Two of this year’s biggest movies released trailers this week, seemingly meant to compete with each other for most exploisioniest
Wonder Woman swings her sword in the new Justice League trailer while Rey swings her lightsaber in the new trailer for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. But which trailer won the hearts of fans this week?
To be fair, these two films couldn’t be any more different — one is about a superhero team-up, and the other is a dark chapter in an ongoing sci-fi saga about rebellions and empires. Still, because of how much these fandoms mean to everyone, you can’t help but compare the two trailers for the biggest films of 2017. And, somewhat surprisingly, it looks like the beloved Star Wars universe might not be as cool as the sometimes troublesome DCEU. In other words, if we’re looking for heroes, Justice League is your best bet. Here’s how both trailers stack-up against each other.
Justice League
Set after Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (and way, way after Wonder Woman), Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) rally three other extraordinary individuals — Aquaman (Jason Mamoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and The Flash (Ezra Miller) — to fend off an alien threat known as Steppenwolf who seeks to dominate all of planet Earth.
Why It’s Better Than The Last Jedi Trailer: Eschewing the machismo and bombast that defined the previous two Justice League trailer, the newest footage instills a sense of hope that’s been missing for far too long in this universe. Compared to Star Wars, somehow Justice League isn’t the bleak adventure movie.
It’s also got a vastly different sense of rhythm than most epic movie trailers. Sure, the funniest parts are still tagged at the end, but until that moment, the new trailer trades hype and thrill for an uplifting sense of hope.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
As Rey (Daisy Ridley) undergoes her Jedi training under an exiled Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the evil Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) prepares his next assault with the First Order.
Why It’s Worse Than the Justice League Trailer: Believe it or not, it’s not because of Porgs. There’s nothing terribly wrong with this new trailer, to be quite honest, but it’s also without a doubt just a Star Wars trailer. It doesn’t try to do anything particularly new or bold with how trailers are presented. It’s Star Wars, and that’s enough, but maybe that isn’t always good enough.
Knowing full well good trailers don’t mean movies will be great, an edge has to be given over Justice League, if only for trying something new. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with The Last Jedi. But it’s just about as big and bleak as everyone expected.
Justice League, on the other hand, did some unthinkable things. The first thing fans see is freakin’ SUPERMAN (even if it is a dream). And while things look dark in Star Wars, things are looking up for the DCU.
Justice League will be released on November 17. Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be released on December 15.
