Movies

Justice League Trailer Builds an Eclectic, Wise-Cracking Team

By  · Published on July 23rd, 2016

Zack Snyder’s superheroes find purpose and a sense of humor.

DC has hit a few stumbling blocks in its attempt to play catch-up with Marvel’s cinematic universe including the response to Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It earned solid box-office returns, but the critical consensus was abysmal and many fans were left underwhelmed by its dour, overly serious tone and events.

Warner Bros. heard the complaints, and if there’s one common thread running through the new marketing for their 2017 slate it’s a sense of humor. Wonder Woman looks incredible, and the trailer features personality and laughs. Suicide Squad has been pushing the anarchic comedy for a few months now. And now WB’s dropped the first trailer for DC’s hopeful equivalent to Marvel’s Avengers.

Justice League is the furthest away from opening – it’s more than a year away – so this first look is understandably light on action set-pieces, but there’s more than enough here to grab our attention and pique our interest. Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) is seen recruiting the likes of Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher), but while he talks of an impending danger it’s the humor that comes through strongest.

Snyder’s eye for sharp visuals remains intact, but with this glimpse at least the characters’ personalities are the stand-outs. The interaction between Wayne and Arthur Curry (Momoa) is great, as is his banter with Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), but it’s already clear that Miller’s Barry Allen/Flash will be the the film’s MVP. He feels like two parts Peter Parker and one part Big Bang Theory, and the reactions he gets from Wayne are terrific.

This is a super early teaser, but if the team’s chemistry holds and gets paired with solid action and a good story the film may be a much-needed redemption for both DC and Snyder.

Justice League assembles in theaters November 17th, 2017.

Related Topics: , ,

Rob Hunter has been writing for Film School Rejects since before you were born, which is weird seeing as he's so damn young. He's our Chief Film Critic and Associate Editor and lists 'Broadcast News' as his favorite film of all time. Feel free to say hi if you see him on Twitter @FakeRobHunter.