MovieChat Forums > Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015) Discussion > Finally! A Good Justice League Movie Aga...

Finally! A Good Justice League Movie Again!

posted 9 years ago by shin_willow
51 replies | jump to latest

After four recent animated disasters, save Batman: Assault on Arkham, leave it to Alan Burnett and Timm to put DCAU back on track!

I cannot overstate how good JL: God and Monsters is!

It has beautifully choreographed action scenes, some of them so violent they made me wince and shout god damn a few times. Brutal freaking stuff. And a story that was coherent and perfectly paced that thankfully avoided rehashing the standard origin stories of its three leads.

I'm still reeling how Gods and Monsters managed to have likable protagonists who are dark, but not gritty and angst-ridden. I'm equally surprised Gods and Monsters let its characters crack a few smiles and even tell jokes. I didn't think DC characters were allowed to do that anymore.

All in all, I say Gods is right up there with the best DCAU movies!

I also say Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett are the man!

[–] anonymous_guy 9 years ago

agreed

And whenever they catch you, they will kill you. But first, they must catch you...

[–] BrunoAntony 9 years ago

some of them so violent they made me wince and shout god damn a few times

Overreact much? Jeez...

Due to the lack of moderators, trolls can ruin the IMDB message boards. Don't feed them.

[–] sarastro7 9 years ago

Deeply disagreed. Superheroes should be heroic, not dark. This is just about the worst possible use of the genre, and misuse of its potential.

[–] elabryth 9 years ago

I completely agree. I was not impressed with the movie at all.

[–] shin_willow 9 years ago

sarastro7

Deeply disagreed. Superheroes should be heroic, not dark. This is just about the worst possible use of the genre, and misuse of its potential.

JL: GaM isn't about heroes, and it's clear the "Justice League" in God and Monsters is only the Justice League in name only. They're about as heroic as mercenaries can get, which is to say not at all. That's why I called the trinity protagonists instead of heroes--those are two different things.

Gods and Monsters is a well told Elseworlds story, and that's how I approached it.

[–] sarastro7 9 years ago

DC comics (incl. animations) are nothing but Elseworlds stories anymore. They've never really cared for canon and continuity. It's become variations on a theme, reducing the sagas of old to toys and merchandise. Kids' stuff.

[–] Otaku-sempai 9 years ago

I would hesitate to dismiss this movie as "Kids' stuff" considering the darker themes that it explores. It is more akin to Alan Moore's (and Neil Gaiman's) take on Marvelman.

"There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world." - Gandalf

[–] sarastro7 9 years ago

I was speaking generally. DC's comics also used to be kids' stuff until the '80s when they finally, long overdue, decided to follow Marvel's lead. Now most DC comics have become just plain bad: often adult themes (often with an edgy realism that is an extremely poor fit for the superhero genre) but no continuity that lasts beyond a couple of years. I find it idiotic. DC editorial don't care about superheroes and continuity and always make some of the worst possible decisions. But then, I'm a fanatic about this. And used to be a rabid Marvel fan. Marvel editorial hasn't been doing much good either, since Quesada took over in 2000. And the '90s were pretty terrible, too, with a few excpetions (like the work of Busiek and Perez). To me all the good superhero comics came out between 1961 and 1991, and 99% of them came from Marvel.

[–] Otaku-sempai 9 years ago

DC and Marvel have both been playing off of each other since the 1960s. Marvel introduced flawed heroes. DC experimented with deconstructionist super-hero stories with The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen (and unfortunately helped kick off the whole 'grim-and-gritty' movement). It's just too bad that one of Marvel's greatest achievements, Epic Illustrated and the Epic comics line, has faded away.

These days both publishers are inflicting endless cross-overs and world-altering events on their readers.

"There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world." - Gandalf

[–] sarastro7 9 years ago

Yes, I agree. Stories like DKR and Watchmen are good and original as stand-alone stories, but we are now living in the third decade of ripping those stories off, and their influence on mainstream comics has been far, far too great. I hate post-modernism. The idea of heroism and the triumph of positive human values are the kind of things we need to set examples for how to make the world a better place. Cynical "realism" with no real good or evil are just recycling the views of confused, conservative people who are too jaded to believe that a better world is possible. I effin' hate realism. Escapism and big, radical ideas are what we need in art and entertainment.

[–] JudgeJavelin 9 years ago

Heroism is really lame and overdone.

This was was way better and one of the best JL movies because the characters are actually interesting.

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Prepare to be judged....with a FGM-148 Javelin!

[–] sarastro7 9 years ago

Heroism is lame? Why do you watch superheroes when you think heroism is lame? What does that say about you? Do you also watch sports while hating it?

[–] dbryantvfx 9 years ago

Stick to Batman The Brave and Bold or Teen Titans. Maybe Barney if that is too rough for you.

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] jamesc-0 9 years ago

Oh good, a Marvel troll.

[–] spectrx 8 years ago

I haven't seen it yet, for exactly the reason you just stated. This seems like a totally stupid and I'm not sure what other word to describe it. But doesn't seem like good Justice League material in any way. They have been going way to dark for these movies, and I think it is the opposite direction they should be going with it. I enjoyed the Justice League movies much more in the earlier ones.

[–] numberonecubsfan 9 years ago

Likeable protagonists? Did we watch the same film? Though I loved their individual origins, the characters themselves in the present were incredibly unlikeable. Arrogant dicks, every one of them. I don't know where the moments of characters "cracking a few jokes" were, but I didn't see them.

And the violence was just too far. It was not improved by seeing people impaled in the head and set on fire as we watch them burn to death. It was gratuitous as can be and off putting.

I don't know how you can say this movie and these characters are better better than Justice League War and Thrones of Atlantis. Most of them were jerks in that one too, but they were likeable, and did know to crack jokes and be light now and then amidst all the heavy stuff. I really have to wonder how you can say Gods and Monster accomplished these things with the characters and story that those films didn't.

[–] shin_willow 9 years ago

numberonecubsfan

Likeable protagonists? Did we watch the same film? Though I loved their individual origins, the characters themselves in the present were incredibly unlikeable. Arrogant dicks, every one of them. I don't know where the moments of characters "cracking a few jokes" were, but I didn't see them.

I don't know how you can say this movie and these characters are better better than Justice League War and Thrones of Atlantis. Most of them were jerks in that one too, but they were likeable, and did know to crack jokes and be light now and then amidst all the heavy stuff. I really have to wonder how you can say Gods and Monster accomplished these things with the characters and story that those films didn't.

Yes, I liked them. If for no other reason than none of them pretended to be more than what they were. It's why I like them miles above the Justice League in War and Atlantis. The League in those movies were thugs and whiners (except Batman and Flash).

The League in Gods and Monsters are also thugs and act superior to everyone else (only to learn maybe they're not as untouchable and in control as they thought), but I appreciate not having to spend forty minutes listening to them complain about how they don't fit in because of it. That's why I like the trinity in GaM.

Maybe if this had come out before the garbage that was War and Atlantis I would look at Gods and Monsters less favorably, but the former two movies were such awful Justice League films that I can't help but love a well told faux Justice League movie if the "canon" can't get its act together to tell a good story.

[–] JudgeJavelin 9 years ago

Maybe you should stick to Pokemon then and leave the more mature themes to the adults.

:-)

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Prepare to be judged....with a FGM-148 Javelin!

[–] numberonecubsfan 9 years ago

Funny :p

[–] super-staff 9 years ago

I doubt you're any older than twelve, so I'll be discounting you from any further 'adult' conversation.

[–] JudgeJavelin 9 years ago

Why don't you go and play some more with your "super-staff"?

I mean really... "super-staff" ?!?... and you dare to call other people twelve and doubt their maturity?

/facepalm

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Prepare to be judged....with a FGM-148 Javelin!

[–] super-staff 9 years ago

Yes, making fun of my username surely proves that you're more mature.

Get a life, child.

[–] JudgeJavelin 9 years ago

You're going in circles. Reread my post as it still applies...

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Prepare to be judged....with a FGM-148 Javelin!

[–] super-staff 9 years ago

You make no sense here. How am I going in circles? Regardless, you have a warped sense of what's mature or not, which isn't uncommon...but is extremely narrow-minded.

[–] numberonecubsfan 9 years ago

So, because I don't like the film and argue against it for the reasons the overly excited TC is promoting, you doubt I'm older than 12? Is such a dismissive attitude in place of actual conversation and discourse what you consider "adult"? Goodness. What is happening to this generation?

[–] Kyos 9 years ago

I don't know how you can say this movie and these characters are better better than Justice League War and Thrones of Atlantis. Most of them were jerks in that one too, but they were likeable, and did know to crack jokes and be light now and then amidst all the heavy stuff.

I barely made it through War. That League really irritated me, because some members were portrayed as *beep* (Superman), idiots (Wonder Woman) or both (Green Lantern). Flash and Cyborg were the only members that I actually liked, and I don't really care for Cyborg in general.

The difference here is that in Gods and Monsters we don't see the usual characters. When this Superman acts in an un-Superman-ly manner it's a totally other thing than seeing the actual Clark Kent/Kal-El Superman behave like a jerk.

All in all I found the Gods and Monsters Trinity to be plain more interesting than their War and Throne of Atlantis JL counterparts. I prefer totally new versions of the characters to what I perceive as messed up versions of the classic characters.

Ironically I also found the Gods and Monsters protagonists to be actually more relatable through their respective origin stories and personalities. This coming from someone who likes plain old Superman better than any other hero.

And I'm not even talking about the problems I had with the other two movies beyond the characters...

[–] quincytheodore 9 years ago

I appreciate the darker tone, and the movie is okay, but I wouldn't say it's that great.

Choreography and characters from Assault on Arkham are better. You can see the quality difference in fight scenes, the violence here seems out of place. The alternate Justice League is good enough, but they are not as compelling as Suicide Squad.

For anti-hero themed animation, Assault on Arkham is still the better choice.

[–] Aughex 9 years ago

Yea it was great! I would pay to see this made in a live action movie because its so realistic and its dark nature would make it more attractive to adults who don't normally watch super heroes movies.

[–] elabryth 9 years ago

It is a Bad movie. Except where it's awful, then it is really awful. But mostly it is just bad.

[–] dbryantvfx 9 years ago

Great thoughts from a brilliant mind

[–] elabryth 9 years ago

Thank You. That is very kind of you. People tend not to recognize my genius, but you, you did. That means a lot. Again, Thank You.

[–] technikaras 9 years ago

This IS a good movie. But all you 12 year olds who got to watch this movie because your parents wanted to keep you busy while they are shagging upstairs, stop whining, this is not for you.

It is for us, 30 year old plus who grew up on Batman TAS, have life experience, like something innovative and with a touch more realism to bring a fantasy universe a bit closer to home.