Advice From A Fanboy: Justice League

[Milanezi]

This film is just doomed. There's basically no way Warner Bros can pull this off. We're looking at another Green Lantern here, only on a much grander scale.

As much as I get excited and get ideas of what could happen in the movie.... You're right, I also believe it can't be done, I didn't put much faith in The Avengers, but they pulled it off, however they had TIME, they could take all the time they wanted to introduce all characters VERY WELL before releasing the team-movie, I fear Warner would want to rush thing up. I's say make a Wonder Woman movie, a Superman movie (well, we're getting that already) and a new Batman movie (less gritty this time, or he'll break the team-movie dynamic later on)

 

[Milanezi]

Do a shot for shot live action remake of the justice league tv show'a first 3 episodes. That's my only real suggestion.

Hehehe, the animated TV Show right? Not that horrid live action that, as far as I know, never survived the PILOT (it didn't air everywhere, so it's easy to miss, but it's not that old, and it's beyond bad, like, Batman & Robin deserved an Oscar in comparison...)

 

[theApoc]

Any semi-serious take on a justice league movie will be a failure, maybe not financially, you can get people to watch just about anything these days, but in terms of an actual good movie, as in something that is remembered and watched over and over, um, no.

And the movie that is coming out next summer is the biggest problem with that. Superman, basically eliminates the possibility of them making a good justice league movie. Why? Who would be the enemy?

Imagine for a second, the Avengers movie in a universe where superman exists. That whole invasion lasts what? 10 minutes? On earth, in the absence of a rare radioactive rock Superman is more or less immortal and invincible. That is why Superman returns was such a disappointing movie. They took, a god, for lack of a better word, and reduced him to an emotionally unstable, dolt, who was shanked brutally, by an above average criminal.

DC has no balance. They have no evil characters THAT THE AVERAGE PERSON WOULD KNOW to counter someone like Superman. So there is no tension. If by some chance, superman is incapacitated or distracted(lets all recall the old cartoons), we all know that it is only a matter of time before the rest of the group does the smart thing and focus all their energy on getting Supes back into the game.

There can be no tension, no real sense of anything. We will get all the spectacle and none of the substance. The Avengers wasn't good because of the complex plot, anymore than Avatar was. Both movies were excellent entertainment because even knowing it would end well for the good guys, you had no clue HOW it was going to pan out.

Marvel has done a great job of humanizing even the most ridiculous character, while DC has the most powerful man on earth fooling people with eyeglasses and buffoonery. Really?

Stick with the spectacle of stand alone movies DC, or keep superman out of a JLA movie until the very end. DC characters are just not as interesting as Marvel, and that is not a cut on them. They simply have not been presented that way for a very long time.

Wolverine is a jerk, spiderman a wise-azz, iron man a braggart, hulk a time bomb. And those are just a few of the big ones. Superman, goody two shoes, works as a reporter. Batman, ridiculously rich guy with nothing better to do than beat up thugs, wonder woman, a magically created golem containing more or less the power of the gods, aquaman... um, yeah.

The best DC stuff right now are the animated movies, I seriously don't think anyone could pull off a live action movie.

 

[Callate]

The DC Universe has endured for almost 80 years, while Nolan's one vision of one corner of it has merely existed for about 7.

...80 years of actual and effective reboots, massive changes in tone and character, alternate timelines, alternate universes, the wholesale destruction of said timelines and universes, retcons, spin-offs, a temporary fusion with the universe of their biggest competitor...

Yes, the DC Universe is endearing, and enduring. But to be blunt, especially from the point of view of trying to launch a new series in a different medium, it's also a @#$%ing mess.

I don't say this to worship Nolan's world, or besmirch the one in the comics. I agree that Nolan's version of Gotham should remain unique to his version of Batman. But I would strongly advise against trying to cleave too tightly to a misguided notion that the comics hold the answer, when the comic world is also full of disastrously wrong answers.

What Nolan did right and the new movies should take into consideration is making a universe particular to these new DC movies, unified in tone and possibility and uniquely cinematic in scope and focus. Not "real" or "realistic"- even to whatever debatable extent such a term could be used to describe the Nolan Batmans- but with a clear understanding of how the different characters fit into the world, and where even Superman has understandable limitations so that he doesn't become the magic "Fix it" button for every problem until the inevitable arrival of Kryptonite.

I wish I was more confident that WB will pull it off.

 

[LordLundar]

<clicks link to the review of the Wonder Woman pilot, got half way through after several skip aheads>

...the hell was THAT?! I heard people bitching about the costume change but honestly, that is the LEAST offensive part about it!

 

[Safaia]

Isn't Arrow doing like insanely well and getting really good reviews?

 

[cerebus23]

the jla ran a season or two before they changed it jlu and watered it down so much it was boring to see the big 3 mostly non existant and different bit players every week with only a few stand outs you cared about at all.

The series itself was excellent with great characters and good overarching storylines, i put it up there with batman the animated series quality wise. believe alot of the same people were involved in it, which alot of the same people did the script and story for the arkham games.

why not get them to try their hand at a live action script? they know the characters, hell they invented a few of the characters, if anyone gets the material it is theses people, they should get the chance to do it.

Far as the big 3 chumming it up? the only time these people interact is on the job the vast majority of time. batman does not really hang out at jla hq and sit there swapping stories around the coffee maker. He shows up helps out/saves the day and jets. they did a nice bit in the series where diana and wayne met and there was chemistry but as batman he would not give her the time of day.

wierd since wonder woman would be one of the few women on the planet that would nag you for not wanting to put the cowl and cape on instead of nagging him to take it off.

 

[Darth Sea Bass]

If you ask me Arrow is pretty decent I've seen worse shows, I'm looking at you The Cape.

 

[chetoos]

I agree with Bob in this, at least at the beginning, WB can't make a good JLA movie by copying the avengers, but I don't think that jumping straight into a JLA movie would work any better. My theory is that you either do a Teen Titans movie as the team up, with the same kind of lead up as The Avengers, but different, or 2 man team ups, like Batman and Superman, or Flash and Aquaman. That way you don't need as big of threats, and you can have easy interaction, while still having the other heroes cameo. Now, the Teen Titans would need to be done very specifically to work, but here's my idea. Please note, this idea is based on the team from the cartoon, because that's all I'm familiar with:
Firstly, you need a new Batman franchise, with a Robin, I don't care which, just a Robin, And have the duo face off against one of Batmans stranger enemies, like Killer Croc, or Clayface.
Secondly, you need to have a solo Robin movie, this would probably work better if the Robin in question was Dick Grayson, so it could be Nightwing, but again, just a solo Robin movie, where they mention the Brotherhood of Evil and the Doom Patrol and have a supporting character named Victor Stone. Stinger at the end has a crashed alien pod.
The stinger leads into a Starfire movie, done in the same vein as Thor, but where Blackfire takes over Tamaran in the end rather than losing, so Starfire is banished to earth. Victor from the Robin movie should be injured enough for Bruce to cyberneticly enhance him, probably during the middle action scene, if there is one. Victors new look would be revealed in a stinger, again.
Now, we skip over a Cyborg movie completely, and have a Doom Patrol movie, with Beast Boy leaving the team at the end because he thinks he's being looked down on for being a kid. Stinger has BB walking through a nearly destroyed city, when he walks up to a hooded figure. He asks her what happened, and she just tells him to go away.
Next is a Raven movie, showing her trying to help people, but not doing well at it, because her emotions keep getting out of control. When she is overpowered at the end of the movie, she unleashes all her power, decimating the city, and having the stinger from the Doom Patrol movie play again, but from Ravens Perspective. Stinger has Cyborg up and about, his arm transforming into a sonic cannon as the last shot.
Finally, we get to a Teen Titans movie, where the 5 meet up in Jump City for some reason, TBD. Probably that Raven is still accidentally wreaking havoc, so the 3 independently go there to prove themselves, and Starfire is already there. Blackfire comes in with an army at the last act, so they have to team up to beat her back.
Your opinions?

 

[theApoc]

I agree with Bob in this, at least at the beginning, WB can't make a good JLA movie by copying the avengers, but I don't think that jumping straight into a JLA movie would work any better. My theory is that you either do a Teen Titans movie as the team up, with the same kind of lead up as The Avengers, but different, or 2 man team ups, like Batman and Superman, or Flash and Aquaman. That way you don't need as big of threats, and you can have easy interaction, while still having the other heroes cameo. Now, the Teen Titans would need to be done very specifically to work, but here's my idea. Please note, this idea is based on the team from the cartoon, because that's all I'm familiar with:
Firstly, you need a new Batman franchise, with a Robin, I don't care which, just a Robin, And have the duo face off against one of Batmans stranger enemies, like Killer Croc, or Clayface.
Secondly, you need to have a solo Robin movie, this would probably work better if the Robin in question was Dick Grayson, so it could be Nightwing, but again, just a solo Robin movie, where they mention the Brotherhood of Evil and the Doom Patrol and have a supporting character named Victor Stone. Stinger at the end has a crashed alien pod.
The stinger leads into a Starfire movie, done in the same vein as Thor, but where Blackfire takes over Tamaran in the end rather than losing, so Starfire is banished to earth. Victor from the Robin movie should be injured enough for Bruce to cyberneticly enhance him, probably during the middle action scene, if there is one. Victors new look would be revealed in a stinger, again.
Now, we skip over a Cyborg movie completely, and have a Doom Patrol movie, with Beast Boy leaving the team at the end because he thinks he's being looked down on for being a kid. Stinger has BB walking through a nearly destroyed city, when he walks up to a hooded figure. He asks her what happened, and she just tells him to go away.
Next is a Raven movie, showing her trying to help people, but not doing well at it, because her emotions keep getting out of control. When she is overpowered at the end of the movie, she unleashes all her power, decimating the city, and having the stinger from the Doom Patrol movie play again, but from Ravens Perspective. Stinger has Cyborg up and about, his arm transforming into a sonic cannon as the last shot.
Finally, we get to a Teen Titans movie, where the 5 meet up in Jump City for some reason, TBD. Probably that Raven is still accidentally wreaking havoc, so the 3 independently go there to prove themselves, and Starfire is already there. Blackfire comes in with an army at the last act, so they have to team up to beat her back.
Your opinions?

I don't know about all that, but DC could do a lot worse than going for a younger, more fun set of movies based on TT. JLA just doesn't have the backbone of a move like the Avengers, the characters involved are just too damn powerful. You would have to make a movie, that centered around the struggles of supers trying to act mortal, which would not make for a great team movie. Green Lantern could have been a great movie, but they decided to make the main character annoying as opposed to heroic. Batman, heck the last Batman movie was depressing, took itself waaaaaaay too seriously.

Superman, well that will probably be a spectacle beat em up, good entertainment, not so great for world building.

I go back to the point I made earlier, and the ones that Bob made. WHY are the Avengers interesting? It isn't their powers/gear, it is their humanity. The powers/gear is cool for the kids, while the humanity makes it good for everyone else. Superman has ALWAYS been a bland character, he is a symbol, not a relate able protagonist.

 

[bigfatcarp93]

I... I don't think Arrow is that bad. In fact, I think it's kind of good.

But, then, I also found Green Lantern to only be slightly below average, so, as Yahtzee would say, apparently I'M A RETARD!

 

[jecht35]

I like arrow ...But as to if a good JLA movie can be made IDk anything is possible at this point If we can somehow get an avengers movie, star wars episode VII and JLA movie all in the same year why can't it be good.

 

[teebeeohh]

agree with bob,
jla needs MM
i like arrow
i would prefer a titans movie over a jla movie

my friend reaction after i told her what thanos deal was: that's sweet, like a puppy bringing you body parts.

 

[Shjade]

Given I'm familiar with, but not knowledgeable about, DC content, I can only think of one villain I'd suggest for an introductory JLA antagonist that requires neither exorbitant backstory (some, sure, but not a whole lot) or an organization/sponsor to help it out:

Brainiac.

Traditionally a Superman-specific enemy, yes, but I'm pretty sure it has provided sufficient problems to keep more than Superman alone occupied in the past. Mechanically (oh the puns), I think it would serve as a good "baseline" villain for establishing the JLA on screen.

Major downside: he's crap for any kind of emotional dynamics between heroes and villains. Explanatory comparison, Loki's a bit of a bastard and screws with the Avengers in addition to doing bad things; Brainiac's more A to B. Not that every movie needs snarky banter or obvious malice between its conflicting sides, but it might feel a little overly one-sided in that respect when the bad guy literally doesn't care about things other than accomplishing its goals.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Mmmmmm how about have advanced mercenaries start capturing major earth cities for the hidden league of villains who show up full force for the next film?

 

[BehattedWanderer]

Some of those ideas sound good. But, there's a problem that I face--nothing I've ever seen or red about him has ever made me give the slightest care in the world about Superman. Not one. He's anachronistic to the world he's in, and he's a blind patsy to "the American Way", a racist, sexist, xenophobic, economically-driven, power-hungry ideal that usurped peace for terror across the world. He's incredibly boring as a character, because everything he's weak to has to magically (i.e. by plot device) appear on Earth. Kryptonite, a rock not even native to this solar system? Oh, we have it in abundance, for every time he gets a bit out of line! The light of a red sun? Well, hell, that happens all the time, for no fucking reason whatsoever! Captain America might embody the same ideals, but Captain America can also just be shot. He's altered, but he's fucking human. Even Thor, the literal God of Thunder, is more human than Supes will ever be.

Batman is the least interesting thing in his own stories, which is mercifully why the focus is usually on the villains, because they are usually ever so much fun.

Wonder Woman I'm not all that familiar with, apart from the cartoon, so I can't really chime in on her. The Flash? Fastest Man Alive breaks physics, magically doesn't cause climate problems by moving that fast or an accidental atomic explosion when his mass runs at lightspeed into an atom, as an upsized version of the LHC particle collisions. Green Latern, Green Arrow, The Martian Manhunter? Probably the most fun, and therefore won't get the focus they deserve.

Aquaman. He has all the strength and speed of Superman!--underwater. Yeah, that's really useful.

To sum up--yeah, I'm really betting this won't be that good. Marvel has a much better set of toys to work with.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

Aquaman. He has all the strength and speed of Superman!--underwater. Yeah, that's really useful.

He has those powers in AND out of the water dude, he can go toe to toe with some the league's biggest hitters up to and including Superman.

 

[Skizzick]

Major downside: he's crap for any kind of emotional dynamics between heroes and villains. Explanatory comparison, Loki's a bit of a bastard and screws with the Avengers in addition to doing bad things; Brainiac's more A to B. Not that every movie needs snarky banter or obvious malice between its conflicting sides, but it might feel a little overly one-sided in that respect when the bad guy literally doesn't care about things other than accomplishing its goals.

This is what worries me the most about a JLA movie. Who have really been the major, high-stakes villains of the DC Universe? Darkseid (one-dimensional and too Thanos-y), Anti-monitor (zero depth as a character), Parallax (requires a complete redo of the Green Lantern), Black Lanterns (same thing), Imperiex (too hard to explain to mainstream audiences). DC sucks for major villains and most of the villain character development has been largely contained to Batman stories. The only way I can see this playing out well is if you build the stakes more and more each movie. Make reference to Darkseid in Man of Steel, have a cameo in a later solo flick, and show he's the guy who's been pulling the strings behind each movie. And for Pete's sake, add a little more depth to his character. Crafting a movie universe give WB more freedom to tweek the stories and underlying rules of the DC Universe. If they can make it fun without being too tacky (also with much violence please!), then this can work. Moreover, I trust the people that they have behind it.

 

[Palindromemordnilap_v1legacy]

Major downside: he's crap for any kind of emotional dynamics between heroes and villains. Explanatory comparison, Loki's a bit of a bastard and screws with the Avengers in addition to doing bad things; Brainiac's more A to B. Not that every movie needs snarky banter or obvious malice between its conflicting sides, but it might feel a little overly one-sided in that respect when the bad guy literally doesn't care about things other than accomplishing its goals.

This is what worries me the most about a JLA movie. Who have really been the major, high-stakes villains of the DC Universe? Darkseid (one-dimensional and too Thanos-y), Anti-monitor (zero depth as a character), Parallax (requires a complete redo of the Green Lantern), Black Lanterns (same thing), Imperiex (too hard to explain to mainstream audiences). DC sucks for major villains and most of the villain character development has been largely contained to Batman stories. The only way I can see this playing out well is if you build the stakes more and more each movie. Make reference to Darkseid in Man of Steel, have a cameo in a later solo flick, and show he's the guy who's been pulling the strings behind each movie. And for Pete's sake, add a little more depth to his character. Crafting a movie universe give WB more freedom to tweek the stories and underlying rules of the DC Universe. If they can make it fun without being too tacky (also with much violence please!), then this can work. Moreover, I trust the people that they have behind it.

Personally I think if they want a villain I think they should go with Starro the Conqueror.
I have a few reasons: firstly that he'd set the tone nicely. Bob's right, you can't go Nolan gritty realism in a film with, at the very least, Alien Super Jesus, an Amazon with a thing for ropes and a man with a serious fetish for flying rodents. Along with a guy who can can make physics his ***** by running faster than light, the king of Atlantis who is usually seen as a bit of a joke in pop culture, a space cop who creates green things through the power of imagination and maybe an actual martian and suddenly a mind controlling starfish the size of a skyscraper doesn't seem so ridiculous

You could also tie him in with a few of the other heroes to give them an easy in. He could have been transported to Earth the same way J'onn was, so he feels responsible someway. He's a starfish so Aquaman's fish-based telepathy suddenly becomes very very useful (you could have some form of mental duel between the two...).

He could be using his mind control to influence Superman, perhaps culminating in a scuffle between the three. WW holds him off physically while Bats tries getting through to him psychologically. Done right it could not only provide an action scene (and a reason why Supes doesn't just throw Starro into the sun) but a real moment of characterisation between the three as they realise they're pretty much equals despite their various differences

You could find a way to replicate that cover to the comic [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/0e/Brave_bold_28.jpg] that I think is their first appearance. Hardcore nerds would love you forever for that