For better or worse, cinematic universes are taking over Hollywood, as it seems like every major studio is trying to assemble their own shared world of films to catch up to the MCU. The debate of whether this is a good or bad thing is a worthy one, as studios seem to be trying to sprint before they even have any legs. The DCEU was guilty of this with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but its latest film Wonder Woman avoids this. Patty Jenkins, the director of Wonder Woman, has some mixed feelings about cinematic universes herself.
I would say I have very mixed feelings about that. There's a version of every kind of film that I celebrate, but there seems there's also a tendency to make a mess if there's too much going on -- so it's not something I think is always a great idea.
Despite making the most successful movie in a cinematic universe, Patty Jenkins isn't totally on the side of Hollywood's most popular trend. During an AMA on Reddit, Jenkins was asked how she felt about working in a managed cinematic universe, and if it impacted her work positively or negatively. Judging from the quality of Wonder Woman, it was a largely positive experience, but Jenkins doesn't think that making a cinematic universe is always a good idea. Her chief reason for this seems to be that if too much is going on (setting up sequels, characters, etc.) it negatively impacts the film.
She isn't wrong. The DCEU bit off more than it could chew in Batman v Superman, taking screen time to introduce the cast of Justice League in an email and setting up the next film's villain. Its notable that Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman, with the exception of Man of Steel, is the most stand-alone film in the DCEU, as Wonder Woman is largely more concerned about its own story and lead character.
This weekend also saw the birth of Universal's Dark Universe, which was kicked off with The Mummy. Though it didn't make the mistake as much as Batman v Superman did, The Mummy largely feels like a prologue to something else. Doing too much at once seems to be the No. 1 problem with budding cinematic universes, who attempt to reach the same level that the MCU took years to achieve. Despite working in one, Patty Jenkins is right to be a little wary.
You can catch Patty Jenkins film Wonder Woman, which is killing it in ever way, in theaters right now. To stay up to date on all the important DC and movie news, make sure to keep checking back in with CinemaBlend.
