Earlier this week, one of our readers submitted a Collider Mail Bag question: “Why are people very critical of DC movies?” While she concededBatman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeandSuicide Squadhad “many flaws,” she deemed both of them “fun” films before consideringThor: The Dark World, not one of Marvel’s best but was still given a pass by fans and critics.
It’s a legitimate question, though perhaps a more accurate one should be, “Why are people biased against DC movies?”
Sure, these films broke box-office records, andSuicide Squadearned the top spot in its first couple weeks. But, much likeBvS, it too experienced a massive dip (about a 79% drop in revenue) during the second week. Was it negative word of mouth that changed this tune? Were these films actually that bad? Was it bias? Perhaps it was a little bit of all three.
These films were already going to make money from their premieres because people were excited to see these characters on the big screen: one was the first time DC’s Holy Trinity came together in a live-action feature, and the other brought with it Task Force X (including fan-favorite Harley Quinn and a new Joker). Hence, an overwhelming amount of pre-ticket sales. But it’s hard to ignore the quality of what was shown.
From filmmaking and storytelling standpoints, two out of the three DC Extended Universe movies suffered from poor editing and focus.BvSfelt like watching a 151-minute-long trailer, uncomfortably cutting from scene to scene while throwing out a lot of material (Luthor, Batman fighting Superman, Easter eggs, Wonder Woman,Man of Steelfallout, Doomsday, kryptonite, etc.) — andSuicide Squadwas literally re-edited by a company that makes movie trailers. From a fan standpoint, these character interpretations were not the ones we grew up reading in the comics. I’ve asked a lot of Superman purists and most of them — even the ones who did likeMan of Steel— are firm in their stance that this alien who laid waste to Metropolis and put a terrorist through a brick wall is not Kal-El. Similar discussions are being had over Batfleck and his kill count, and the darker tone.
That said, I do remember sitting in a screening forBvS, and someone next to me said something along the lines of, “We know this movie is going to be bad. I’m just seeing it to see it.” Whether it wasZack Snyder’s original vision for Superman inMan of Steelor what, there seems to be some level of hostility towards the franchise, which brings back that Collider Mail Bag question.
Collider’sSinead De Vriestheorized it’s because we have something drastically better to compare it to:Captain America: Civil War. Marvel adapted one of the most riveting, exciting pieces of the comics for a smackdown between Team Cap and Team Iron Man. It was fan porn at its finest. It was also essentially the same concept behindBvS, which came out a few months earlier: two iconic superheroes fighting each other because of idealogical differences.
The only problem was, again, Marvel executed it better. The home of the Avengers is at a point where it’s reaping the benefits of all the groundwork laid out beginning with the firstIron Man, but I think the keys to understanding why audiences tend to rally behind Marvel and not DC in terms of these movies are, as the reader question brought up, the Thor movies.
Chris Hemsworthdebuted as the Asgardian Avenger in 2011, the same year of the first Captain America movie. It was also the year Team DC suffered a massive blow with the debut ofGreen Lantern, which fans andRyan Reynoldsstill talk about to this day.Thorwasn’t an exceptional movie, but it succeeded because it (A) stuck to the Marvel formula, (B) featured something we’ve never seen before, a myth-based superhero movie and the cosmic world of Asgard, and (C) kept things fun and comic book based.
At the time, we only hadIron Man(hit),The Incredible Hulk(miss), andIron Man 2(miss). WhenCaptain Americadebut later that year in June, its success prompted audiences to adjust their expectations of what a superhero movie could be. ThenThe Avengerscame along, and that became the new standard.Thor: The Dark Worldwasn’t exceptional either, but it hit similar beats in this now post-Avengersworld. WhenCaptain America: The Winter SoldierandGuardians of the Galaxy, two of Marvel’s best, came along, they changed the game again.
Now, we’re living in the golden age of superhero movies with films likeCaptain America: Civil War, a diversified slate fromBlack PanthertoCaptain Marvel, and the prospect ofAvengers: Infinity War. These have upped the ante considerably, which is why when we don’t see the same from DC, we’re quick to poo poo the films. I wouldn’t agree with the Collider reader when she theorized that if Thor were hypothetically within the DC wheelhouse, fans would be more quick to bash the films. I would say, however, that ifBvScame out during 2005 alongside the firstFantastic Four, more people would have found more joy in it merely for the fact that we didn’t know any better at the time.
Also working against DC is theDark Knighttrilogy, which still casts its shadow over the Extended Universe Warner Bros. are trying to create. The studio is now scrambling to infuse humor intoJustice League, a funny thought considering they produced probably the most successful darker-tinged superhero movies of all time. Again,Zack Snyderdidn’t execute the tone and story better thanChristopher Nolan.
Are people harsher with DC than Marvel? I’d say so, but it’s only because we’ve conditioned our palettes a certain way by feasting on high-quality offerings. When we’re then presented with something that doesn’t taste as good, that we can’t savor, that doesn’t make us want more, it’s easy to spit out, because we know there are far better selections on the menu.
