Wonder Woman Enters The Great War...and Debuts a New Trailer

Wonder Woman has a mission and it involves stopping "The Great War." There is a certain sense of irony present with setting Wonder Woman's debut film in World War I. Perhaps World War II would have connected the Amazonian heroine a bit too much to Marvel's Captain America. Or maybe the creative minds at D.C. Entertainment and Warner Bros. just wanted to craft a movie that is a bit different. Considering the previous critical disappointments of the prior D.C. Comic releases, a more creative approach was needed for the Wonder Woman film.

So World War I is selected for the backdrop and the irony emerges - a tragic irony of sorts. Several 100-year anniversaries connected to the First World War passed with virtually no mention outside of historical or specialty cable channels. Glancing through social media, topics related to World War I history were totally ignored. No, ignoring them would require a conscious act. Major events and anniversaries were not mentioned because people knew nothing about them in the first place.

World War I was a pivotal event in world history and set in motion incredible global changes that resonated throughout the 20th century. Yet, the Great War is casually dismissed by those living today. The shadow of World War II further buries notoriety about the Great War.

Wonder Woman's history in comic books has also been overshadowed and ignored. Her comic book series has had a number of ups and downs throughout the decades. This is somewhat sad considering how iconic the character was in the 1940's when she debuted.

Until recently, she had been stuck as a supporting player finding difficulty connecting with readers in her own title. And if Linda Carter had not played the character in the classic TV series, Wonder Woman could have ended up a totally forgotten character. (Although the Super Friends animated series helped a bit, too)

The arrival of Wonder Woman in Batman v. Superman helped return the heroine to mainstream pop culture status. Hopefully, the new Wonder Woman film will reinvigorate major interest in the character...and in the history of World War I.

Looper and The Wrap's Take on Suicide Squad

The box office drop-off for Suicide Squad during the feature's second week was summed up by The Wrap.

• There are hardcore fans who positively must see every superhero movie ever made.
• The D.C. Extended Universe has its own niche of loyal fans.
• Warner Bros. and D.C. can't really grow the casual audience all that much beyond the above two.

 A near 70% decrease for the second weekend shows Suicide Squad has no legs, but a $220 million domestic gross (so far) means the film won't be a flop. However, the film going to deliver Warner/D.C. far less than anticipated - and hoped - for.

Looper takes a look at some future problems Warner and D.C. are likely to run into unless the ship of the Extended Universe is put back on course.

Suicide Squad's Mission Dies with the Critics

The reviews for Suicide Squad are rolling in - slowly but surely. They are not good. I was a bit worried about the film when I saw no reviews on RottenTomatoes.com a few days ago. When I found out there was a review embargo, well, I knew the score but was hoping for something different. Anyone who wants to check out the bad news - and it is bad news - can look at:

IndieWire - Suicide Squad Review: Margot Robbie Can't Save The Latest DC Disaster

The Verge - Suicide Squad has too many villains and not enough villainy to go around

SF Gate - Suicide Squad' is two hours of soul-sickening, sensory torment

You get the whole villainous idea. I am going to reserve judgment on this one since I haven't seen it. Ignoring the bad reviews, however, would be to deny the impending gloomy disaster. Blaming the critics is not the way to go. Saying "They don't get it" won't fly. Critics these days are not those of decades past. Years ago, movie critics had a snobbery to them. Today, critics are comprised of people who have a better appreciation for pop culture. Niche critics are sought after by audiences of particular genres. The newspapers may trash horror films, but horror fans are only going to take the review of top websites seriously.

Superhero and comic book films, however, have been smiled upon and awarded rave reviews from mainstream and niche critics. They are in agreement - overwhelmingly - this film is a dud.

Suicide Squad is shaping up to be another disappointment. Actually, it is going to be more than a disappointment. The collapse of D.C. Entertainment and Warner Bros. Studios' superhero movies may be in serious jeopardy. Batman v. Superman was a major critical failure, but still pulled in $800 million worldwide. If Suicide Squad turns off audiences, the next films in the D.C./Warner pipeline are going to be in trouble. Back-to-back disappointments do not spell well for Wonder Woman. Audiences are going to connect D.C. Comics' movies with a lack of quality - a branding disaster. If Wonder Woman falters, Justice League is going to be in a lot of trouble.

Another serious concern has to be raised here - Batman appears in Suicide Squad. Warner and D.C. might find themselves in the same position Marvel and Sony were in when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 didn't connect well with audiences. Serious fear existed Spider-Man would be destroyed as a box office draw. This led to the shut down of all proposed Spider-Man spinoffs and the third Andrew Garfield outing. Imagine the horror if Batman was killed off as a box office draw.

Could Warner and D.C. pull the plug on the current planned out cinematic universe and reboot things? If so, how? Wonder Woman is finished and Justice League is in production.

Not an easy situation to navigate, folks.



 

The Amazonian Arrives - Wonder Woman (2017) Trailer Debuts at the San Diego Comic Con

The trailer for DC's Wonder Woman debuts - no surprise, the San Diego Comic Con is loaded with trailer debuts. The Wonder Woman trailer reveals the film is most definitely not going to be campy like the classic TV series of TV's past. Wonder Woman is sticking with the (original) Warner Bros./D.C. Entertainment concept of developing a darker, grittier universe than Marvel's. This was Batman v. Superman's undoing. Suicide Squad (allegedly) experienced reshoots due to Warner wanting to lighten the tone.

Is the world ready for a serious Wonder Woman? We have until 2017 to find out. (And Warner Bros. has that long to reshoot things if need be)

One huge plus here - the film is set during World War II, which takes us back to the very early origins of the comic heroine.

Batman v. Superman: Box Office Opening Analysis

Rottentomatoes is reflecting a "29% Rotten" rating for the film that was supposed to launch the DC Extended Universe. The film does launch the universe, but on a sour (and dour) note. The opening weekend box office is going to be good news, but the news is sure to be short-lived. The-Numbers.com has a smart analysis of the film.

Batman v. Superman is on the road to breaking tons of records at the box office for March and Easter weekend. $80+ million on Friday is absolutely a fantastic start. The film, however, won't have legs to earn the $1 billion or so Avengers: Age of Ultron, Furious 7, or Jurassic World earned. Batman v. Superman is going to cool heavily and become a "wait for the DVD" release. Not good for a movie that needs to pull in $800 million to break even. The box office disappointment becomes even more embarrassing when Deadpool earned $750 million worldwide on a much, much smaller budget and far less hype.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn Of Justice Final Official Trailer Arrives

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is only around 40 days away from hitting thousands of screens, and the final official trailer for the film has been released. (Many thanks to the good people at Batman On Film for helping to draw attention to the trailer)

We don't get much insight into the villains. Lex Luthor is prominent, but there is no Doomsday. The trailer doesn't confirm rumors about the KGBEast and Bizarro. No matter. We'll all find out who the bad guys are when the film opens.

The trailer does focus on the main theme of the movie - Batman and Superman's tension, distrust, and opposition. D.C. Entertainment is noted for taking a risk with the all-villain ensemble Suicide Squad. Batman v. Superman reflects a similar risk - basing a film on the hero vs. hero dynamic popular in comic books. Maybe the plot isn't really all that much of a risk. It's something new. New sells. D.C. also gets to beat Marvel to the proverbial (and literal) punch as Captain America: Civil War won't feature the hero vs. hero theme until after Batman v. Superman hits the silver screen.