At this point, it's easy to be laughed at for saying [insert upcoming post Man of Steel DCEU movie] will be the first GOOD DCEU movie. Can you blame anyone for reacting that way, though? I mean, Man of Steel was helmed to be the second coming of Batman Begins and was more the Watchmen of Superman films in the way it polarised audiences. Skeptics were dime a dozen in the lead up to BvS, but a lot of us were optimistic yelling "they're addressing the criticisms of Man of Steel!! They're No way they're gonna repeat their same mistakes." Only for BvS to make Man of Steel look like an innocent, adorable child with aspirations of it's own that in retrospect, you kinda feel sorry for. Then came Suicide Squad. I remember telling someone "no way in hell Suicide Squad will score less than BvS on RT. It can only get better from there." Only for the person to respond "there are no absolutes in awfulness" (hopefully, you know who you are. Don't remember your username, no disrespect). And Suicide Squad just proved itself to be the worst reviewed of the three.
Here we are again. People saying Wonder Woman will be the first GOOD DCEU installment, and others responding "you're out of your bloody mind. I refuse to disappoint myself once again." Which is why I don't take it lightly when I say that "guys... this is it. This will be the good DCEU film." When I say the good DCEU film, I don't necessarily mean an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes and people calling it the Dark Knight. I mean liked by people, and hopefully something above Man of Steel rating. This is it guys. Wonder Woman is it.
Why, though? Because Wonder Woman looks to be to be the better aspects of the DCEU dialed up to 11, and almost every bad aspect of the franchise made better. For instance, I already know Wonder Woman will be better than Suicide Squad based off the action. SS marketed itself as an action movie, yet I can't for the life of me remember a single good action sequence. Wonder Woman on the other hand, already has some money shots to boot:
In addition on emphasising great action, director Patty Jenkins is doing away with an issue that has plagued the DCEU since Zack Snyder made Man of Steel colorless. Now, Wonder Woman looks visually beautiful:
It would be fair to say that Wonder Woman is the least DCEU film thus far that is limited by obligations. This is as standalone as it gets. It's so standalone it's set in another decade from the rest of the DCEU. This means no email set ups, no need to set up over a dozen characters in hopes of the audience to latch onto one cough Suicide Squad cough. This is plainly a standalone film that needs only to concern itself with telling a compelling story of Diana Prince, and getting the audience to care for this ONE character.
Which brings me to my next, most important point. The DCEU's biggest problem bar none has been the characterisation. Argue that they're colorless, humourless, Eisenberg didn't know he wasn't playing a Joker etc. but the recurring problem in all 3 films is the writers neglecting good character development. Take MoS for an example. What could've been a story which details Kal-El's development throughout the movie and his motivation for saving people... startswith him saving people, and ends with him saving people. Picture Iron Man (2008) beginning with Tony Stark saving innocents from terrorists and being selfless, then ending with the same thing. What is a basic example of effective character development which got a generation of audiences invested in Iron Man would've been lost.
I'm doubtful Wonder Woman will result to non-linear storytelling, so we can watch the Diana Prince grow from a woman who wants to save the world, refusing to stand idle as innocent lives are at loss, into the lady who became exposed to the darkness of humanity.
"I used to want to save the world. This beautiful place. But the closer you get, the more you see the darkness within."
If Wonder Woman sets up motivation + growth + personality, which considering the likely linear storytelling and the promised arc of Diana's hope in humanity becoming a blip - the writers have no obligations but to explore that. It's for these reasons, I'm confident in Wonder Woman being the first GOOD DCEU movie.
Thanks for reading. Share your opinions below. If you've been burnt too much by the DCEU to be excited once again, that's understandable! If you've loved the DCEU so far, than good for you. If you think Marvel is paying off Rotten Tomatoes to give WB bad reviews, well, fun fact Friday: Rotten Tomatoes is owned by WB xD
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