Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (March 24th, 2016)

[RIDDICK]

 

[EVILFACE]

I can no longer tell who's being serious and who's joking.

Just go into thinking everything sucks and you are good.

 

[karamazov80]

Uh, Spoiler alert Riddick. Not everyone has seen Lost in Space (?) yet.

 

[jye4ever]

 

[RIDDICK]

 

[Khev]

Does anyone still watch the first Avengers anymore? Sure it was great seeing all those heroes together for the first time but now, meh. Nothing really to write home about. Sure Hiddleston was good but no better or worse than he was in either Thor film. Cap looked stupid. Most of the action is just Avengers fighting each other until they get over themselves. Hulk punching Thor and smashing Loki are the two highlights of the entire alien invasion, otherwise the rest of the action is "pretty good" but again, nothing to write home about.

I honestly think the Galaga joke is the best part of the movie.

 

[karamazov80]

Yeah, that sounds like my initial impressions of the movie. . .same goes for the bulk of the Marvel Studios stuff IMO. "Pretty good." Netflix Marvel is where it's at. And of course, the Singer X-films.

 

[Khev]

Well I didn't care for the Jessica Jones pilot but yeah, Avengers 1 is far, far below TWS and Daredevil. I'll even take AoU because at least everyone looks cooler and the spectacle is better.

 

[karamazov80]

Jessica Jones is on par with DD in my opinion. Better in some ways, not as good in others.

 

[Khev]

Was Rachael Taylor supposed to be Jessica's ex-lover? Seemed like that's what they were implying in the first episode.

 

[pturtle]

Does anyone still watch the first Avengers anymore? Sure it was great seeing all those heroes together for the first time but now, meh. Nothing really to write home about. Sure Hiddleston was good but no better or worse than he was in either Thor film. Cap looked stupid. Most of the action is just Avengers fighting each other until they get over themselves. Hulk punching Thor and smashing Loki are the two highlights of the entire alien invasion, otherwise the rest of the action is "pretty good" but again, nothing to write home about.

I honestly think the Galaga joke is the best part of the movie.

I thought he was awesome in the first Thor movie, but he was horrible in the Avengers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[a-dev]

Does anyone still watch the first Avengers anymore? Sure it was great seeing all those heroes together for the first time but now, meh. Nothing really to write home about. Sure Hiddleston was good but no better or worse than he was in either Thor film. Cap looked stupid. Most of the action is just Avengers fighting each other until they get over themselves. Hulk punching Thor and smashing Loki are the two highlights of the entire alien invasion, otherwise the rest of the action is "pretty good" but again, nothing to write home about.

I honestly think the Galaga joke is the best part of the movie.

I can still watch it easily. And for me it trounces AOU.

 

[Brainiac]

I've been having fun driving the new BvsS Batmobile in the Arkham Knight game

 

[Khev]

I can still watch it easily.

Aha! I rest my case.

 

[a-dev]

Shu'up Terminator Genisys lover!

 

[Khev]

 

[The Clown Prince of Crime]

I read this article about the upcoming trailer, and basically the guy says that WB needs to make sure BVS looks like a fun film, so that families will be interested in watching it when it comes out. I agree, the first two trailer are pretty dark and grim, not fun at all, so maybe having some humor in it would be nice. Even two of the most serious/grim superhero films ever, TDK and TDKR had some humor in the trailers.

Forbes Welcome

Spoiler

How 'Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice' Trailer Can Trump The 'Captain America: Civil War' Trailer




Scott Mendelson , CONTRIBUTOR
I cover the film industry.
FOLLOW ON FORBES (855)
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.

Tonight sees the apparent debut of the third Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer. Although what we’re getting during the mid-season finale of Gotham may just be a glorified clip or sizzle reel, I’m willing to bet it is some form of the trailer that will presumably otherwise debut in theaters this Friday at the various overseas markets where Ron Howard’s In the Heart of the Sea opens. Of course, the fact that they are debuting this trailer with Gotham instead of Supergirl is probably a sign that this will not be the lightest and frothiest sell. Moreover, this probably won’t be a Superman-centric trailer. Gotham is a very dark, rather macabre, and often ridiculously violent show. If this trailer is another uber-serious affair, it will represent something of a (temporary) missed opportunity. We’ve got four months to go until the March 25 release of the mega-budget superhero smackdown, and the rest of the marketing campaign should be at least partially spent attempting to assure viewers that this Zack Snyder spectacular is actually enjoyable. The key word going out should be “fun.”

For what it’s worth, I like what I’ve seen of the film thus far. Putting aside my fears that there will be too much playing in the Dark Knight Returns sandbox for my liking, Batman v Superman looks like a mega-budget, superhero action spectacular. Ben Affleck’s “angry face” is perfectly comic book while also sure to be the Internet meme of 2016. But the word around the campfire is that the film’s sell has been aggressively grim and baroque. The focus thus far has been how much our two title heroes don’t care for each other, which runs contrast to last week’s Civil War trailer which emphasized loyalties and relationships built up over 12 prior films. But the Civil War trailer was surprising in that it was somewhat grim and rather small-scale. Marvel has a history of grim teasers for films that end up being just jovial enough, but that still offers something of an opportunity going forward.

Part of the reason Warner Bros. /Time Warner Inc. is dropping this third trailer now is to get the conversation back from Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Captain America: Civil War if only for a day or two. And the way going forward to do that is two-fold: First of all, and they have already made strides in this department, they need to convince the masses that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is the biggest superhero spectacular they’ve ever seen. They really should embrace those “This movie cost $420 million to produce!” rumors and brag about how huge this film is in terms of “bang for your 3D IMAX ticket price buck.” The SDCC trailer offered a strong sense of bigness and scale (it looks pretty spectacular on an actual IMAX screen), and that’s the right track to play going forward.



The second big sell point they need to emphasize, aside from using Wonder Woman as the ultimate “added value element,” is that this film will actually be “fun” for fans and general audiences of all ages. Obviously that’s a tougher needle to thread. The same fans who are complaining that the marketing thus far reeks of “grimdark” will also be up in arms if further sells offer too much explicit humor or anything that might be mistaken for camp. Yet whether it’s highlighting scenes of our two heroes vexing each other in a less “I’m going to kill you!” manner, showing Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill actually working together or previewing Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman showing up her male co-stars in a crowd-pleasing fashion, these bits will both reassure the fans that it won’t be all anguish and misery while also assuring parents that their kids might actually have a good time at this PG-13 superhero movie.

Warner faced a similar challenge with The Dark Knight, and they rose to said challenge with a television campaign (and a third full trailer) that emphasized intense adventure and the occasional joke“ along with Health Ledger’s Joker being scary and the city of Gotham being terrorized. Part of the reason this matters, to the extent that it does, is because we don’t yet know if this new DC Expanded Universe is something of a family-approved PG-13 franchise. It’s the difference, relatively speaking, between a PG-13 Jurassic World and a PG-13 Terminator Genisys.





There is a trust built into the Marvel films at this point, no matter how violent the likes of Iron Man 3 or Captain America: The Winter Soldier might be, where parents know that their kids won’t get too scared or disturbed by the onscreen adventures of Tony Stark and his amazing friends. But the newly formed DC movie-verse doesn’t have that trust yet. Emphasizing how mournful, angsty, and gloomy your kick-off entry is going to be is probably going to cause a “wait and see” approach. Now this can be solved with kid-friendly television spots as well that will air on Nickelodeon and the like, but this needs to be somewhere in the marketing game plan.

With the idea that we’re still four months out, there is plenty of time to make the sale for a “fun” and “enjoyable” Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice coming to an IMAX theater near you. The Captain America: Civil War trailer was uncommonly small-scale and (somewhat expectedly) dour. The two films aren’t really competing with each other, as six weeks between films is more than enough breathing room. But there exists an opportunity to contrast the two projects in a way that helps the earlier 2016 superhero v superhero sequel without hurting the later sequel (which is going to be just fine). If Captain America: Civil War is going to sell “small and grim,” then Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice needs to sell “big and fun.”

Warner has already sold the “bigness” of this film, and that’s incredibly important for reasons I’ll discuss tonight when the trailer drops. But they also need to make sure that the movie actually looks “fun” in a general audiences or “bring your kids on opening night” fashion. We already know that this movie will be “grounded,” grim and “cool” in the way that delights young boys while scaring their parents. But now the powers that be need to sell the “fun” and “adventure” of their mega-budget superhero sequel. I happen to think that the film looks like a spectacularly good time in that “super serious for a 1990’s comic book” fashion, but I seem to be the only one who thinks that in media circles which implies a more conventional pitch is required.

The overriding pitch for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice needs to be “big fun.” They’ve already got the “big” handled, but now they need to sell the fun.

 

[karamazov80]

I read this article about the upcoming trailer, and basically the guy says that WB needs to make sure BVS looks like a fun film, so that families will be interested in watching it when it comes out. I agree, the first two trailer are pretty dark and grim, not fun at all, so maybe having some humor in it would be nice. Even two of the most serious/grim superhero films ever, TDK and TDKR had some humor in the trailers.

Forbes Welcome

While I would agree that this would help to appeal to kids and parents, it doesn't seem like this is supposed to be a fun, family kind of movie. The whole mood is supposed to be dark and depressing. That's what Snyder do. So, is it better to get a cheap bump in the opening weekend that leads to confusion and disillusionment by the moviegoers, or to sell it as what it is, and not disappoint kids and families as a result?

Was Rachael Taylor supposed to be Jessica's ex-lover? Seemed like that's what they were implying in the first episode.

No. But they have a history, which is discussed as the season progresses. Taylor plays Patsy Walker, by the way. AKA Hellcat in the comics.

And for me it trounces AOU.

I agree on that point.

 

[Khev]

No. But they have a history, which is discussed as the season progresses. Taylor plays Patsy Walker, by the way. AKA Hellcat in the comics.

No kidding? One of the strikes I had against the show was wasting Taylor's opportunity to be in the MCU by just making her some talk show host. Hmmm.

I agree on that point.

Aha! Once again I rest my case.

 

[The Clown Prince of Crime]

While I would agree that this would help to appeal to kids and parents, it doesn't seem like this is supposed to be a fun, family kind of movie. The whole mood is supposed to be dark and depressing. That's what Snyder do. So, is it better to get a cheap bump in the opening weekend that leads to confusion and disillusionment by the moviegoers, or to sell it as what it is, and not disappoint kids and families as a result?

Ahh, that's a good point and a good question. It depends on what kind of movie WB made, and unfortunately we won't know until it comes out. TDKR trailer was pretty dark and so was the film, but it had some humor in it...then again, the Nolan films aren't kid friendly, so perhaps that was expected. Then there's MOS, a film most people either like or don't like because it wasn't "fun"...so perhaps expecting something different with BVS is wrong. Perhaps there's another way of conveying that film is fun? Regardless of how serious it might be, they still have Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman on film for the first time ever and that alone should be something fun and enjoyable, not depressing and serious.