The DCEU with a Firefly vibe?
While watching the latest trailer for Justice League, a thought kept popping into my head. It’s a silly thought in hindsight, but it’s one that I can’t shake.
Dark Avengers.
I say it’s silly because it’s baseless. Just because Joss Whedon, director of the first two Avengers movies, is directing here should mean nothing. The movie’s direction and tone were set by Zack Snyder long before he stepped down to deal with a family tragedy. In fact, Whedon stated that he wanted to keep everything intact with Zack Snyder’s original vision. So what I saw in the trailer should be exactly what was intended. This is Snyder’s vision, something everyone on set agrees with.
Yet there’s no denying that this latest trailer has a lot of Whedonesque touches in it. The dark atmosphere typical of DCEU movies is still present. The action scenes positively drip with the tight, epic cinematography that are hallmarks of a Snyder film. But there’s no denying that there is a lighter touch to the interactions between the Justice League members. That’s a staple of Whedon projects. He’s at his best when working with an ensemble cast. He’s credited as being one of the reasons The Avengers did so well. Of course, he personally took the blame for the sequel not doing as well. Not too many people disagreed with that sentiment.
I still can’t shake that feeling though. Maybe I’m just overthinking it. But watching how the heroes banter about gives me a vibe not present before. If it’s not Dark Avengers, maybe it’s Firefly in the DC Universe.
It could be the way the trailer was cut. There was more focus on the heroes, both in and out of costume. Those Whedon cues keep popping up. I got a kick out of Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and his antics. Yes, almost all of his lines that have been shown are succinct and reaching one-liner status. But I can’t deny that watching him chuck his trident at parademons while airborne. will never get old for me. And watching him interact with Cyborg (Ray Fisher) when he’s copping a ride makes the unbelievably serious Cyborg makes him seem just a fraction lighter in tone.
The almost-cringy immaturity of the Flash (Ezra Miller) grates on me, but then I seem him zip by the Batmobile and I feel giddy. Flash’s goofiness is in very stark contrast to Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), who seem grimmer. But seeing them dealing with all these antics like field trip chaperones is pretty cool as well.
The cut also keeps up the tension in one way: still no Superman (Henry Cavill). This is a Justice League movie, and Supes pretty much has to be in it. But Warner Bros. has been playing it very cool so far. There’s none of the anti-climax that was Doomsday in the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer. His appearance thus far has been in the beginning of this trailer via a Lois Lane (Amy Adams) dream sequence. Superman rejoining the Justice League is a big deal, and they’re assuring that in the trailer.
They’ve also kept Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) mostly out of sight. In this trailer, there’s more of the invasion in Themiscyra, but not much more. A battle where he knocks Wonder Woman over shows a brief glimpse. But he’s not present for the majority of the trailer. I feel that’s good as well. Leave the full reveal of Steppenwolf for the movie’s release. That way, there’ll be more anticipation.
In fact, I feel more optimistic about Justice League after the latest trailer and anticipate it more. Yes, it’s just a trailer. But this trailer finally set the wheels turning in my head. November 17th is fast approaching, and I think this trailer is exactly what I needed to get my ass in a theater seat on that day.
