Should Justice League be a 3 hour movie?

[Gu3ree]

Due to the whole whether Batman v Superman should have been 3 hours long debate, I thought I'd post this question whether or not Justice League should be 3 hours long...I think it should, only if it needs to be though.

I'm up for 3 hour long movies if the stories are good. While Man of Steel was long enough, it certainly didn't feel like a 2 hour and 20 minute film. Even though I felt like there needed to be more character development with Superman, I felt like the length of the film didn't need to be any longer than it was. It was good enough.

But when it comes to iconic characters like Batman and Superman though...they have such a long history. It's important to establish their friendship.

While I think that the extended cut of BvS is only slightly better than its original release, I still felt like much was left out and that there was still more to develop in the story. For me that was, establishing the friendship of Batman and Superman. That was essential to me. We had Batman and Superman in this movie, but they spent most of their time solo, but their screen time together felt like only less than 15 minutes. (This is the reason why I think killing Superman off by the end of the film was not a good idea. Just as they start to become allies, Superman suddenly dies. *Really let down by this decision.*)

Overall though, I think the 3 hour cut improved the movie, yet the time was still somewhat wasted, due to Batman and Superman's lack of screen time together...the story should have gotten to Batman and Superman fighting in the middle of the movie, rather than the end. Before this movie came out, I would have been up for it being 3 hours long. Still, with all the time they had, I would have expected more development between the two characters.

Seems to me that the only reason 30 minutes were cut from the movie was because Snyder thought it would be too long. I think at this point, making it 3 hours long would have given the film an advantage since films usually don't go past 2 hours and 45 minutes.

But some of the films that have been 3 hours long like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong...and Titanic have been successful. I think for Justice League, with movie scale this size, it should be an epic movie, so I'd say go ahead and make it 3 hours if it's necessary.

Part of me is concerned whether we won't see Superman back until half hour into the movie, an hour into the movie, or worse, not until the last half hour...that would be disappointing.

If it is something like the first guy that comes back isn't the real Superman, and it's a bad Superman the first hour or so before the real Superman ultimately comes back then...I'm not so sure.

As we already know part of the plot, or to some extent at least, in the Justice League film, we know it will feature some version of the Return of Superman story, Batman recruiting the Justice League, introducing the characters...Atlantis arc...I feel worried they will just try to squeeze too much in to a 2 and a half hour film, that maybe, it should be 3 hours long. I think it's important Superman gets to shine on screen.

The fact is I think that Snyder or the studio are worried that most audiences don't want to watch a movie longer than 2 and half hours. Unless it's good enough, and if it doesn't need to be 3 hours than, I'd say fine. If you take a movie like Gone Girl...it was so entertaining, that I think the story could have gone on a little bit longer. It was 2 hours and 31 minutes, but almost felt like 3 hours.

Okay, so what do you all think?

 

[RadioSha]

No.

 

[psylockolussus]

Nope. Unless the story needs it.

 

[ManWithNoName18]

I think 3 hours is pretty long for a movie. Plenty of big blockbuster action movies manage under three hours.

I think also that part of the whole UC vs TC cut debacle is that Snyder was apparently promised a 3 hour runtime but WB panicked at the last minute about the R rating and length. Hopefully this time around both Snyder and WB are in agreement to what the length of the movie will be and stick to it.

 

[Jaxon]

The 3 hr length wasn't the issue for WB. Despite the execs loving their initial viewing WB realised that they had a divisive movie on their hands so decided that the best way to maximise Box Office returns was to shorten it to get that big opening weekend. They clearly mandated to keep all the Batman in it as he's their gold ticket and they loved the Batfleck version.
So for JL, they'll shoot about 3 hrs worth to trim back to 2:15.

 

[Gu3ree]

Didn't understand the R rating. It might have been more intense. We don't see anyone bleeding in the Batman warehouse fight, unless Batman violently breaking arms might have been the cause, that's understandable. There was multiple stabbing involved. But the last guy Batman (perhaps stabbed) was cut off camera, so we didn't see it. Superman was slightly more aggressive in the fight. Maybe a little too aggressive, still, it doesn't seem like enough to make it an R rating. Apart from that though, one f bomb, though I have to say, it really seemed out of place for a movie with Superman in it...yet, one f bomb still isn't enough to make it an R rating.

The Dark Knight Rises still did pretty well even when it was 2 hours and 45 minutes long. Given that Justice League is a huge film, it seems like it wouldn't be a bad idea to make it as long as it needs to be. Though I'm not saying it should go past 3 hours.

 

[Micromind]

The 3 hr length wasn't the issue for WB. Despite the execs loving their initial viewing WB realised that they had a divisive movie on their hands so decided that the best way to maximise Box Office returns was to shorten it to get that big opening weekend. They clearly mandated to keep all the Batman in it as he's their gold ticket and they loved the Batfleck version.
So for JL, they'll shoot about 3 hrs worth to trim back to 2:15.

Agree with some points but not completely.

If WB had released UC in theatres, the RT meter rating would not have climbed up significantly as compared to rating the movie received for the theatrical cut, the UC is a better movie, no doubt, but most Critics also complained about the serious tone, lack of fun, generic CGI monster in third act etc.

Which makes me think that at the most, the UC would have received 50 % RT rating, and I'm being generous here. That's still not considered as "Certified Fresh". Then, there are internet blogger community who are very vocal about Snyder's approach to DC movies.

So, in the end with less number of screenings per day, and somewhat long legs it would have ended up earning same amount of money. WB thought that it's best to have a front loaded opening, so they decided to cut the runtime, Snyder was OK with this approach as he knew that WB would release the UC afterwards (the true movie)

Why the Theatrical Cut looked Batman centric ? That's because WB had to establish this "new" Batman, after the closure of Nolan's Bat trilogy.

 

[Rorschach2012]

They didn't even need to follow the Marvel approach. I would've been fine with a LOTR style approach for the entire DCEU. Three 3 hour movies in a trilogy. It could even follow a similar story structure, with Darkseid as our Sauron and of course, the League as our Fellowship

 

[Micromind]

Coming back to the question " Should Justice League be a 3 hour movie?" I think, it depends on the script, if the runtime is cut short again to accommodate more screenings per day, it will cause more harm than good. But if the script is simple, straightforward, a 2.5 hours rum-time is enough.

My point is, everything depends on the kind of story they want to tell, if the story requires more runtime, then after BvS mess, WB will allow longer runtime.

 

[STARMAN]

Chris Terrio could do Snyder a favor and not write a 400 page script.

 

[Eddie Dean]

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

[Gu3ree]

I forgot though that the prison murder in the extended cut...that was dark and extremely violent. Really should have stayed out of the film. It deserved an R rating for that though.

I hope Snyder doesn't take it too seriously next time for Justice League. I like realism and seriousness, but sometimes those are different. I never expected them to take it this far with the tone. Such as the prison murder, the Wallace character, people dying in Africa and at the hearing. It seems like the other characters have so much more to do in this film than Superman.

And another thing that bothers me is Jimmy Olsen...like Snyder is saying he's not realistic or something, or their universe is too big to have Jimmy Olsen in it, in other words, he's saying Jimmy Olsen doesn't work is almost like saying everything about Superman doesn't work in the first place. The glasses disguise and so on... :/ I've kind of had enough of him grounding everything to where it can't have just a little bit more humor in it. It's so dark. Jimmy gets killed and all those other people rather than having Superman save them all. Why can't that happen? It would have lightened up the film a great deal.

 

[idiot09]

We have heard that the script is smaller and more linear so I'm expecting a 2.5 hrs runtime.

 

[Gu3ree]

Coming back to the question " Should Justice League be a 3 hour movie?" I think, it depends on the script, if the runtime is cut short again to accommodate more screenings per day, it will cause more harm than good. But if the script is simple, straightforward, a 2.5 hours rum-time is enough.

My point is, everything depends on the kind of story they want to tell, if the story requires more runtime, then after BvS mess, WB will allow longer runtime.

Agreed.

 

[Lily Adler]

Hell no.

 

[ManWithNoName18]

Also BVS had a lot to juggle because it was it was focused on Superman's story, Batman's story, along with Wonder Woman/JL stuff.

Just guessing that Steppenwolf will be a more simple villain with a simple "take over the Earth" plot. And Batman/Wonder Woman will already have been fleshed out by the time JL roles around. That leaves Flash/Cyborg/Aquaman to be properly in JL.

 

[Da-Scribe]

JL just needs to have a complete story. That's my only concern. I don't care about runtime. The UE felt immensely shorter than the TC for me.

 

[idiot09]

JL just needs to have a complete story. That's my only concern. I don't care about runtime. The UE felt immensely shorter than the TC for me.

Preach,brother.

 

[Sleiek]

Doesn't matter how long it is, doesn't matter who the villain is. As long as the heroes get enough interaction and likability and have abundance of badass action moments, the movie will be a hit.

 

[KillerWolf]

JL just needs to have a complete story. That's my only concern. I don't care about runtime. The UE felt immensely shorter than the TC for me.

It did, didn't it? That's probably what surprised me the most.

Anyway, regarding this topic, I frickin' love 3 hour epics, but I'm also of mind that such runtime shouldn't be forced if the film doesn't really call for it (*cough* "The Hobbit" *cough*), so it's either way for me, depending on the story.

 

[OutOfBoose]

As a more naturally flowing story it indeed felt shorter. In fact, I felt it needed even more time to clear up or reinforce some stuff. Despite it being 3 hours long already.

 

[Greens]

It did, didn't it? That's probably what surprised me the most.

Anyway, regarding this topic, I frickin' love 3 hour epics, but I'm also of mind that such runtime shouldn't be forced if the film doesn't really call for it (*cough* "The Hobbit" *cough*), so it's either way for me, depending on the story.

Yup. A good 3 hour movie is a good 3 hour movie, but in terms of marketability I don't think it's smart.

 

[Da-Scribe]

One of the worst things WB can do right now is find themselves with another editing debacle on their hands. If it gets out again that they cut another Snyder film for profit rather than for quality, there's going to be a big stink.

What I'm saying is, WB shouldn't go "Make this a 2.5 hr film and try to cut it better." They should just say "Okay, make the film you want to make, but try to keep the rating in mind."

Having a shorter film didn't do them any favors at the box office, so forcing another one just doesn't seem like the lesson to be learned here.

 

[Gu3ree]

I thought BvS would have been a hit, you talk about action, two superheroes in the same movie, plus Wonder Woman, can't say it was the film I was hoping for. It wasn't what it looked like in the trailers either. Like why can't we see them do superhero stuff more? There was surprisingly more drama than anything else. I don't think even kids enjoyed this movie. I mean, little kids particularly.

The trailers looked about as exciting as The Avengers and that it would be full of hope and optimism. The Avengers delivered most audiences expectations. But BvS...come on, it was supposed to be a Batman-Superman movie. Maybe the film would have been different and wouldn't have dragged on too long without Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor.

I was satisfied enough with MOS but again, some parts of it I was disappointed by. The trailers were misleading. It looked more light for one, and it looked like it had a full length story. Fortunately, it was rushed in a number of scenes, and the action was over-the-top. You don't see the Clark Kent identity until the end of the movie. Superman doesn't make his major debut to the world as a superhero, saving someone, or Lois from a catastrophic event. The origin story of Clark was great though, but just wish the first hour and a half maybe had concentrated more on Clark's journey in discovering his purpose, and less time focusing on the action, General Zod and his army.

But on the whole, it had what Batman v Superman lacked. Fun, adventure, action (in spite it being over-the-top) heroism, superhero, a little bit of romance, a good villain and an epic fight, hero vs. villain, and Superman saving the entire planet (despite the 5000s that died).

Thinking back on it now, maybe it would have been nice to add Jimmy Olsen in the film to provide more comic relief. I think having Jimmy Olsen around adds balance to the dark and serious tone.

In comparison, Batman v Superman is a bit of a letdown. No fun, or adventure, at least to me. I have a side for the movie, but it's not what it should have been at all. On the pro side though, it's not as rushed as MOS was. The pacing was much better, but was a bit slow. There was less destruction, and it wasn't a film where the story's time took place in 24 hours time (like MOS).

Justice League has a lot to live up to if Snyder and Warner Bros. wish it to be a hit.

 

[KillerWolf]

As a more naturally flowing story it indeed felt shorter. In fact, I felt it needed even more time to clear up or reinforce some stuff. Despite it being 3 hours long already.

Yeah, it flows better. Fascinating what difference it makes.

Yup. A good 3 hour movie is a good 3 hour movie, but in terms of marketability I don't think it's smart.

In terms of box office, they'd probably lose few millions, I agree, but the way I see it, they should have been less greedy with BvS and more focused on the film being received well by the critics. BvS was a starting point of DCEU and long-term it would make more sense to sacrifice few millions and release a 3hr film so it's better received rather than focus primarily on the profit, like it seems was the case. And given how much hyped it was at the time, I don't think BvS being 3 hours long would prevent many people from seeing it, anyway.

One of the worst things WB can do right now is find themselves with another editing debacle on their hands. If it gets out again that they cut another Snyder film for profit rather than for quality, there's going to be a big stink.

What I'm saying is, WB shouldn't go "Make this a 2.5 hr film and try to cut it better." They should just say "Okay, make the film you want to make, but try to keep the rating in mind."

Having a shorter film didn't do them any favors at the box office, so forcing another one just doesn't seem like the lesson to be learned here.

As I said above, I think it did better at the box office than UC would, unfortunately at the expense of the critical reception of the film.

Still, to return to JL, I don't think it will require a 3 hour runtime. BvS was trying to be continuation of MOS, debut film of the new Batman and starting point of Justice League and greater DCEU at the same time. JL will be a more straightforward story, for sure.