In the film, Marv refers to his pistol as “Gladys”. We find out why he calls it Gladys in the graphic novel “The Hard Goodbye” and the Extended Version of the film. In a scene where Marv sneaks into his mother’s apartment to get his gun, he explains in the narration that he named the gun after one of the nuns who taught him at school. And that the gun has, “almost lived up to the name”.
So far the films released by the DC cinematic universe are either a hit or miss. Fans either love them or they hate them. Probably the most poignant example so far of the series with an outcome like this was the film “Suicide Squad”. In spite of having the lowest box office income of any of the DC film so far, Justice league has a similar result as far as the fans are concerned. Bear in mind that this is still just an introduction story and so not all things the fans would like to see what happen within this film . In spite of how people felt about it, I personally feel that this film get some things right.
WARNING
!!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
1. Character Arcs
One thing that Justice league did excellently, were the character arcs presented for the film’s particular storyline. It actually makes enough room in the storytelling for each character to have a short enough development to not make them or the film too dull. From Superman’s resurrection, Batman learning how to work with the team, Wonder Woman make yourself known to the world, Cyborg rediscovering his humanity, the Flash learn to interact with others, and Aquaman becoming less stubborn. Writing like this in the story with multiple heroes is not easy, but this film actually did it pretty well.
2. Further introductions to.the DC Universe.
Justice League, being an introduction story, further expands the DC Universe, bringing more familiar characters. Besides Jeremy Irons’ return as Alfred Pennyworth, and Diane Lane as Martha Kent, another familiar face from the Batman mythology is J.K. Simmons’ first appearance as Commissioner Gordon as well as Joe Manganiello making a cameo appearance as Deathstroke.
3. The film’s length.
At just short of 2 hours long, Justice League is the shortest film in the DC Cinematic Universe so far. This creates a swiftness in plot that allows for both the characters and for the action to be entertaining, without being too overbearing. In short, in keeps the film from being boring.
4. No more Aquaman jokes.
Jason Momoa’s first official appearance as Aquaman has given the comic character a much needed revitalization. For years, Aquaman has been the butt of many comic jokes, but it’s not the case anymore. Great introduction to the character, and a good performance from Momoa. This leading into the Aquaman solo film coming soon.
5. Steppenwolf
In choosing to have a not so well-known comic book villain as the primary villain for this movie. It actually aids in the further character development of this films multiple protagonists. What are the flaws of superhero films in the past is that if they have a villain who is very popular it can overshadow the hero, or even become more popular to a point . Much like Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker in the infamous 2008 film “The Dark Knight.” One of the advantages of Steppenwolf as the main villain, is that we’re not interested in his backstory. We’re not interested in his character development, we’re only interested in his motivations and how he goes about them. This allows for a much easier flow of the storytelling.
At long last the DC Cinematic Universe has given us the origin story we’ve all been waiting for. First came “Man of Steel” then the sequel “Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice” and then the film “Suicide Squad”. It’s fairly obvious, even to non comic book film fans, the DC cinematic universe was going down dark terrain, especially with the previous film release . But Gal Gadot’s introduction as the infamous Wonder Woman in the film Dawn of Justice, certainly shows that there is a brighter origin story to be shown.
One thing that really works really good for this movie, is Gadot’s acting. One woman is shown as a character with very obvious character flaws. She’s somebody who trusts her own capabilities a bit too much and even going against her own family to take matters into her own hands. She is somebody who is still in the process of learning about herself, and also coincidently learning about the outside world itself. Which is extremely sympathetic to the audience. It also makes her more believable as a character.
Another thing that works for the film is the setting. The World War I era.
Something most people need to remember is that WW1 was a very different environment than WW2. In many ways it was a more chaotic war. Which parallels, not only Wonder Woman’s mission, but her introduction to the outside world from the comfortable home she once knew.
All in all, Wonder Woman is a terrific movie. A great addition to the DC Movies. Great acting, good story. Definitely one of the best superhero movies they’ve made so far.
Final score: 8.5 out of 10
The hidden truth about the Joker. (SPOILERS!)
The Joker throughout the film presents himself as an “agent of chaos” with no real plan. But if you watch the film presumably with his point of view. The strategy becomes a little clearer.
Through his terrorist acts, and his frequent manipulations of the mob. His acts of chaos were strategically planned out.
His plan was for chaos to consume Gotham just so he could usurp control over the criminals and the citizens. He had a plan, and it was power.
You see, many people admire the Joker because he gave the appearance of someone who just didn’t care. Admiration because he’s a quote unquote “better class of criminal”. From Alfred’s line, “Some men just want to watch the world burn”. But the truth is that Batman was a lot closer to the truth earlier in that scene when he says, “criminals aren’t that heard to figure out, we just have to find out what he’s after.”
The truth is that the Joker isn’t the agent of chaos he presents to be. He’s not a better class of criminal. He’s not special. He is in the end, just another bad guy. Corrupt, greedy, and rotten to the core.
Towards the second half of the film, you’ll see the undead hero Eric Craven with electrical tape around his arms. This is explained in a deleted scene. After Eric heals Darla of her morphine addiction, it weakened his own healing abilities and left him temporarily vulnerable. The villain Funboy then attacked Eric with a knife. After which, Eric bound the wounds in electrical tape.
Much in competition with the onset of the superhero movie frenzy, the DC Cinematic Universe is undoubtedly setting us up for something big. It has given audiences two films so far, namely Man of Steel, and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. With few of the comic universe’s mythology being messed around with, both films are high- octane, edge of your seat action films that are both very well made. 2016 brings us Suicide Squad.
The movie begins in the aftermath of the previous film. With known of metahumans (people with powers) becoming known to the general public, the government seeks to gain allies/soldiers knowing that any future threats to the world many be with the usage of superpowered individuals. They recruit/bargain/blackmail a group of already caught villains do the work of the government, and are sent in when a threat arises that could potentially destroy the world.
The introduction before the main storyline occurs is admittedly slow, but for a good reason. A film like Man of Steel has Superman, a character a great deal of people are already familiar with, and so the fast paise of that movie is justified in that we as an audience don’t need as much exposition on the character. But this film took its time in introducing our rag tag group of villains as they are a group many people (even comic fans) may not be as knowledgeable enough about. It takes its time, but quick dives into the story head first, and doesn’t look back.
There is a danger to the casting of many talented stars film such as this one. Talents tend to collide if; the writing is bad, the acting is off, poor editing, etc. But the group as it was casted for the film was right on the money. Each acting very much how their comic book counterparts would’ve acted. Will Smith does an excellent job, as does Margot Robbie and the others. Top marks on the par of the actors. A job very well done.
As for the part of the Joker, this was tough cookie to crack. Heath Ledger left such a strong mark on the character in The Dark Knight that it would be easy to see how difficult it would be for any actor afterward to take up the mantle of the clown prince of crime himself. Leto’s craziness pay off in spades. How the Joker is written into the story perfectly weaves itself into the plot without totally overshadowing anything else presented. Leto in undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with.
The film overall has an extremely chaotic tone, particularly in the second half. So it would be easy to see why this would leave some people into not enjoying it. But in a way, that’s where its true creativity lies, in the chaos. Remember, these guys are not heroes. They’re villains, and the style of the filmmaking, the acting, the directing, all constantly remind the audiences that key factor. Hopefully we will see this group (or individuals of it) appear in later DC films. All in all, a chaotic awesome movie. A terrific addition to the ever growing genre of superhero (villain) movies.
Final Score: 6.75/10
Directed by David Ayer
Cast
Will Smith…………Floyd Lawton/ Deadshot
Jared Leto…………The Joker
Margot Robbie…….Dr. Harleen Quinzel/ Harley Quinn
Joel Kinnaman……..Rick Flag
Viola Davis……………Amanda Waller
Jai Courtney…………..Digger Harkness/ Captain Boomerang
Jay Hernandez………Chato Santana/ El Diablo
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje………Waylon Jones/ Killer Croc
Cara Delevingne…….Dr. June Moone/ Enchantress
Adam Beach……….Christopher Weiss/ Slipknot
Karen Fukuhara………Tatsu Yamashiro/ Katana
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