The movie is still four months away, but with a new “San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive” trailer released during Saturday’s panel, the buzz for Justice League is growing.
Let’s take a look:
There’s a lot going on in the four-minute trailer. Let’s break down some highlights.
Wonder-ful Start
We start with some action featuring Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot)breaking up a hold-up. The fourth movie in the new DC Extended Cinematic Universe, Wonder Woman was the first to get positive response from fans who were generally apathetic (at best) to the previous three offerings. There’s a lot of jokes about the ineptitude of Warner Bros. executives, but this was a smart move, allowing fans to get involved right from the beginning with a character everyone liked. It also leads us into a shot of Wonder Woman’s home of Themyscira, which leads us to…
‘Something Is Coming’
The Amazons are gathered and prepared for battle when a large armored figure comes down on the island. Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds), in the comics an agent of Darkseid, lands out of a Boom Tube, ready for a fight.
‘No Protectors Here’
A gravelly voice plays over shots of our heroes – Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Diana, Cyborg (Ray Fisher), Batman (Ben Affleck) and The Flash (Ezra Miller) – saying that the world will be easy to conquer because it has no Lanterns – a reference to the intergalactic police force the Green Lantern Corps – and no Kryptonian. Bruce Wayne looks at a hologram of a figure in a red cape. Superman’s “death” at the end of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice looms large over the trailer, and we get the sense throughout that Batman is unsure if his team can handle the threat they’re about to face. His teammates seem to agree, as Aquaman later says, “I think we’re all gonna die” and the Flash reminds the team that he’s never been in battle before. He’s only “pushed some people and run away.”
Alfred Misses the Old Days
“One misses the days when one’s biggest concerns were exploding wind-up penguins,” Bruce’s butler and substitute father figure laments. A reference to 1992’s Batman Returns? I like to think so.
‘A Beacon to the World’
Bruce Wayne reflects on what Superman (Henry Cavill) meant to the world and how he inspired people. It’s just a shame that they had to tell us instead of showing us in the previous movies. But that’s a lamentation that’s been expressed very often.
Action Packed
We get a lot of shots of the Justice League fighting Parademons – the mindless foot soldiers of Darkseid’s army who were first gleaned during Batman’s dream sequence in Batman v. Superman. And not just the League, the Amazons are also helping out, I assume to protect Themyscira. The best scene is Aquaman riding a Parademon like a surfboard down through a building. Another nice touch: the backdrop in many of the fight scenes is a red sky, a call back to Crisis on Infinite Earths, which usually meant something bad was going to happen.
Introducing the Commish
We get scenes from the rooftop of the Gotham City Police Department, with our new Commissioner Gordon, played by JK Simmons, at first lighting up the Batsignal and later talking to the League and asking “How many of you are there?” Batman tells him “Not enough,” and when Gordon turns around, the whole team is gone, save for The Flash, who, as the new hero, probably hasn’t been taught how to disappear yet. It’s a nice nod to the comics, where Batman frequently ghosts on Gordon without a word.
‘He Said You’d Come’
The final scene of the trailer has Alfred (Jeremy Irons) looking up at an unseen figure approaching him and telling our mystery person, “let’s hope you’re not too late.” Since we know Superman is showing up in the movie, I assume it’s him Alfred is talking to, but I suppose it could also be another surprise hero. A Green Lantern, maybe? Supergirl (who was hinted at in Man of Steel)? Someone else?
Overall, the extended Comic-Con trailer for Justice League is a great first look at the movie. Hopefully, it can live up to what we saw here.
Justice League is in theaters on Nov. 17.