Justice League Trailer Gets A Retro Makeover
The Justice League Comic-Con trailer just got an impeccably made retro makeover. The Warner Bros. tentpole arrives in November with newly minted megastar Gal Gadot leading the way as Diana Price/Wonder Woman along with Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman. The same familiar group will assemble as Aquaman (Jason Momoa), The Flash (Ezra Miller), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) join forces to battle Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds). The studio is ostensibly under plenty of pressure to deliver a similar commercial and critical success to what Patty Jenkins accomplished with Wonder Woman this summer.
The trailers released so far for Justice League reveal plenty of Snyder’s trademark visuals and the potential for some eye-popping action, in addition to what could be another memorable turn by Gadot. But it’s also far from the first portrayal of the Justice League heroes on the big or small screen, and there have certainly been similar programs inspired by it. A new video brings some disparate classic movies and shows together to show what Justice League might look like if it passed through a time machine.
As you can see on the Darth Blender YouTube channel, the new “trailer” is a unique take on the extended Comic-Con trailer for Justice League. It’s the same audio as the original trailer, but in place of clips from the actual movie are shots from classics like Tim Burton’s Batman and RoboCop, among various other works from bygone eras. You can watch the trailer above.
In place of Affleck is Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman; taking the place of Cyborg is, of course, Peter Weller as RoboCop; and laid over Aquaman’s shots is Kevin Costner from Waterworld. The Flash was relatively easy to redo, as they simply used classic clips from the original Flash series from 1990. Even Michael Gough, Tim Burton’s Alfred Pennyworth, takes the place of Jeremy Irons. Easily the most amusing retro clips, however, come from Lucy Lawless kicking ass on Xena: Warrior Princess in place of Wonder Woman, and shots of Tim Curry as the devil-horned Darkness from Ridley Scott’s Legend in place of Steppenwolf. Stick with it to the end for a clip from Jurassic Park.
The editing on this retro trailer is exemplary, as much of the dialogue was closely recreated using various scenes from the classic movies and shows chosen. Darth Blender employs a team of six for its unique YouTube videos, which often clash unrelated movies together in unexpected ways. The channel also has “trailers” for “Shrek: Ragnarok” and “Deadpool’s Day Off”. The retro Justice League trailer is only the latest fine example of the channel’s unique talents.
The hope, now, is that the actual Justice League movie lives up to the standard set by some of the movies used in this retro trailer. If it even approaches the quality of RoboCop or Burton’s Batman, it would be a major success. But after Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, which was a commercial success but a critical disappointment, Warner Bros. has plenty to prove.
