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

[Kcreed]

And with Keaton and Reeve cast, Reeve would be too busy working on the film to ride that horse and would have avoided being paralyzed!

Make it so Khev!

wow,.... I don't know if should laugh or kick you in your nads..

 

[Starscream Soundwave]

...or Goldeneye Famke Janssen.

She kind of looks like she just enjoyed a nice hit to the face from Doomsday:

She'd just crush DD's head with her thighs.


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

 

[DiFabio]

wow,.... I don't know if should laugh or kick you in your nads..

What does your heart tell you?

 

[Khev]

And Vicky Vales's Vag was the entrance to the cave.

"I just gotta know, are we gonna TRY to love each other?"

"Well considering I have yet to even say that I love you in the first place I'm gonna go with 'no.'"

 

[Khev]

So this is the official viewing order: Superman: The Movie, Superman II, Batman 89, Batman Returns, BvS.

No Schumacher, no Singer, no MOS. All five of the former films have just enough of a connection that they can be watched in order and the deficiencies of each are covered by the positive manner in which they compliment each other.

 

[a-dev]

"I just gotta know, are we gonna TRY to love each other?"

"Well considering I have yet to even say that I love you in the first place I'm gonna go with 'no.'"

The worst dialogue exchange in the film. ''Why won't you let me in?'' You've known him for what, a week?

 

[Shawpaw]

The worst dialogue exchange in the film. ''Why won't you let me in?'' You've known him for what, a week?

She had borderline personality disorder

 

[kiwiatlarge]

****, after Superman 4 this would've been hailed a masterpiece!

Don't even need MOS, Superman 1/2 would've been sufficient bringing everyone up to speed, hell Superman 2 ended with Superman fighting Zod and BvS begins with Superman fighting Zod!

Superman 4 was bad, but I actually dislike Superman 3 more... it's one of those 'is Jaws 3D or Jaws The Revenge worse'? questions of the universe...

 

[GeneralZodLives]

Evil Superman redeems Superman III. I don't remember anything good about Superman IV.

 

[jye4ever]

GZL is right 3 is much better than 4.

But 3 is still pretty bad but 4 is like watching your daughter in a porno movie.

 

[a-dev]

GZL is right 3 is much better than 4.

But 3 is still pretty bad but 4 is like watching your daughter in a porno movie.

Disgust, intense discomfort but most of all rage....so I would imagine.

 

[jye4ever]

So this is the official viewing order: Superman: The Movie, Superman II, Batman 89, Batman Returns, BvS.

No Schumacher, no Singer, no MOS. All five of the former films have just enough of a connection that they can be watched in order and the deficiencies of each are covered by the positive manner in which they compliment each other.

Even his mountain vision of Pa Kent works, tornado suicide is never mentioned in BvS, like it never happened, Pa Kent still died from his heart attack.

 

[crows]

Even his mountain vision of Pa Kent works, tornado suicide is never mentioned in BvS, like it never happened, Pa Kent still died from his heart attack.

he had a heart attack when he was flying through the air

 

[kryptonianmutie]

Evil Superman redeems Superman III. I don't remember anything good about Superman IV.

GZL is right 3 is much better than 4.

But 3 is still pretty bad but 4 is like watching your daughter in a porno movie.

Disgust, intense discomfort but most of all rage....so I would imagine.

to all of these.

 

[kiwiatlarge]

You think Evil Supes was the inspiration for Emo Spidey?... shudder..

 

[LIBBY1957DOG]

As I thought. Lame.


.

about the how would Lex have possibly known that Superman can't see through lead question ?

not sure about usa court room security procedures ,me being a brit and all ,but the lead in the wheelchair thing , could it have been to shield the bomb from the buildings security ,like those x ray machines at the airports that shows folks naked
thinks aloud ...must chase up that job application i applied for

 

[abake]

Okay, now for the good stuff. Howard Hawks has been quoted as defining a great film as "having three great scenes and no bad ones." Here's the thing with BvS for me. It kind of has quite the list of "bad" scenes. Almost *ten* just on my own personal count (though admittedly a couple are minor nitpicks like the flight attendant knowing Diana's name.) But still, by Mr. Hawk's definition its bid to be a "great film" is blown out of the water by its flaws. However...while some of the flaws skirt dangerously close to "deal breaking" territory they never fully cross over IMO. And furthermore the "three great scenes" criteria is also kind of blown away by the fact that there are a LOT of great scenes. So if it didn't have the bad it would literally have been this cinematic triumph of a mindblowing level *just on the strength of the great scenes that are currently present.*

So I'm going to list a few:

1. I really like how the opening murder of the Waynes is staged, juxtaposed with Bruce's finding of the batcave, and scored. Just an all around artistic and well done opening.

2. And then segue into the attack on Metropolis. ANOTHER great sequence right from the get-go. Now I will say this which I'm sure some will take as a negative: The vehicle action on the ground does feel like it was directed by Michael Bay. Bruce speeding through Metropolis feels reminiscent of the Hummer chase through San Francisco in The Rock. The Batmobile chase with its perfectly clean, current model year SUV's and lens flares galore feels like that first Bumblebee/Barricade night time chase in the original Transformers. I *almost* expected the Batmobile to change shape and start chasing the Kryptonite on foot.

But I actually don't think that's bad! Just as Zack Snyder has some significant visual strengths so does Bay. And I kind of feel like the quiet moments of BvS have a bit of a David Fincher vibe (which is awesome) with the action overlapping into Michael Bay territory. A good combination! Just like the LOTR trilogy was kind of a marriage of Braveheart and Jurassic Park visuals with random Peter Jacksonisms filling in the gaps I think BvS was a bit of an amalgamation of Gone Girl and Transformers/The Rock. Zack even had the Batwing flying under the bay bridge like the F-18's going under the Golden Gate in The Rock. So stylistically I love BvS from beginning to end. And I do think that Zack added his own signature cues like the "300-esque" fighting of WW and a lot of urban scenes that looked pulled right out of Watchmen. But Zack has always been big on style and I know that a lot of people don't even want to give him kudos in that regard anymore. But I think it's an oversight to take all that for granted and dismiss it.

There are just so many great moments, way too many to list in that regard. Bruce standing in front of the empty Batsuit. The cinematrography, music, design of the suit, look in his eye, honestly I think it's one of the all time great Batman moments ever put to film.

So let's just get right into:

3. Ben Affleck

For me his portrayal really is definitive at this point. Not only his look and way he carried himself but his acting as well. And while I do think that *three* sideways glances to Alfred in *one* scene is a little much lol) that was more of a directing/editing thing and not on him. To me he even turned inherent negatives into positives. Like that kind of cocky/goofy "Ben Affleck" aspect of his own personality that he pretty much brings to every role. In BvS when Mercy, Lex's aide, finds him downstairs messing with the servers he actually projects his real life demeanor as Bruce Wayne's mask (and does it in a pretty, for lack of a better word, "charming" way) but then immediately drops the "Ben Affleck mask" and sullenly tells Alfred "I can't stay down here..." as the "real" Bruce. Brilliant.

And his acting constantly makes up for Cavill's deficiencies almost every time they're on screen together. Though I did like how Cavill played the whole exchange between him and Bruce at Lex's party.

Now I could continue to numerically list every scene or filmmaking choice I liked scene by scene but even I think that would be overkill.

I thought it was cool that Lex's security team burned all the bodies in Africa to make it look like Superman torched them with his eyes. And I liked the symmetry of "diving for Kryptonite" at both the beginning and end of the film. Amy Adams and Lawrence Fishburne's performances were great and appeared totally effortless. I liked the choice to make all the sex slaves non-English speaking immigrants so that they had no history of the Batman and were utterly terrified by him. I *loved* the creepy horror movie style security footage of Batman taking out Lex's guards when he finally stole the Kryptonite. And I can't say enough about the Knightmare sequence. Just fantastic. Scene after scene after scene of great stuff. Yes there were flaws interspersed throughout the course of the film but the onslaught of so many great moments is just too great for me to write the film off. I just take the bad with the good.

What makes the movie for me in particular and above all other aspects is Batman's heroism at the end. Just that he's the guy, the "human" who actually does the unthinkable and takes on Superman, the MOST suicidal of all endeavors (sorry Will Smith and your buddies) and PREVAILS, I mean that right there is the ultimate mismatch, the ultimate underdog fight, and he almost becomes the coolest superhero ever on that alone. But then you've got the fact that he's the guy who DOESN'T have the girl, DOESN'T have the mom, doesn't really have any hope for himself, and yet he's still the guy who gives everything he has in rescuing Martha and taking on Doomsday.

I think my single favorite action moment in the film is when the one general says that Doomsday is unkillable and then they cut immediately to Batman, alone in his plane, proceeding to take him head on. I love that ****! It's so hard to put these ridiculously powerful heroes into situations where you want to cheer them on and Snyder did it IMO. That's what these movies are all about. Great stuff.

Agreed, that is a fantastic moment for Batman, and an analysis that most people never make.

I thought it was cool that Batman outfought Superman and Wonder Woman out-detectived Batman ("you dont know me," "the drive is in your glove box Mr. Wayne.") I felt that it gave the impression that specialties get murky when you're dealing with beings at those power levels.

Also another reason I don't mind a conflicted and upset Superman is because to me Wonder Woman supplanted him as the shining hero of good and positivity in the DC film universe. I don't mind the switcheroo as long as *someone* is upbeat and goes to battle with a twinkle in their eye and smile on their face especially if that same hero is concerned and empathetic at just the right times as well. Clearly that was WW.

Agreed on all counts!
It's interesting that WW already went through all the despair that Superman is going through now, and she's finally come out on the other side, her hope rekindled.

 

[karamazov80]

So this is the official viewing order: Superman: The Movie, Superman II, Batman 89, Batman Returns, BvS.

No Schumacher, no Singer, no MOS. All five of the former films have just enough of a connection that they can be watched in order and the deficiencies of each are covered by the positive manner in which they compliment each other.

An interesting idea. Though Luthor and Jimmy Olson from the earlier films would obviously have to be forgotten about, and the jarring difference between Supermen (and the Burton approach vs. everything else) can't be ignored, I can see that kind of working. BvS is still not worth watching ever again, but I can see it fitting in line with a Superman and Batman who have both been beaten down a bit by the "modern world" after earlier exploits in those other films.

 

[Khev]

Even his mountain vision of Pa Kent works, tornado suicide is never mentioned in BvS, like it never happened, Pa Kent still died from his heart attack.

about the how would Lex have possibly known that Superman can't see through lead question ?

I don't really care that Lex knew about Superman not seeing through lead. The problem was that Snyder never actually established that as a handicap. For someone not already familiar with the character they might as well of said that the chair was lined with chocolate. Lois: "Oh no, CHOCOLATE! He couldn't see it!" Audience: "Um, okay, and why exactly?"

Agreed, that is a fantastic moment for Batman, and an analysis that most people never make.

Agreed on all counts!
It's interesting that WW already went through all the despair that Superman is going through now, and she's finally come out on the other side, her hope rekindled.

I think that if there weren't 20 MCU films to compare every DC release to and audiences were more open to darker/greyer heroes like they were in the 90's that BvS would have been much more appreciated. I'm really, really bummed that the apocalypse Batman saw in his "knightmare" will apparently never be fully realized on film. I *want* a dark, harsh Fury Road-esque war. But apparently the Justice League film will just be the assembling of the Avengers Part Deux.

 

[Khev]

An interesting idea. Though Luthor and Jimmy Olson from the earlier films would obviously have to be forgotten about, and the jarring difference between Supermen (and the Burton approach vs. everything else) can't be ignored, I can see that kind of working. BvS is still not worth watching ever again, but I can see it fitting in line with a Superman and Batman who have both been beaten down a bit by the "modern world" after earlier exploits in those other films.

BvS as a continuation of Superman I and II is no more jarring than Superman Returns supposedly replacing SMIII. I mean aside from Routh's pretty good Reeve impression and the recycling of Williams' music none of the situations, environments or characters really feel like continuations of their Donner counterparts. But it still uses the Donner films as a foundation and then basically does its own thing. BvS can do that too. Just ignore MOS and have Donner and Reeve represent Superman's early years. Then I think Cavill's downward turn feels more forgivable because his foundation as an awesome and all around good guy is still intact. Things just kind of went to pot for him and he had a really tough time with it in this one movie.

Obviously they don't fit together like movies filmed back to back with the same cast and crew like LOTR or something but as a kinda/sorta soft reboot/sequel I think it can work. Having a next gen Luthor and greying Batman only helps it fit with the prior films all the more.