Dearest Warner Bros.,
As a lifelong fan of all things DC, I feel it’s time that I speak loudly on behalf of fans who’ve been enjoying the ride, yet are willing to admit that not all is right when it comes to the way our favorite superheroes are being handled on film. Of course, some restructuring is taking place under your roof in the wake of Justice League not meeting financial expectations at the box office, but it’s time for the right folks to be held accountable because what’s been going on lately simply isn’t working.
Now, before I proceed any further, I realize that a percentage of absolutist fanboys are likely checking out after reading only the headline or opening paragraph, perhaps saying something as absurd as “Marvel is paying this guy to write this.” Sure, I enjoy the Big Two like most open-minded geeks, but anyone who pays attention knows that I much, much prefer DC. Hey, if loving what I believe to be are the greatest heroes to have been featured in the greatest stories told in the comic book medium is wrong, then I don’t want to be right.
Getting back to what I’m here to discuss, I have to give credit where credit is due by tipping my hat to the studio that gave us The Dark Knight Trilogy and Man of Steel (despite the latter being divisive, I’ll defend it to the death). But, in the past 25 years or so, I can’t overlook the fact that the same house has, um, treated us to gems like Steel, Batman & Robin, Catwoman, Green Lantern and Jonah Hex. And what do all of those pictures share in common? Each were either cooked up in a board room by people who know absolutely nothing about those characters and/or suffered from a ton of studio interference, the latter an unfortunate product of those also guilty of the former.
Of course, studio interference and over-editing also proved to be detrimental to Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Justice League, but I wouldn’t put them in the same category as any of the films mentioned above because while each had their own set of problems, there was still a lot to love about them, some of which I’ll touch on a bit later. Seriously, sit down with a copy of BvS‘ Ultimate Edition and you’ll see a coherent – albeit long – movie that we should’ve seen in theaters.
It’s at this point that I realize I’m about to sound like a broken record, but it again boils down to people who don’t know the first thing about the icons they have license to calling the shots. Yes, you may know the general winning formula of movie making, but if you fail to properly portray these characters in the proper light, the diehard fans will riot and, believe it or not, a snowball effect will start that’ll eventually include the general public. I think the perfect storm that is Facebook, Twitter and Rotten Tomatoes has taught us all that word of mouth counts for a whole hell of a lot these days.