Like clockwork — JUSTICE LEAGUE receives good reviews, “hit pieces” follow

by

Today marks the partial lift of the media embargo on JUSTICE LEAGUE, and to everyone’s surprise– okay, okay, maybe not everyone, but to most people’s surprise the reactions are pretty good [so far.]

It was rumored that Warner Bros./DC Films would lift the media embargo on basic first reactions of JUSTICE LEAGUE today. It sounded right, and especially since it’s around the same time they had done so for WONDER WOMAN.

Now, anyone who has followed the DCEU knows that “media,” bloggers and the critics have [unfairly] targeted it and Zack Snyder (director,) so going into JUSTICE LEAGUE and its reviews, it’s been expected to get “shafted.” Check out your window to see if it’s snowing, because the [first] reactions have been overall the opposite of what was expected.

Mike Rougeau of GameSpot,

Erik Davis of Fandango,

Mark Hughes of Forbes,

I’m going to be bluntly honest, I would’ve bet the house that 90% of the reviews/reactions would be negative. I’m beyond happy to be wrong, because that means [perhaps] the critics/bloggers are starting to see that the “Marvel way” isn’t the only way, that their “grudge” with Zack is only hurting them and their credibility, and that I’m not a betting man because shit, I’d be screwed.

These good reactions also mean that the [small] number of moviegoers their opinions would’ve affected going to see JUSTICE LEAGUE will do so in a positive way. It’s, of course, similar to the way the positive reactions to WONDER WOMAN helped it do extremely well, even though I don’t believe they had much influence since the first female lead, female director movie was going to do well no matter what. It just feels good to see the other side of the coin.

But of course, when there’s good, there’s always going to be people who want to sabotage it.

I’m not surprised anymore, and especially with it seeming like there’ll always be an [almost] instantaneous hit piece targeting to take the spotlight off of any positive the DCEU achieves. The one that caught [and was brought to] my attention in particular comes from Jorah of The Geek Nerdom who wrote, “Get Set For A DC Films “Rebirth” in 2018,” where they draw extreme conclusions from a quite vague comment made by Warner Bros. Motion Pictures President, Toby Emmerich, to the Wall Street Journal,

We don’t want to limit the creativity filmmakers can bring to the table by saying these characters have to come in a particular order and all fit into the same universe.

As well as the fact that the Flash movie [starring Ezra Miller,] which has been titled FLASHPOINT, and will undoubtedly be influenced by the iconic arc/reboot “Flashpoint,” has been reportedly fast-tracked.

BUT the most telling thing in Jorah’s article is that it’s being heavily based on a “source,”

Warner Bros. sees 2018 as a “reset year,” according to a source quoted in the WSJ’s report.

We’ve seen over the last five [or so] years that this is [usually] the best way to spread confirmation bias by using a blank face with no name fuel rumors, fears and hatred.

We know that Warner Bros./DC Films has a slate of movies all the way through 2020; AQUAMAN, [Joss Whedon’s] BATGIRL, SHAZAM!, SUICIDE SQUAD 2, THE BATMAN as well as GREEN LANTERN CORPS. We know that JUSTICE LEAGUE was always going to introduce “hope and optimism” into the DCEU. To take a quote from [Toby] Emmerich essentially at face value, which is similar to what happened with Matt Reeves (director of THE BATMAN,) allows for all sorts of “make of it what you will.” It also undercuts all of the substantial strides that Zack, Geoff Johns and company have made thus far to make the DCEU what it is.

I might be one of the few, but when it was announced that the Flash movie was titled FLASHPOINT, it seemed clear that it was to give fans what they’ve been asking for– a live-action “version” of one of the most iconic arcs/reboots in the last decade [or so.] That it would pay homage to the source material, and ultimately not change the timeline of the DCEU too drastically once over. Almost similar to the way that THE FLASH television show had handled it, but including the “big guns.”

Allow me to drive home a point I made in DCEU critical response, and that being that the way of mending any divide that’s present between whether it’s critics or bloggers and the fan base/moviegoers is within their [critics/bloggers’] hands. They have to be honest, and not just angling to get their bias out there. Making click-bait articles will only help you for so long, and if you continuously harm your credibility it hurts the base who reads your reviews/opinions.

So in end, just make sure you take any rumor with a “grain of salt.”

1 thought on “Like clockwork — JUSTICE LEAGUE receives good reviews, “hit pieces” follow”

  1. Pingback: DCEU — Is there trouble in the Speed Force? - In the Center News

Leave a Comment