YouTuber explains why DC’s action scenes suck

My job frequently requires me to spend inordinate amounts of time on Reddit and YouTube (yes, that’s my story and I’m sticking with it). Sometimes videos pop up on both sites almost simultaneously, and that’s usually enough to catch my interest.

Today, it’s this video, in which YouTuber Nerdwriter1 describes the pitfalls of the fight scenes in the DC live-action films of the last few years, and how they could be improved with judicious application of, among other things, physics.

This caught my eye for a few reasons. I have a secret, guilty liking for the DC film universe, mostly fostered by a close friend who’s a megafan and the studio’s insistence on stuffing their blockbusters into the slots on my calendar that Marvel leaves behind.

So what’s the gist of the video? Channel host Evan Puschak lays out the failings of their fight scenes in a fairly convincing analysis, with one point being a particular favorite of mine (and one which has occurred to me before, though never in so many words): the physics of some of the fight scenes don’t seem particularly real. It’s whatever the action film equivalent of the Uncanny Valley is.

Also, as Puschak points out, the fight scenes don’t make the best use of the character’s individual powers, with every character’s solution being to throw a punch or swing a weapon — though, personally, I’d make an exception for Barry “I’ve just pushed some people and run away” Allen.

I’m aware that the basics of the video could be summed up in one sentence, that being, “The fight scenes are poorly choreographed and unconvincing.” But Puschak’s analysis is well-argued, and even diehard fans might be willing to consider, if not concede some of his points.

And if you’ve got a few minutes to kill and want to see people delve into their passion for characters, then check out this Reddit thread on the video. Several of them are convinced the reason the fight scenes don’t work is they don’t serve the characters — and then describing in detail who the characters are and what they represent. It’s kind of glorious.

Happy Friday, everyone.