The DCEU Was Never Too Dark (& The Batman Proves It)

The DCEU Was Never Too Dark (& The Batman Proves It)

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The DCEU was heavily criticized for being too dark, but Matt Reeves’ The Batman has generated huge early buzz despite its bleak and cheerless tone.

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The DCEU Was Never Too Dark (& The Batman Proves It)

Some said Ben Affleck’s DCEU Bruce Wayne was “too dark” but the unforgiving, dour tone of The Batman suggests otherwise. Among the current glut of superhero movies, few franchises court division like the DCEU. Warner Bros.’ attempt at a shared universe started solidly with Man of Steel in 2013, but suffered successive critical maulings thanks to Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad in 2016, before the infamous Justice League debacle one year later. Since changing its approach, the DCEU has enjoyed a string of acclaimed releases – Wonder Woman, Aquaman. Shazam and Birds of Prey – but those first phase entries still command a passionate following, Batman V Superman in particular.

The DCEU has benefited greatly from dropping the restrictions of its shared universe format, promising an exciting future for the franchise. Warner Bros.’ current superhero slate comprises a mixture of traditional DCEU fare (Wonder Woman 1984, Aquaman 2), standalone adventures (The Suicide Squad) and a touch of timeline-bending madness (The Flash). Most intriguing, however, is Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which stars Robert Pattinson in the title role and appears entirely disconnected from wider DCEU continuity, akin to 2019’s Joker.

Pattinson’s Gotham City marks the beginning of a brand new era in the Dark Knight’s cinematic history – a fresh style, a less experienced Batman, and a story free from the burdens of a shared universe. But as more footage and images emerge from Pattinson’s superhero debut, The Batman continues to dispel one of the recurring criticisms aimed at its DCEU predecessor.

Why The DCEU Was Deemed “Too Dark”

The DCEU Was Never Too Dark (& The Batman Proves It)

The DCEU franchise set out its humorless stall immediately with Man of Steel – a grounded take on the Big Blue Boy Scout that controversially ended with Superman murdering General Zod, but only after Batman V Superman did the accusations truly begin. With a foreboding color palette, serious dialogue, and heavy violence, Batman V Superman popularized the notion that the DCEU was hampered by its own darkness, and as the superhero showdown endured bad review after bad review, that lack of levity came under fire. While it’s easier to understand why DC fans would take exception to a darker version of the traditionally saccharine Superman, Bruce Wayne’s DCEU characterization was also viewed with contempt. Haunted by the death of Robin, the veteran vigilante has resorted to brutal methods and is naturally distrustful of potential allies, much to the chagrin of his long-suffering Butler.

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The alleged darkness of the DCEU was cemented when Ryan Reynolds dropped a typically meta joke in the trailer for Deadpool 2, ribbing the rival franchise over its gritty nature. The negative reaction to Batman V Superman caused Warner Bros. to pursue a lighter tone with their planned Justice League movie. Even before his departure, Zack Snyder’s original vision for Justice League was altered, dampening the severity that had until then defined his DC output. But when Snyder was forced to exit due to a personal tragedy, Justice League’s tone shifted entirely. Warner Bros. drafted in Joss Whedon, who was clearly instructed to lighten the script with a generous sprinkling of his trademark gags, and Justice League became a mish-mash of conflicting tones.

DC’s own chief creative officer, Jon Berg, publicly admitted Batman V Superman suffered for its darkness. Meanwhile, Patty Jenkins’ optimistic Wonder Woman movie became the DCEU’s first across-the-board success, and the light-hearted MCU was breaking box office records for fun. DC fans of a certain vintage would also point towards Christopher Reeve’s Superman and Tim Burton’s Batman movies as evidence that uncompromising darkness wasn’t necessarily the way forward. After all, Christopher Nolan had only recently delivered his own grimly realistic Dark Knight trilogy, and common wisdom suggested the DCEU would do well to lighten-up in response, especially since Batman was no longer the sole focus.

The Batman Makes Bruce Wayne Darker Than Ever

The DCEU Was Never Too Dark (& The Batman Proves It)

After such fuss was made over the DCEU’s decision to brood in the shadows, one would naturally expect Matt Reeves’ The Batman to shy away from those gray tones, perhaps adopting the more balanced approach of Batman: The Animated Series or the tried and tested Disney-friendly MCU formula. Instead, The Batman gave a giant middle finger to those expectations, adding a hefty dose of noir to Nolan’s realism and turning Pattinson’s Bruce Wayne into a younger, angrier, uber-violent anti-hero. Judging from the footage released so far, The Batman looks to be the Darkest Knight to grace the big screen yet.

The Riddler is transformed from a murderous crossword fan to a social terrorist brutally murdering politicians with duct tape. There’s no sign of a gaudy green costume and the air of a traditional supervillain is entirely absent, replaced by something far more sinister. Penguin becomes a disfigured mob boss, and the underworld theme squeezes every drop of humor and joy from The Batman’s DNA – the exact same problem the DCEU was accused of previously. Batman himself isn’t much friendlier. Donning a permanent scowl and black eye makeup Gerard Way would be proud of, Bruce relentlessly pummels a street criminal before subverting the standard “I’m Batman” line with “I am vengeance.” While many thought The Batman would head in a lighter direction, Matt Reeves’ world is more in line with the R-rated stylings of Joker.

And DC fans are loving it. New Batman movies always come with considerable buzz, and Robert Pattinson’s debut is no different. But after that first trailer dropped online, interest in The Batman skyrocketed, not despite the film’s dark tone, but largely because of it. From the wildly different Riddler to Bruce’s take-no-prisoners philosophy, the response to The Batman’s first trailer has been unanimously positive, but why is this the case after the DCEU was mocked for doing something similar? The polar opposite reactions can partly be attributed to the DCEU’s wide superhero roster against The Batman’s sole focus on Bruce Wayne. Darkness is inherent within Gotham’s most famous billionaire, and that’s easier to express without the cheery silhouettes of Superman and Wonder Woman hanging around. But since Affleck’s Batman was also criticized for his dour nature, it’s perhaps time to revisit those Batman V Superman accusations.

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Darkness Was Never The DCEU’s Problem

While The Batman revels in a glorious concoction of prohibition era-detective caper and 2000s vengeful emo, it’s strange to think that DC was being told to lighten up only a few short years ago. Moreover, The Batman demonstrates the sheer range of gray shades the Caped Crusader can inhabit without lightening up. The last three live-action Batmen have all steered away from fun and games, but Bale, Affleck and Pattinson all represent extremely different interpretations of the same character nonetheless. The Batman arguably proves that while “too dark” might’ve been the go-to DCEU criticism (thanks Deadpool…), the franchise could’ve succeeded with that same shadowy tone if other problems had been addressed.

Batman V Superman’s faults extend from poor plotting (Martha) to misjudged casting (Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor), and the many differences between the theatrical and director’s cuts prove Zack Snyder’s studio battles were happening long before Justice League. And therein lies the real problem with the DCEU’s darkness – inconsistency. The Frankenstein’s monster of Justice League suffers from glaring, extreme shifts between Snyder’s intensity and Whedon’s comic book humor. Batman V Superman demonstrates a similar disconnect, albeit to a lesser extent. Where The Batman goes all-in on its chosen path, the DCEU never fully commits to that world, as if attempting to retain its appeal to a family audience. Perhaps the DCEU never needed to lighten-up, but rather find a consistent identity within the grittiness.

The proof will be Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Back due to popular demand, Zack Snyder has been busily putting the finishing touches on his four-hour Justice League epic, and all indications suggest the director will have full creative control over the darker tone he was aiming for with Man of Steel and Batman V Superman. If the Snyder cut proves a rousing success, accusations that the DCEU should’ve cracked a smile will be wholly discredited. And if the remade Justice League falls short, at least we’ll still have The Batman to sulk along with.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/pattinson-batman-dceu-too-dark-criticism-wrong/

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