posts View Profile Close "Chosen"]

This is what DC needs.

WB needs to let the directors director and the writers write. Plan and simple. Every movie, minus Wonder Woman, has had rumors of WB interference and you see where that has gotten them.

For everyone blaming Johns for this, I get it, you don't like Johns. But how is he responsible for the rewrites, bring in Whedon for the reshoots, WB cutting out 40 minutes of JL, forcing humor into the movies, releasing the theatrical cut of BVS instead of the 3hr version of the movie that was vastly superior... the problem with DC Movies is WB. Plain and simple.

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

God no.

They tried that with Superman Returns and that movie is a huge sleeping pill. I can't go back and watch the original Superman movies either, they haven't aged well to me. Now if you mean fun in the way of Batman '89, that I can do.

The humor in #2 hasn't aged well, but I still rank the Donner movies as my top favorite comic movies. No other cape movie moves me like see Reeve reveal the symbol and Williams score swell. And the Kryptonian battle in #2 is still my favorite hero vs villain battle.

But I love Burton's Batman too. It's in my top five or so and my second favorite Batman movie.

That's just my taste, though. I don't have much of a modern sensibility.

[Big Daddy Dave Skywalker Moisture Farmer Find all posts View Profile Close Big Daddy Dave Skywalker]

I can't sit through any of those 4 Batman movies. God awful. Even the first two that Burton did, I can't sit through.

IMO (and yes this just one opinion), the best DC movies WB has made are:

The Dark Knight
Superman
V For Vendetta
Wonder Woman
Batman Begins
Superman II
Watchmen

To me, those 7 are the only DC moves WB has made that are any good.

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

I struggled watching the Nolan films the last time I did see them so we're in opposite boats there. The tone of those just doesn't work for me anymore (it never did with #3). The more I look at it now, the more Nolan feels like a gimmicky director. Dunkirk was a decent story ruined for me by the Tarantino-style dischronology.

[Mister.Weirdo Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Mister.Weirdo]

I don't see Nolan as a gimmicky direct. He just likes using big budgets and more practicals to their fullest. Honestly it works great for me, and the use of the "unconventional three story narrative" in Dunkirk I'll admit I quite liked too. Sometimes his style is maybe a bit too much, but hey he's successful with it, so I can't fault for him wanting to do, what he wants to do.

[Space Cop The Dandy Find all posts View Profile Close Space Cop]

I don't see Nolan as a gimmicky direct. He just likes using big budgets and more practicals to their fullest. Honestly it works great for me, and the use of the "unconventional three story narrative" in Dunkirk I'll admit I quite liked too. Sometimes his style is maybe a bit too much, but hey he's successful with it, so I can't fault for him wanting to do, what he wants to do.

That was probably too harsh since this is more my gut reaction. I should say that he's a technically proficient director (in other words he's no hack) and I do get why he is popular with critics and fans. I think by gimmicky I was just thinking that he seems to often have a slant to his movies that seems to be crucial to the whole thing---Memento's backward timeline; Dunkirk's overlapping timeline; Inception's cliff hanger. It feels to me like he's uncomfortable with just relying on a strong three-act movie. I feel like he could do that (arguably he has in Batman, but comic movies come with their own baggage). Maybe that's my problem; I see more potential there.

[Mister.Weirdo Guardian of the Universe Find all posts View Profile Close Mister.Weirdo]

That was probably too harsh since this is more my gut reaction. I should say that he's a technically proficient director (in other words he's no hack) and I do get why he is popular with critics and fans. I think by gimmicky I was just thinking that he seems to often have a slant to his movies that seems to be crucial to the whole thing---Memento's backward timeline; Dunkirk's overlapping timeline; Inception's cliff hanger. It feels to me like he's uncomfortable with just relying on a strong three-act movie. I feel like he could do that (arguably he has in Batman, but comic movies come with their own baggage). Maybe that's my problem; I see more potential there.

Well Interstellar had a pretty simple three act structure, even if it was a high "science-fiction film". I don't think Nolan has anything against doing a normal stories, I just assume he probably likes experimenting with different filmmaking techniques, which I can't really fault him for. I would like to see him do a smaller film again, though I understand he's enjoying the big-budget ability as long as he can.