Man of Steel opened up this last weekend with mixed reviews from both critics and fanboys alike. Though the majority of those mixed reviews leaned towards the movie being "good" the real concern isn't a sequel, but if there will be a DC movie universe. See Warner Bros. promised that if it did well a Justice League movie based in the universe that the Man of Steel created would be launched. So you might forgive us super nerds if we're on the edge of our seats right now!
Justice League is the Avengers of the DC comic universe. Where as the Avengers have all the Marvel comic greats like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America, Justice League has Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. So just as every Marvel comic fan out there dreamed of seeing an Avengers movie hit the big screen, DC comic fans stand jealous due to the lack of big screen movie love of their favorite super hero team.
Even though Man of Steel opened to $125 million, even though the suits at Warner Bros. have already green lighted a direct sequel, there is no guarantee that a Justice League movie will reach the big screen. Variety magazine had an interview with Warner Bros' Jeff Robinov in which he says, "stakes are high for 'Man of Steel.' Other than Nolan's Batpics, Warners has not been able to effectively exploit the DC library."
Why Avengers Works and Justice League doesn't
The biggest problem DC has going against them is that their super heroes are too big. The Avengers worked so well because characters like Iron Man, Thor, and Captain America aren't nearly as well known as characters like Superman and Batman. As such the Avengers had the ability to introduce these characters in such a way that would work for the big screen, and as a team. When Batman and Superman step into the theater the screen can barely introduce their story in such a way that doesn't step on the toes of fans' expectations. Audiences think of these DC heroes as the center of the world so how will they share screen time with one another?
People just come into Marvel movies with less expectations than DC movies. When I walked into Man of Steel for the first time this weekend I wanted to walk out feeling that my faith in humanity was restored. Am I insane? This is a movie, a form of entertainment, not church! But when I walked into Iron Man 3 earlier this summer I didn't care what the film was about as long as I had fun and "nerded out."
Managing Expectations
If we're going to have a Justice League film we need to simply manage our expectations. The second time I saw Man of Steel this weekend I did a better job of managing my expectations. I lowered them to, "accept the film for what it was." I decided to view the film without the hype driven expectations. When I did that I saw an epic sci-fi film that happened to have Superman. I saw a film that contained themes of doubt, and testing family values. So if we want a Justice League film the first thing we need to do is lower our expectations, because bringing our fanboy, super nerd, requirements is not going to help us enjoy the film.
About Today's Contributor:
Austin Faux is a super nerd who loves Star Wars, Star Trek, Red Dwarf, James Bond, Batman, X-Men, you name it, if it's nerdy I love it. You can listen to Austin on his nerd podcast and follow him on his Facebook page or Twitter @IamASuperNerd49
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