Sammy Younan

RTZ: Suicide Squad Is Not Exactly A Lego Brick

Sammy Younan

Girth Radio Presents…

{Special thanks to Rob Gaudette}
Halfway through Suicide Squad I finally clued in what DC is doing “wrong” compared to Marvel Movies. I dunno if wrong is the right word…it’s a different strategy that’s just not working.

Marvel Movies created an entire universe…it has physics (with the cosmic-cube/gem stone etc.) history (Howard stark, WWII etc.) and all these corners…space (Guardians), gods (Thors), Cage will be their hip hop/street justice etc…it’s the same way you can go to Europe as 1 destination but France is different than Germany which is different than Italy. Each corner of Europe has its own culture/rules…history etc. but it’s all Europe Union (Union being the key word).

DC Movies (I’m counting Man of Steel, Batman v Superman and now Squad but for fun I’ll also toss in that crappy Green Lantern) have failed to create a universe…they don’t have a European Union they have an America: one large mass with bits of randomness and odd characters slightly connected.

Scott Snyder’s excellent Batman run was so good because he constantly worked at developing Gotham City…so much so that when he unleashed the Court of Owls that story was stunning (it was like Gotham itself turned on Batman…damn that’s cold, yo. When the one you love the most; the one you protect the most turns on you…yet epicly delicious!)

Suicide Squad fails to build DC’s movie universe too. DC’s strategy seems to be…look we got the chump from Reindeer Games in all these movies…there’s your shared universe: they dusted their hands and walked away. DC doesn’t seem to get it’s more than having the buddy from Less Than Zero in all the Marvel Movies that makes it shared.

Bottom Line #1a: Robert Downey Jr. > Ben Affleck #BillionaireSuperheroes
Bottom Line #1b: Knight in Shining Armour > Dark Knight #WhiteKnights

After seeing Suicide Squad I now see Kevin Feige as an architect…he’s the one constantly building Marvel’s Cinematic Universe (and all the directors are interior designers…Feige built the building and each director gets a floor to play with and decorate). Geoff Johns hasta be that guy for DC. (Although I admit even with Rebirth and New 52 DC has never had a proper comic book universe not with the same depth and scope Marvel has had/have…Marvel has patiently built their universe over decades of work).

For example Arkham Asylum shows up in Suicide Squad for 10 seconds. Great addition to the DC Movie Universe…now build on it. Give it more life than 10 seconds…now that it’s there DC Movies would be “crazy” not to use it. To capture, harness and unleash these elements requires vision.

Bottom Line #2a: Geoff Johns has to become DC’s Kevin Feige
Bottom Line #2b: Kevin Feige > Geoff Johns #MarvelousArchitects

In the absence of a clear architect DC seems all over the place…a Superman movie than a Suicide Squad movie…what the? There’s no flow or reason; there’s certainly no story. WB does come off like a money machine…you nerds like comic book movies here’s some…now give us lots of money. At the risk of sounding like The Black Eyed Peas…yo: DC Where Is The Love?

So what’s next?
I’m cautious with Wonder Woman (I mean Chris Pine is in it…this is a guy who though Finest Hours was a good idea and couldn’t get Jack Ryan off the ground!!) and Justice League is already looking tank.

Bottom Line #3: DC Movies doesn’t put the supa in supa dupa