Batman Vs Superman – My Thoughts

Batman Vs Superman desktop poster Image courtesy of Warner Bros

Hey everyone, I hope everyone is well and yes it’s been a while since my last blog post but I’m back so let’s get into it.

Ok so if you haven’t notcied over the last couple of days, Warner Bro’s studios and DC comics have released the much anticipated Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice movie and the early response have been mixed and in some cases divisive between fans and critics. At the time of writing this post the critical rating on the website rotten tomatoes is at 30% and most of the critical reponse has been very negative while the audience score is at 73% and finanically the early reports suggest that the film have racked in approximately $7 million worldwide which isn’t a bad start at all. I went and saw the movie yesterday with my friend and his partner and I kept an open mind and trying to not be influenced by the early critical response, so what did I like and didn’t like about the film? Below are my points on what I liked and didn’t like and I’ll try not to spoil it for those who are thinking of seeing it:

Liked
It’s different to a Marvel film
Let’s get one thing straight here, this is not a bright Marvel studios type film, this is a dark, gritty no thrills type of film and that is because of the Batman element. If you saw Batman Begins and The Dark Knight films beforehand, then you already know how dark Batman’s world is and you should’t complain at all. In terms of tone DC and Warner Bros had to distinguish this film away from the light and bright tone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (which I do like very much) and it does suit the film well. This film also looks at how both Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent take a dim view of each others alter ego’s. You can see clearly that Bruce is paranoid that Superman will end up destroying all of mankind while on the flipside Clark views Batman as a vigilante menance that must be stopped and you’ll see that tension between the two characters when they cross paths throughout the film. If you’re thinking of bringing your kids to see this film, do yourself a favour don’t, this film is not really for kids.

Batman is awesome
Yep that’s right, the dark knight played by Ben Affleck stands up in this incarnation and he does kick some arse. As a fan of the Chris Nolan Batman trilogy films I was intrigued on how Affleck was going to follow up Christian Bale’s perfomances, but I was surprised that he pulled it off. Playing a more weary and grizzly Bruce Wayne suited him well and his interactions with Diana Prince/Wonder Woman in the movie were the some of more interesting parts of the film. With Suicide Squad coming up later on on the year and with more Batman films to come we’ll get to see more of Ben Affleck as the dark knight and that can only be a good thing!

Wonder Woman steals the show
Well what can you say, she does steal the show during the big climax towards the end of the film when she is in full battle mode but she also has her moments as her alter ego Diana Prince, for example when her and Bruce Wayne are competing to try to figure out what Lex Luthor is up to makes those sequences fun to watch. Gal Gardot was a perfect casting choice for Wonder Woman and with her solo film coming out next year we’ll get see more of her which will please the DC fan boys very much.

It carry’s on the themes from Man of Steel
If you liked Man of Steel then you will like this one as well as it continues on the themes from that film and deals with the fallout from the big battle Metropolis that took place. It seems poor old Clark Kent can’t catch a break, he father didn’t want him to show his powers when he was a kid and now he is Superman he is getting slagged off being super being who should be held accountable for his actions. The scenes between him and Lois Lane shows how important Lois is to his life and how much that relationship has strengthen since the last Superman film. I recommend you watch Man of Steel first before seeing this film to get an idea of what was going on beforehand.

Lex Luthor
When the trailers came out showing Jesse Eisenberg playing as Superman’s arch villian, there was a groan among some fans on net (some of my friends included) that his portrayal of the character was a bit whinny. But thankfully I can safely say that isn’t the case, in fact quite the opposite. This version of Lex Luthor is more of a sociapath who craves absolute power and will do anything to get rid of Superman to the point that he creates Doomsday to destroy him. You’ll love to hate him so much that you want either Batman, Superman or both to beat him to a pulp.

Disliked
DC character cameo appearances felt rushed
So apart from Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, who else from the DC universe makes an appearance in the film. Well we get to see glimpses of Aqua Man, Cyborg and The Flash, which was fine as there is more out there then just the main 3 characters of the film but were those glimpses nessacary? Personally I felt they were rushed in at the last minute to give the audience a teaser of more films to come but really what they should’ve not bothered with them at all as they didn’t really serve any purpose other than to tease what’s coming ahead in the DC universe.

Women Woman solo film should’ve came out before this
As much as I loved Wonder Women’s character in this film, they should’ve saved this film till after the Wonder Woman solo film. It would’ve given Gal Gardot’s character more of a connection to the audience, more background information into the character and also more time on screen. I felt they under-utilize her character in this film as she could’ve done more but hey most the fans are happy that Wonder Woman is on the big screen.

DC and Warner Bros should’ve taken a leaf from Marvel’s playbook
As I’ve said before DC and Warner Bros had to give this film a dark tone and I do get that and it works well, however one thing they should’ve done is take a leaf from what Marvel have done and build their universe from ground up instead throwing characters in left right and centre. If you weren’t a big comic book fan from the DC universe then understanding some of the themes from this film would be a mind fuck. Maybe a second Superman solo movie may have been the way to go then release the Wonder Woman, Aqua Man and the Flash solo films before bringing in this movie so at least you got a sense of who the other characters are and how it all ties in.

My Verdict
Personally I did like it as it continued on from where we left off in Man of Steel and takes it into a dark direction. If you were worried about Ben Affleck as Batman, don’t worry as he does an awesome job as the Dark Knight and we get to see Wonder Woman in her glory which the DC fan boys will enjoy. It’s not as bad as what most movie critics have being saying however it does have its problems in terms of trying to do too much in too little time and if you’re well versed in the DC comic book universe then you may able to get all the themes in there. In saying that though if you do like an action flick then visually its one of best ones going around and you’ll enjoy it very much, however if you’re thinking of bringing your kids to see this film, do yourself a favour and leave the kids at home as this film is not a child friendly movie.