Greetings friends and closet nerds, welcome to another edition of Talk Nerdy to Me, your go-to source of (attempted) unbiased opinions, useless information, and need-to-know down and dirty about all things nerdy.

After last’s week’s piece covered the new Spiderman trailer we figured this week’s topic would be the new(ish) trailer from the upcoming DC Extended Universe blockbuster Batfleck & Buddies. For the uninformed, Justice League follows the adventures of a smug billionaire as he recruits an overpowered group of rag-tag superhero misfits as they join forces to try to defeat the ever powerful Marvel Cinematic Universe. The team consists of Batman (Batfleck), Wonder Woman (Gal GaGorgeous), Aquaman (Aqua-Drago), the Flash (Timef*cker), Cyborg (Auto-bot Crotch) and possibly/maybe a back from the dead Super-Douche (Superman, of course). 

If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, take a quick look before we dive right in… 

Seeing as both AJ & Shaun are unapologetically Team DC and pretty much homers on the subject, it was decided we’d wait a bit before reviewing this trailer to make sure we got our nerdgasms out of the way before praising what we saw TOO much. Hence our late review of this gem.

Well, enough stalling–you know the drill. Grab a cup of coffee, get comfy and turn off your brain for a few minutes as AJ Speck and Shaun Curran jump into some Q&A regarding the good, the bad, and the dafuq-we-just-saw? Enjoy!

Let’s start with a tough question…what bothered you about the trailer?

AJ: Let me start this off by apologizing. I’m sorry to those who want me to remove bias and insert something here that knocks JL down a peg. I’m sorry to those who disliked my Spidey review and wanted me to be tougher on this one. I’m sorry because I have nothing for this section. I tried. I watched it over and over but I just can’t find anything I dislike. I know that’s annoying, but I’m being honest. This looks so damn good.

Shaun: Well said. I guess if I’m being completely honest, while I do like the fact that there is a somewhat lighter tone, I really hope it’s not a full 180 here. I think Marvel does a good job doing their own thing – and the DCEU could absolutely use a bit of levity. I just hope it’s not all forced humor. I laughed when Batfleck reveals that his superpower is that he’s rich and when AquaDrago shows his appreciation for the Batsuit (“dressed like a bat…I dig it”). But add that to “I hear you can talk to fish” from the first trailer and it makes me apprehensive. I really hope they don’t go full Marvel and add a family friendly yuk-yuk knee-slapper every other scene to appease the popcorn crowd. So my problem is more of a skeptical fear I guess.

AJ: The rich comment sort of annoyed me. Batman doesn’t have powers but he’s still a powerhouse in so many ways, so selling him off as the bankroll is just so much less than he’s worth. Your concern is shared, but I do hope they add another character with a history of humor (more on that later) to justify the lighter tone.

What were your favorite things about what we saw?

AJ: Barry Allen’s speed force is beautiful. I love how they’re showing his speed through sudden movements and not just running in place with things whizzing by. The use of lightning and Barry’s nonchalant normal movement in an otherwise blurred setting is excellent. My second favorite thing is Jason Momoa’s personality shining bright in his depiction of Aquaman. His combo of badassary and dry humor is excellent for Arthur Curry.

Shaun: Totally agree. The way the speed force was teased/showcased was amazing and I’m very excited to see more. As for my two favorite things, surprise surprise, they both involve The Batfleck. Director Zack Snyder’s use of imagery and drawing specific inspiration from the pages of the comics continues to leave me awestruck. The scene where Batfleck is standing on the Death Gargoyle looking menacingly down not only gave me chills but might have started a party in my pants a bit.

My other favorite thing is the budding Bromance between AquaDrago and Batfleck. From the shit-talking about his Batsuit to AquaDrago riding the Batmobile into battle screaming a rebel yell–wow. I completely agree that Momoa is going to bring something special to the screen with this interpretation and I love their exchanges so far.

There seems to be a feel like this is a change in pace and tone…what does this mean for the DCEU?

Shaun: This movie as a whole was bound to change the tone of the DCEU. One of the great things about the Justice League has been the Mötley Crüe of personalities, but I’m sure it can also be attributed to listening to the fans and evolving as a studio with Geoff Johns at the helm now. Aside from the mainstays of Batfleck and GaGorgeous, Timef*cker looks to be bringing the laughs, AquaDrago is bringing intense badassary and a humorous cockiness & Auto-bot Crotch is rumored to be the heart of the film. I’m biased but I think this film is going to be a game changer.

AJ: The change of pace is greatly needed. I liked “Batman vs Superman” but the pace of the film could have been much, much faster. Knowing this movie will be around 3 hours is going to make for a challenging task; go through the setup while moving the story along and keeping the casual fans invested with action and tech. The tone of the trailer feels much more like the New 52 Justice League stories, using both humorous and serious scenes to re-introduce the audience to some already popular characters.

Shaun: I loved “BvS”. I really hope “Justice League” embraces the 3 hour runtime and doesn’t get pigeonholed into an “acceptable” 2.5 hours and get cut up like Warner Bros did with “BvS”. That said, I think that will give it enough time to jump right in and keep the story engaging, fast paced, and intriguing.

Which character are you most excited about?

AJ: This is easy. Barry Allen aka the Flash aka the timeline killer aka the fastest man alive. Obviously his display of speed is exciting, but I want to see just how powerful/important they make him. Anything less than a major force would be a disappointment. If they make him Bruce’s Scarlet Robin I’ll be super bummed but I just don’t see that happening.

Shaun: While I’m beyond hyped for a continuation of the Batfleck saga, I’m most excited for AquaDrago. Despite (or maybe because of) his history as the butt of many DC and superhero jokes, the powers that be have gone to great lengths in re-imagining this character in an amazing and modern way. Our mutual friend Ross Dillon pushed me to pick up the Aquaman New 52 run (which is influencing this a little) and if you get past the “talks to fish” jokes, you have an Alpha level metahuman that has gone toe to toe with Superman, has an amazing rogues gallery, and is an all around deep and engaging character. Add that to the bravado Momoa is displaying and the budding bromance between him and the Bat, and I think The King of Atlantis is primed to steal the show.

They’ve teased another member…who do you think it could be?

AJ:  I see this being Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern. Not sure what actor that may be but it just seems so natural, especially if they’re looking to add some humor (Flash and GL are known to have had some hilarious interactions over the years). If not GL I could see them using the CW’s popularity to bring in a new version of Green Arrow or even the Martian Manhunter, though I’m leaning heavily toward GL.

Shaun: I’m going wildcard here and picking Martian Manhunter. They’ve got huge plans for the Green Lantern Corps and it’s mentioned Hal should be playing a big role in the “JL” sequel…but all the trolling by Armie Hammer about the role and hints that Lantern is showing up is making me think it’s all misdirection and we’ll absolutely be seeing the Manhunter appear come November.

Just kidding, it’s definitely GL.

What is your opinion on “Justice League” now compared to seeing the initial teaser 8 months ago?

AJ: Overall I’m pleased. I was left wanting more prior to this trailer and this is giving me everything I’m asking for without giving away any of the plot. I wanted more character detail, got it. I wanted more action shots–I got Batfleck swooping, Barry dodging, and Cyborg, well, cyborging. This movie looks excellent and my excitement is only growing.

Shaun: I’m treading on dangerous fanboy territory here. I’ve watched this trailer too many times to count, and each time I get more hyped. You basically said it all; from the scale and cinematography, to the straight-from-the-comics imagery, to the interactions we’ve seen so far, to the perfect soundtrack of these trailers, I’ve just been blown away and cannot wait for this film.

Final Question:
Describe your hype level in rating and meme form:

AJ:  Giddy. I’m “American teens seeing the Beatles”, “CoD fans before a midnight release”, “AJ before anything including the Flash” giddy.

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Shaun: Code Red, Level 9 Full Blown Nerdgasm.

There you have it–our totally one-sided view on the latest film in the Snyder-verse: Super-Friends: The Movie. Were we spot-on in our (probably) biased Batfleck man-crush on the film? Most likely. Will it be the masterpiece we want so badly for it to be? Maybe. Will we still see it when Rotten Tomatoes destroys it? Absolutely.

Regardless, let us know your thoughts below! And let’s try to play nice in the comments at least towards each other. Vitriol, bullying and unnecessary trolling is strongly frowned upon. Let’s keep it fun, and we welcome your thoughts and memes.

If you have any suggestions or thoughts please feel free to message us, and be sure to tune into our weekly TGS Podcast – Shop Talk, where everything and more is discussed in a fuller format with AJ Speck, Aron White, Shane Bailey, & Shaun Curran.

Also be sure to check out some of the other amazing articles, writers & podcasts TGS has to offer. Thanks again for reading!