I’ve shown Moviebob’s work before because I find that he has some pretty impressive and quite rational thoughts regarding the whole creative process and influence of good film-making. One of the greatest things about his videos is that he genuinely seeks out and finds value in a variety of work that has been affecting culture in incredible ways. Star Wars. The Matrix. Superman (the original one). Titanic. I won’t disagree with him. These movies are epic. They have resounded with fans the world over, and most people who love them can go back and watch them again and again. Each time, they will feel the same roller coaster of emotions they felt the first time watching. The knowledge of what will inevitably happen does nothing to lessen our joy. It is this that Moviebob really concentrates on: the love. It’s quite admirable.

This weekend sees the launch of Justice League: The Movie. It will be the first time that the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) will bring together some of its iconic heroes: Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg. This is a gathering that DC fans have wanted to see since they first lifted these heroes into standards of wonder and majesty.

I’ll be honest. I’m excited.

However, I can only claim that I am cautiously so, considering the only DC movie that I’ve genuinely liked since the Dark Knight trilogy was Wonder Woman. Truth be told, I bloody loved that movie. Was it perfect? No. But it was beautiful, and I would follow that goddess anywhere.

My love for Wonder Woman, runs directly contrast to the reality of the DCEU’s attempts to create a body of work that can compete with Marvel’s cinemaverse. They have been somewhat underwhelming in general to most people. While there are undoubtedly people who love Man of Steel and Suicide Squad, most people will smile gently, point out one or two things that actually do work in them, and then move on, recognizing that the less said, the better.

For me, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice was successful in very little, but the most important of its successes was to introduce Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman to the audiences of the world. In this video, Moviebob begins (it’s only Part I) an impressively thorough and detailed explanation about how and why there are so many failings in this train-wreck of a movie. About the only thing that I possibly could say better than Moviebob is the paraphrasing of one of the principal faults in the movie: It is too meta for its own good; it is a self-conscious younger brother being far too cautious about the playing field to consider playing the game on its own merits. Everything that it tries to do is based on what came before it, and because of this, nobody – at any point in the whole film – seeks out to make a fun film that is there for itself, that can be enjoyed for what it is.

Hopefully Justice League will be better. I’ve got tickets for Sunday morning.

Let me know if you’ve seen it! I’d love to discuss it with you!