MovieChat Forums > Wonder Woman (2017) Discussion > Why the DCEU is Better than the MCU

Why the DCEU is Better than the MCU


The DCEU actually takes its material seriously. Marvel has now become unable to produce a movie that isn't a self-parody set to comically dubbed-in rock-n-roll songs. Marvel is taking us back to the days of crappy 1980s superhero movies like Superman 3 that put Richard Pryor in the movie "for laughs." Every movie is now going to be pitched at the level of Deadpool and Guardians. We just got a Marvel movie where the villain did something horrific to the hero's family and yet the whole movie is pitched at the level of a sitcom. We felt no emotional weight to the horrible things that happened.

In Wonder Woman, there is real emotional weight. The movie is allowed to show human suffering and darkness when appropriate to give the story resonance and reality. We feel there are potential consequences to the decisions or mistakes that the characters make. When the heroes disagree and fight with each other, we feel there is really something at stake, not just an excuse for a slugfest or some cheap sitcom plot.

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I'm agreed

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Both are good. As a superhero movie fan, I like both DCEU and MCU films. They're entertaining.

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So... you're philosophically opposed to fun movies, then?

Seriously, prefer the Marvel films to DC because they're fun, funny, awesome to look at, and exciting... while the DC films are not. I will allow that the Marvel films are not always successful when they try to add "depth" and suffering to their films, but IMHO the DC films haven't gotten that right either. Having Batman and Superman interrupt a fight to whine about their mommas is not deep, it's just embarrassing.

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They didn't "whine." Superman was focused on saving his mom as is perfectly appropriate for his character. Batman has always been all about angst over his parents' death. In the '60s TV show and Super Friends, maybe not, but in all the dark, critically-acclaimed comics that started in the '80s that was a major focus.

MCU seems to be stepping backwards more and more with each movie to the days of Super Friends and Adam West Batman. DCEU is instead spring-boarding off of the dark, serious, adult tone that 1980s comics introduced into the genre. WW was pretty evenly balanced in tone between the dark and the comic, but I would say leaning more to the dark side, other than that London segment where it turns into the Thor movie with Thor/WW making humorous cultural faux pas.

MCU has also had a big problem making interesting villains. WW was very successful on this front with three very strong villains, both in their acting performances and their display of evil actions in the story.

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I'm glad that the "depth" in the DC films is working for you, they put so much effort and money into these films and have gotten so much abuse in return, at least someone likes them the way they are. Tell me, can you even find something nice to say about "Suicide Squad", or is there a limit to your appreciation?

As for me, I just don't need "dark" in my superhero films. I work in the "helping profession" and see plenty of dark, adult drama in real life. So my preference is for movies that contain thrilling adventure and a few good laughs (and some hot men), so Marvel is just the thing for me. It's totally okay if you don't feel the same.

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I didn't like Suicide Squad on a sheer filmmaking level. I feel it was destroyed by studio interference and recut into a mess. I think the studio did exactly what I'm advising against, tried to turn a deliberately paced, dark story about a woman who enjoys being abused into an MCU-style upbeat film filled with rock music and one-liners. I don't know how any film could survive the studio asking to completely change its tone and major story beats AFTER it's been shot. It must have been horrifying for Ayer to have the studio come back with the trailer and say they prefer that version of the movie and want him to turn the entire thing into that.

The "helping" profession? Can you lend me a helping hand?

Speaking of hot men, my only disappointment in the movie is that with all those Amazons on Themyscira, the only nude scene was Chris Pine's.

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Even when the DCEU makes a good movie that gets good reviews, certain DC fans still have to whine about Marvel movies. Why can't you enjoy these movies on their own? Why spend time and energy getting so upset over movies you don't like. I don't like the Transformer movies or the Fast and Furious movies, so I don't watch them. I don't care if other people do, though. I does not affect my life in any way.

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I've always said this, we're one Avengers movie away from a farting Hulk joke. Sick of the constant one-liners in the MCU movies.

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