The DC film universe has been criticized from many corners for its perceived failings. Now, some of the people directly involved in making those movies have admitted that there have been things lacking in their first films. During a panel at Wondercon this weekend, DC's head of creative Geoff Johns and Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins were on a panel together where the two agreed that there were three things that DC movies need. We can call them the three Hs.
By claiming that "heart, humor, and heroics" are three things that that DC films need, there is a tacit, if not a direct, admission that the films are currently without those things. One assumes that with Patty Jenkins there, the implication is that Wonder Woman has all three of these key elements. Batman News also reported from Wondercon that two clips from the upcoming film were shown. One was a fight scene, which we can assume was designed to show off the heroics. The other was the scene where Diana and Steve Trevor arrive in London. We've seen a moment from this scene in the trailers where Diana mentions how terrible London looks, so this scene was clearly meant to show the film's heart and humor.
Of course, this is nothing that we haven't heard before. Whether you agree with the critics or not, the idea that DC's movies thus far have lacked something is not news. You can't really argue that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was short on humor, though many would argue that humor did not belong in that movie so not having it there was not a fault. Suicide Squad certainly wasn't without humor. One could certainly argue that the flaw there was a lack of heart, though again, they were villains so maybe the lack of heart was an intentional decision.
As they say, the first step to overcoming a problem is admitting that you have one. If Geoff Johns and Patty Jenkins both agree that DC movies need heart, humor, and heroics, then we can believe that at the very least Wonder Woman was designed to have all of them. The real question, however, is what's going to be the final verdict on Justice League? That movie is being put together by most of the same folks that were responsible for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. If you felt that last year's film lacked humor or heart, what are the odds that you'll feel the same way about Justice League? We'll find out when the film debuts this November.
