Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

by Le Anne Lindsay, Editor

I think most of us would agree, although the movie’s opening scene takes place at the crux of the battle which occurred in Superman: Man of Steel (click for T&T post) Batman V Superman is really another Batman (Ben Affleck) flick, with a Superman (Henry Cavil) guest starring role and a Wonder Woman cameo. Gal Godot, by the way, is okay. I like that she’s of indeterminate race, and she looked fierce fighting Lex Luthor’s Doomsday… but Linda Carter with her amazing figure and sparkling eyes will always represent Wonder Woman for me.

Director Zack Snyder states, “We felt an interesting way of beginning this story was to examine Superman from another perspective, Batman’s perspective. Bruce doesn’t know who Superman is; all he knows is what the public knows. He blames him for the lives lost in Metropolis, lives that he felt responsible for. His hatred has been building up inside, and now, all this time later, he’s finding reinforcement of those feelings in the media.”…

“When we find Superman, he’s been dealing with everyday life as a Super Hero, but there’s a distinct shift happening in how his heroic efforts are viewed, thanks to the unintended consequences of those acts,” Snyder continues. “Every action has a reaction; one guy’s rescue leaves another in distress. We wanted to explore the reality of saving people and what intervening can really mean. The classic idea with Superman is that he’s a good guy trying to do the right thing and that he isn’t political, but in truth, in today’s world, it’s impossible not to be, no matter your intentions.” – Batman v Superman:Dawn of Justice Production Notes

I think the critics have been way too hard on the movie (29% RT), not that it dampened the box office – $424M seizing total control of the box office around the world opening weekend, making it the sixth biggest opening ever for a super hero film. The largest overall domestic debuts of all-time are now Star Wars: The Force Awakens ($248M), Jurassic World ($208.8M), The Avengers ($207.4M), Avengers: Age of Ultron ($191.3M), Iron Man 3 ($174.1M), and BvS ($170.1m).

Bottom Line: I will say in terms of criticism, it takes longer than usual to get into the meat of the movie. It’s typical for action/adventure films to have a number of short set up scenes in the beginning that may feel a little disjointed, but necessary. Batman V Superman has probably like 3 or 4 too many of those types of set up scenes, keeping you on edge, but not through cinematic tension, more like you’re waiting to settle in.

Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor, could definitely be stronger. I feel like he was trying so hard to create a memorable villain that he over thought it. He went for a borderline schizophrenic, recently off his meds. Luthor suffers from Megalomania; still a mental disorder, but played completely different. For future Justice League movies, they should consider a Lex Luthor recast.

But on the whole, I was very engaged with the entire movie. Thought it was visually artistic, the philosophical and politically relevant plots were well written. One favorite scene: when Superman tells Batman to cut out the crap vigilante speech, accompanied by a menacing warning look, before shooting straight up like a rocket. Then we cut to Batman giving his signature under-eyed masked stare, which clearly said, Superman, you’re not the boss of me.

LIST YOUR FAVORITE BATMAN ACTORS

IN ORDER OF 1 – 7

I was watching the Sheldon’s birthday episode of “The Big Bang Theory” and they were ranking the actors who’ve portrayed Batman in order of their preference – #1 being your favorite. Here’s mine:

1. Michael Keaton (nostalgic reasons)
2. Ben Affleck (actually embodies the character best)
3. Val Kilmer (because of the way his perfectly shaped lips looked under the mask)
4. Christian Bale
5. Adam West
6. Wil Arnett (Voice of Lego Batman)
7. George Clooney.

Hit me up on social media to give me your listing!

Come join us LIVE in studio to @BatmanvSuperman Thurs 3/31/16 9pm ET; we got a seat open just for YOU! pic.twitter.com/tFhg1HJ2yK

— Black Tribbles (@BlackTribbles) March 27, 2016