Comparing the DCEU now to where it was just two years ago, things are very different. This is largely due to the absence of Zack Snyder, who was originally going to be central to the cinematic universe going forward. Nowadays, things are vastly different. While many weren’t fans of his work on DC films, others swear by it. Today, we’ll be looking at ten things that he did right, along with ten that could have been better. Let’s get into it.
Right: A Different Tone From Marvel
Zack Synder wanted something different for DC in the beginning. He wanted the films to have a much darker tone than Marvel’s superhero movies, and that’s totally a fine idea. Some might argue that things got a bit too brooding and angsty, sure, but either way, it was a smart idea to have DC differentiate itself from Marvel’s films as much as possible. The execution of that idea, though, is certainly questionable.
Wrong: Wonder Woman Giving Up On Humanity
In Batman V Superman, it is explained that Wonder Woman was so unknown due to the fact that she had somewhat given up on humanity 100 years ago. This, wasn’t the best take on the hero, as she is devoted to making the world a better place, and would never give up on humanity so easily. This eventually got retconned in a sense, so clearly Gal Gadot and the Wonder Woman team didn’t agree with this choice for Wonder Woman. She simply wouldn’t ever turn her back on the world like that.
Right: Jason Mamoa’s Aquaman
The choice of Jason Mamoa playing Aquaman was one that confused many, and that’s reasonable. He isn’t at all the clean-cut, blonde hero that we’re used to seeing. He’s completely different.
However, that’s what made this incarnation of Aquaman (or, “Aquabro” as he was dubbed) so special. He was a 100% different take on the character that had never been seen before. This made Aquaman stick out, in a great way. It also helped the Aquaman film turn out to be the smash hit that it ended up as. Considering the middling success that the DCEU was having before the film, this was a huge win. Jason Mamoa was a big part of that success.
Wrong: Steppenwolf
If you’re looking for a class on how to make an incredibly bland superhero villain, take Prof. Steppenwolf’s class. In the era of villains like Killmonger and Thanos, Justice League had Steppenwolf, a CGI mess that seemed to only have one goal, taking over the entire world. Ugh. This just… it wasn’t great. Steppenwolf was so boring a two-dimensional that it really took away from the film. If Justice Leauge actually had a good villain, many of its problems could have been avoided. Not all, but many.
Right: Leaving Wonder Woman To Patty Jenkins
During Snyder’s tenure at Warner Bros., there were a few films that didn’t feature him at the helm of production, with one of those films being Wonder Woman. Snyder’s choice to hand the directing reigns over to Patty Jenkins for the movie was a terrific choice.
Wonder Woman was and is to this day the highest-rated film in the entire DCEU lineup. It also had unprecedented commercial success, too. It seems like one of Synder’s best decisions during his time with DC films was actually to just step away.
Wrong: Justice League So Soon
Justice League had a plethora of different problems, and one of them was the fact that only Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman had been featured in their own films at this point. Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash were completely new to viewers (save for a few cameos).
This, was not a great idea. There should have probably been a few more solo movies before we put everyone together. Even then, Superman is pretty much the only character who can get anything done in this movie, which is a completely separate issue that we don’t have time to get into at the moment.
Right: The Costumes
The costume design from the new movies is another highlight. While these costumes obviously weren’t handcrafted by Zack Snyder, a lot of work was still put in by him, and all of the final costumes were finalized under his eye. Most of the costumes are somewhat muted (that’s no surprise) from their usual designs, yet they do still really pop on screen. They’re subtle, but still just as powerful as they’ve always been.
Wrong: Martha
Yeah, we had to at least throw this one in here. The crux of Batman V Superman’s namesake was all ended once a very wounded Superman started whining about Martha… you know what, you know this story. This just had to be mentioned. The fact that we were finally going to see Batman and Superman go at it… and that is how they chose to end it? Goodbye.
Right: Wonder Woman’s Intro
Say what you want about that movie, but you can’t deny how incredible it was to see Wonder Woman in a live-action film for the first time. The way she dropped into the battle in full armor to save Batman… OOF! Incredible. It was such a powerful entrance, and Wonder Woman deserves all of the fanfare. This was one of the best parts of the entire film, and seeing the trinity take on Doomsday together was simply magical.
Wrong: Batman Killing People
Batman… kills people in Batman V Superman. That’s is so very anti-Batman. That’s the entire antithesis of his entire character. Sure, Zack Snyder was going for a darker tone in the films, but this was far too dark. It just doesn’t make sense for the character. This was truly one of the worst parts of the film, and contributed to the massive rework that went into Justice League after the mediocre reception of Batman V Superman. Such a shame that it all went down in flames. Well… Snyder Cut anyone?
