2. He Can Do Spectacle, But Make It Intimate
The action in The Avengers was wicked and well-choreographed (who can hate that continuous take moving through each of The Avengers as they battle the Chitauri?). There's no way you can make a film like the Justice League and not make it an incredible spectacle. That would be a letdown and a waste of a summer popcorn film. The action needs to be brilliant and thrilling! Consider the opening to Les Mis, slightly dodgy CG aside- it's exciting, and it sends chills down your spine. Then consider the national address King George gives to his people on the eve of war in the finale to The King's Speech. Both as thrilling and as cinematic as the other. And both directed by Tom Hooper. Moreso in Les Mis than The King's Speech, Hooper has shown he can excite audiences and move them with spectacle, but we keep track of each participant and what is happening to them and how they are affected- case in point, the very emotional Student's ultimately futile rebellion in the third act. Combine the deaths with that powerful score, tear ducts the world over were welling up, but also the hair on the back of their neck was stand up. Now that's not some you can just pick up! So much of modern blockbuster spectacle, including the action in Man of Steel once Zod arrives on Earth, is boring and incomprehensible. The audience glaze over the endless computer-generated explosions and lose track of who's in the midst of the action. The great stuff has been when you actually know what's happening to who, when and where it's happening and how it's affecting them. Hooper hasn't put a foot wrong in this regard yet. He stretches his budget well, so I'd hope he'd put the Justice League's likely-astronomical budget to sensible use, unlike, say, Michael Bay!