Warner Bros.
This is an enjoyable little Justice League sizzle reel that just dropped at the SDCC. The 165-second clip is set to hard rock (as opposed to grand chanting or what-have-you) and is centered on Bruce Wayne's efforts to recruit the team. I'm not going to do a blow-by-blow, but it's probably going to put a silly grin on your face no matter what you thought about the last two DCEU movies. It's obvious that they are doing everything they can to sell this thing as "fun" and "aspirational," which is basically the opposite of how they sold Batman v Superman.
The good news is that the footage does look every bit as gorgeous as the Dawn of Justice sizzle reel which debut at last year's SDCC. The odd thing is, and I say this without criticism (because we know what the sell had to be), how mundane it looks. By that I mean it's not remotely a "power of the gods" type spot, which is frankly how I thought the DCEU would distinguish itself from the MCU. Obviously, this is just a preview intended to sell a specific narrative (that Bruce Wayne is no longer a monster, that the gang actually works well together, that a good time will be had), but I hope it's not all jolly fun and games.
I would hope that the reaction to Dawn of Justice won't result in something that feels a bit less majestic and a bit more ordinary. As I wrote back in March, I wanted a Justice League movie that looks as grand "IMAX makes your eyes bleed" impressive as Zack Snyder's last movie, albeit with a better script and sharper motivations (and better treatment of its female characters). The irony is that the "Ultimate Edition" gave us most of that, albeit in an impossible-to-release-in-theaters 181-minute R-rated version.
I adore the MCU and its down-to-Earth quirkiness, but I don't want the DCEU doing the same thing as a reaction to Dawn of Justice. Still, this sell is certainly one that has confidence in itself, and I like that they are selling the personalities of the outside-the-costume alter egos. If you have a great Arthur Curry, you'll have a great Aquaman and so-forth. And I'm sure we'll get another trailer in December (certainly in June) that sells the grandeur of the whole enterprise.
I am was amused and entertained by this sizzle reel, but I was not left in awe. And, gosh darn it, I still want the goosebumps when I'm being sold a project as theoretically grand as Justice League. Anyway, Zack Snyder's Justice League, starring Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Willem Dafoe, Amber Heard, Amy Adams, Jessie Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, and... yeah, probably Henry Cavill, opens November 17, 2017.
