Justice League is set to release on November 2017 and Warner Bros. has just released the film's logo and the official synopsis. First, let's take a look at the new logo:
Tova: What I feel when I look at the logo is basically "meh". I'm not sure it says anything about the movie itself, but it's some pretty lazy design work. Or are they going for a carefully constructed simple-as-hell look, and I just don't get it? I'm not usually one for fancy 3D logos with symbols and lots of colours, but this is just... Well, meh.
Adrian: I think by using a stark sans serif typeface, the message is that they're retaining the 'this is serious business' feel to the DCU; I'm sure you're not the only person who is underwhelmed and understandably so, but I may be the exception because I actually like it. The little star, plus the angled slash on the beaks on the 'S' and on the terminal of the 'J' made the whole lockup seem surprisingly cheery to me.
Tova: The star cut-out might be there to make us feel "American" and patriotic… But I'm not American, nor do I believe the US is an appropriate symbol for justice.
Zachary: For some reason, the logo reminds me of that "Elseworlds" tale where Superman grew up in Russia.
Adrian: That's Superman: Red Son, which also uses a display face that is sans serif, with little cuts and angles. There's potentially a totalitarian feel to the logo, but perhaps they only mean to convey strength. It also reminds me a bit of the new Star Trek logo.
With all that in mind, let's review the film's synopsis:
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes—Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash—it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.
Directed by Zack Snyder, this marks the big screen debut of the Justice League, featuring an all-star lineup: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller and Ray Fisher.
Tova: It's very difficult to make sense of the synopsis if you haven't watched Batman v. Superman. What selfless act? Restored faith in humanity? And are we supposed to know who the "greater enemy" is?
Adrian: Warner Bros. has confirmed that the film's big bad is Steppenwolf, one of the New Gods, and uncle to the DC Comics world's biggest bad, Darkseid. But to your point, I think this is the struggle they face with franchise films, to presume or not if the audience is up-to-date with the latest events of their film universe. I think they’re fully-committed to the presumption.
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| A deleted scene from Batman v. Superman that features a 'hologram entity' that is presumed to be Steppenwolf |
Zachary: The synopsis does not fill me with confidence. I just don't care about Batman or Diana Prince yet. As of now, everything that I've read about Batman v. Superman just sounds terrible and the images for Wonder Woman just look like a war movie. I just want to see happiness and joy in the DC movies.
Adrian: Despite Batman v. Superman making tons of money, the gossip coming out of Warner Bros. is that the tonal shift to something more positive and perhaps less ‘grimdark’ is happening; they seem to listening to critics. Geoff Johns has been appointed to an executive role in the new DC Films, and Ben Affleck has joined on as an executive producer; and given some of the details in the synopsis, it seems like Zack Snyder’s grimdark reign could be coming to a close.
Tova: Well, it sounds nice and I appreciate that the movie will start off with an optimistic Batman! The way every new superhero movie seems to contain an apocalypse or near-apocalypse bores me slightly, but I understand the attempt to go bigger and have bigger stakes in each film in order to catch the audience's attention. Not sure it's the way to go, but it makes sense on a basic level.
Adrian: I agree, I’m pleased to hear about some optimism in the DCU! Despite my disappointment in Batman v. Superman, I’m remaining oddly optimistic about the upcoming Justice League film. I love the characters of DC Comics and despite recent tonal missteps, I’m looking forward to the day I can recognize the characters on screen.
What do you think of the new logo and synopsis for Justice League? Sound off below in the comments!
