Batman v Superman: 5 Positive & 5 Negative Things To Remember It By

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice entered the pantheon of superhero movies and divided its fans. Here are the good and bad of the film.

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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice entered the pantheon of superhero movies on March 25, 2016 and seemingly divided the world. In the four years since then, the inaugural silver screen face-off between America’s oldest and most iconic superheroes has left behind a trail of debate over the movie’s direction, themes, and characterizations.

When peering deeper, it’s not difficult to ascertain why the movie has divided so many. Lines such as “Martha” have invited intense criticism while others such as “Do you bleed/You will,” have inspired much praise; themes such as Superman’s sacrifice have been positively received while Batman’s murderous tendencies have been condemned. Yet somewhere, underneath the drama, lies a nearly three-hour movie that has merit on both sides of the coin on how it deserves to be remembered.

10 Negative: Directorial Over-Indulgence

Director Zack Snyder’s relatively restrained approach on Man of Steel seemingly reflected Christopher Nolan’s “less is more” influence on the movie (Nolan was a co-writer and producer on the film) and worked within the grounded tone. Batman v Superman, on the other hand, exhibits more of Snyder’s visually bombastic dynamism.

Watching both movies back-to-back feels like watching two movies by completely different directors, with much more slow-mo imagery, a brighter color palette, and some fairly over-the-top CGI moments (like the Bat-cave entrance).

9 Positive: Ben Affleck

Few saw “Bat-Fleck” as being the best part of the sequel, yet that is exactly what the longtime actor-turned-director managed to accomplish.

Affleck nails the part of the grizzled and cynical Bruce Wayne, which audiences hadn’t yet seen on the big screen. After a strange career, which includes a string of mid-2000’s acting flops to directing bona-fide successes like The Town and the Oscar-winning Argo, the matured filmmaker provided the exact gravitas that the role necessitated.

8 Negative: Doomsday

One of the most frustrating things about Batman v Superman is that the core conflict between the heroes is actually quite compelling and provides more than enough substance for the ambitious movie. Though Superman’s death provides a reasonable conclusion to his arc as Earth’s protector, Doomsday doesn’t quite stick the landing.

The real villain, Lex Luthor, does an effective job of manipulating both heroes into distrusting one another over the course of film, and witnessing him fail to destroy Superman could’ve been a satisfying ending, even a jumping off point for the next DCEU entry. Seeing the ridiculous-looking Doomsday battle the three main heroes, in the end, feels like the equivalent of bashing superhero toys together because it looks cool.

7 Positive: The Opening Sequence

While the movie’s finale may have been controversial, it’s opening is very well done. Witnessing Man of Steel’s destruction of Metropolis from an outsider’s point-of-view, specifically Bruce Wayne’s, uniquely places the audience inside the action on the ground and demonstrates how the battle between Superman and Zod affected Metropolis’ citizens.

Having Bruce partake in rescuing civilians from the horrific destruction establishes his character’s distrust of Superman, whom he now views as an alien capable of destroying the human race.

6 Negative: It Robs Henry Cavill Of A Proper Sequel

Though Man of Steel was a bit of an uneven entry into Superman lore, Cavill’s first go as Superman established many positive attributes that deserved a closer inspection in a sequel. This would never come to pass, however, as Snyder announced only a month after the movie’s release that the sequel to Man of Steel would pit Superman against Batman.

Though Snyder denies he took on Superman to get to Batman, including the Dark Knight instantly made Superman second fiddle in his own sequel, which Cavill himself acknowledged. Considering The Dark Knight Rises had only come out one year prior, the introduction of a new Batman felt rushed and disrespectful to the sequel Superman deserved.

5 Positive: Beginning The Journey Towards Zack Snyder’s Justice League

The negative critical reaction to Batman v Superman led Warner Bros. to feel greater insecurity about the follow-up, Justice League. Snyder stepped away from Justice League’s production in May of 2017, with conflicting reports indicating he was either fired or left by choice due to a family tragedy.

Marvel veteran Joss Whedon was hired to completely re-haul the movie and Warner Bros. mandated it be under two hours and released on time so the studio execs could keep their bonuses. In the ensuing years, a grassroots campaign consisting of fans and public figures alike banged the drum hard for Snyder’s vision to be released. In May 2020, it was shockingly announced that this would come to pass, with Zack Snyder’s Justice League being announced for an HBO Max release in 2021. Regardless of one’s feelings on Snyder or Batman v Superman, the campaign’s success was a monumental moment in pop culture history.

4 Negative: Batman Kills

One of the fundamental characteristics of Batman is his unwavering value for human life. He refuses to kill even his most maddening foes, such as the Joker. Therefore, the extreme shock of seeing Affleck’s Batman lethally mow down henchman with an automatic weapon mounted to his car left fans of the character feeling betrayed.

One argument that’s been made is that the Batman in this iteration is an adaptation of his time, and it’s only after he glimpses his own humanity through nearly killing Clark that he’s brought back to the Batman the audiences know. This would have potentially worked if Clark was going to be the first life Bruce was willing to take. Having already seen him kill numerous others prior with no remorse negates that moment’s resonance.

3 Positive: A Wondrous Character Introduction

Throughout most of the movie, Diana Prince weaves her way in and out of the plot as an outsider looking in, keeping tabs on what is going on between Bruce, Clark, and Lex. When Batman finds himself cornered against Doomsday in the bloated finale, Diana finally makes her Amazonian appearance, and it’s undeniably awesome.

Hans Zimmer’s musical theme “Is She With You” elevates the scene’s heart-pounding momentum and Diana immediately endears herself to the audience as the most memorable character in the whole movie.

2 Negative: It Tries To Be Too Much

Co-writer David Goyer once said in a 2005 interview that “Batman Vs. Superman is where you go…when you’ve exhausted all possibilities.” While it’s not unprecedented for artists to change their minds, it’s important to consider that decisions like including Batman are not always made for artistic reasons.

Adapting parts of classic comic book storylines such as The Dark Knight Returns and The Death of Superman, while simultaneously plotting a sequel to Man of Steel and introducing the Justice League, feels like the very definition of overkill. As a result, the original edit of the film was seen as undeniably messy by many, with the re-edited Ultimate Edition smoothing out the story and adding 30 additional minutes.

1 Positive: Bill Finger’s Long-Awaited Credit

For all of its division and debate, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will forever go down in history as the first film to officially credit Batman co-creator Bill Finger. It may have only been three words, “with Bill Finger,” but for those who know Finger’s story, those three words felt like a 77-year old weight being lifted.

Finger’s anonymity stemmed from a supposed contract that his original partner, Bob Kane, forged with DC Comics in 1939 that credited Kane as the sole creator of Batman. This contract, along with Kane’s mega-maniacal control over Batman in the decades to follow, prevented Finger from ever receiving any official credit. In 2017, the documentary Batman & Bill revealed that Finger wasn’t just in on the creation, he was the heart and soul of what audiences would come to love about Batman. As such, seeing Finger’s name finally recognized on a film with the words “dawn of justice” in the title is enough to make anyone feel just a little bit choked up inside.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/batman-v-superman-positive-negative/