This is part 3 of a 3 part series on the DC cinematic universe. You can check out parts 1 and 2 in the links right here.
Part 1: Green Lantern
Part 2: Man of Steel
Whether you love or hate what DC has done with their cinematic universe you have to admit it's been a tough year. People came out of Man of Steel with mixed feelings but most were excited for Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad. And while most people agree Suicide Squad has been the best movie they've released so far, Batman V Superman has really divided fans. Most people absolutely hated it and a few brave fans have been relentlessly defending it.
Wether you like it or hate it it's pretty clear that there's a large very vocal group of detractors, on top of that most critics didn't like it either. So with Batman v Superman hated, people kinda meh on Suicide Squad and then people's outrage at the animated version of "The Killing Joke" A brilliant comic, no matter what the writer thinks about it now, pissing off comic book fans and leaving them feeling betrayed. All in all, DC has not had a great 2016. But hey, maybe Lego Batman 3 will be as much fun as the first two....
Personally I'm a bit conflicted myself. There were things that I thought were mighty awesome.
And there were things that I absolutely hated.
Many, Many things that I absolutely hated.
Now before you try to go off on how I didn't understand the film or that I didn't get how deep it was, let me tell you, I get the deeper meanings they were going for. I've thought about this movie much more than any human probably should and I think they were aiming at a really interesting movie, but they just got too bogged down in trying to make the movie look cool.
I see what direction they were running but I just think they fumbled the ball. It's as if someone who had no understanding of these characters just really wanted them to fight like they did in the dark knight returns while not understanding that the reason people love that comic is for many reasons and the fight with Superman was just the whipped cream on the sunday. And that's just what the fight in this movie seemed like, empty calories with no substance. Which I suspect is the reason the reviews are so bad.
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| The last film I did won best picture.... |
But I can see the film they were trying to go for deep down. Just a fair warning for all the people who care enough about this movie to not want it spoiled and yet for some reason haven't seen it yet even though it's already available on Blu Ray. Spoilers Ahead.
So Batman v Superman is the story of an old jaded Batman feeling threatened by the presence of Superman. As is baby billionaire Lex Luthor hates God or even the concept of him. Blaming God for now protecting him from his own abusive father. He hatches a plan to take down the Superman. Superman, doing everything he can to help people is becoming disillusioned with his own mission as he realizes that even at full power he still can't save everyone. Lex comes up with a completely implausible and possibly impossible plan with dozens of variables that he has no power over. The plan puts Superman and Batman at odds because he clearly already knows who both of them are. While feeding into Batman's paranoia, and building up Superman's distrust of Batman he brings things to a head by kidnapping Superman's mom and threatening to kill her if he doesn't kill Batman just at the moment that Batman makes up his mind to murder Superman and has set up all of his traps to do it. They wrestle for a while but become "friends" when they find out their mom has the same name and that Batman himself has become the villain of this story. They team up to save Superman's mom and stop Lex who seemed to assume his entire overly complex Batman v Superman plan wouldn't pan out so he's already created Doomsday by the time they find him.
They team up with Wonder Woman who has been just kinda here the whole time.
But in order to make the final blow Superman has to sacrifice himself to save the world. Batman seemingly has been changed by all this, he no longer wants to kill but instead wants to team up with others. Lex states that we've set of a beacon and more enemies will come for us. Also Superman clearly isn't dead.
Now what deeper meanings was Zack Snyder trying to get across.
Batman having lost faith in humanity, doesn't trust any being with that much power. Batman is still shaken by the loss of Robin, who we can assume was murdered by the Joker as he was in the comics. This left him feeling helpless and hopeless. His methods, again a they did in the comics became more cruel and harsh. He blames Superman for the death of his friend and this also adds to his sense of hopelessness. He then becomes fixated on Superman, obsessed really. He feels that his killing him is the one thing he can do with his life that will have real meaning. A way of repenting for all of the people he's failed to save over the years. Alfred tries to talk some sense into him but it doesn't seem to help very much. Over the course of the film Batman realizes he was wrong. That moment coming when he realizes that Superman was just trying to save his mother, and Batman was preventing that. In his quest to save lives by punishing the guilty he realized that he was now the one in the way of saving lives. You can see this in the way he tosses the spear away like a kid who just struck out during the big game. Afterward you can further see that he's changed in the fact that he doesn't use the Bat-Brand (a indirect means of execution) on Lex Luthor. He instead smashes a wall. A sign that maybe he's decided to revert from his killing ways.
Superman's arc was his frustration with people and his inability to save everyone. In Man of Steel he wanted to stay hidden because people may fear him. In this one he's going all out trying to save people but still many still get hurt. We saw that in the conflict in Africa in the opening. I assume he was so busy sweeping Lois off her feet he didn't hear everyone getting shot. We also see it when Lex sets of a bomb during the court hearings. As much as some people see him as a savior others see him as a threat. It really pushes the Jesus allegory as many Superman films are guilty of doing. At the same time he is growing more concerned with the Batman because of his extreme methods. Batman feels order has to come from fear of punishment. Superman believes people can be enlightened by hope and love. And much like any religious figure, the only people who seem to appreciate him are the people who need him the most. People who had power before he came onto the scene see him only as a threat. Lex, Government, Batman etc. Superman in a dream sequence with his father realizes that he will never be able to save everyone, and that he'll never have the trust of everyone either. But he decides in that minute that it doesn't matter. He's still Superman, he's still the world's saviour and he has to keep trying, even if the job is impossible. He believes this so much after Lex creates Doomsday, he immediately saves Lex's life when Doomsday tries to squash him. He proves this when he sacrifices his life to save the Planet from an unkillable killing machine.
While I think these are really interesting themes to explore with these characters.Problem is the movie is bogged down with slow motion shots, a rehash of Batman's parents deaths, dream sequences, a straight up advertisement for the Justice League movie, and the stupid Superman and Batman fight.
In order to really fix that movie it would take some major changes and one of the biggest ones is it's major premise. Batman fighting Superman. That was the storyline that was weakest to the film. I know, there are tons of 12 year olds who are dying to see the two of them battle it out, but contextually it made no sense. I would love to really rant about this but plenty of people have brought up why that fight they had in the warehouse was one of the most contrived climaxes I've ever seen outside of a really poorly written romantic comedy. If this movie is to be helped they need to drop that storyline. But not entirely, Batman still doesn't trust Superman so he wants to get some Kryptonite just in case. And that is key. He want's it just in case Superman goes bad. He doesn't know that's going to happen so he doesn't want to just kill the guy.
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| Batman was always mean but not this cruel. Never sadistic enough to taunt a man before he murders him. |
My main problem with the way it is in the film now is that Batman is fine killing a guy just because he's an alien. If you're a fan of the comics you know that Batman runs into non-human creatures all the time. The thought of him completely disregarding killing one is troubling.
Mind you I'm not saying that they need to make them friends from the start. They should totally not trust each other but why waste an entire film building to a fight when we know going in that they're just going to team up. In fact we got to see it in the damn promos. This film had zero stakes. That entire part of the story should have been dropped because we already know that they aren't going to actually kill each other. So what we're doing is just wasting time.
Instead the film should have focused on those storylines and their distrust of each other but really Lex's master plan. In the end they may squabble briefly like they did in the Superman animated series of the 90's but eventually they realize that they make a better team.
So how do we deflate this whole fight between them. Change the title of the damn movie. Seriously, by titling it Batman v Superman they promised a contrived fight. Instead call it Batman and Superman. Or since Wonder Woman was crowbarred in why not call it The World's Finest, after the comic. Drop the dream sequences and drop Batman's plan to kill Superman. Just say that he want's an insurance policy in case this guy goes crazy as most people do.
Now can a Batman v Superman movie actually work? Absolutely, but not when the two are strangers. This movie reeks of studio interference pushing for a huge fight between these two. And I want to vomit anytime someone compares this movie to The Dark Knight Returns because they actually had motivation in that story. Batman needed to fake his death and teach Superman a lesson, Superman was trying to save Batman's life because he knew the government was going to kill him. Batman v Superman should have been the last movie with these two, not the first. That way since everyone knows that this is the last film in the franchize that the stakes are real. One of them could really die, or they could end up hating each other. The stakes would actually be real.
Then we really need to drop the entire scene where Wonder Woman advertises the Justice League looking from character to character. Why not just show the logos briefly, or maybe small images of the footage on screen for superfans to blow up and show on youtube clips about easter eggs. To sit there and watch each one felt so goddamn hamfisted. There was an almost audible cringe from the whole audience.
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| This is still the best iteration of the Justice League outside of the comics for my money |
So this film needs to do a few things.
1. Change the title so people aren't there waiting for some epic fight.
2. Keep Batman as being crazy, paranoid, and jaded but on a mission to stop Superman, not kill him.
3. Tell Lex to tone it down just a tad though I don't think his performance was as bad as most people made him out to be.
4. Have the Batman v Superman fight a bit more about Batman telling him to back off and not a plan to kill him.
5. Make Batman's repentance a bit clearer.
6. Redo that shitty CGI on Doomsday.
7. And be a little more subtle with you Justice League easter eggs. Can we even call those easter eggs?
8. Get rid of those dream sequences.
9. Let Superman smile damnit.
So we start by changing the title from Batman v Superman to Dawn of Justice, Batman and Superman, or The World's Finest (after the comic book)
Now how do we structure this film? Fortunately the film has so many elements and so many random threads you can eliminate the whole Batman Superman fight and still have it make sense.
Firstly let's keep the first scene shot for shot. Everyone running away from the explosions and Bruce Wayne running into the smoke. He still finds a little girl orphaned by the incident paralleling himself and mirroring Batman loosing his parents.
The film should emphasize that Bruce has changed since Jason was killed and that he's meaner and harsher.
Let Superman be Superman and actually happy to be saving folks instead of being so damn somber all the time.
Batman doesn't trust him and investigates ways to stop or even kill him. While Alfred gets more and more worried about his paranoia and his solitude.
Lex Luthor sets on his plan to spread distrust of Superman and find a way to stop him. First by getting the Kryptonite which he plans to get out to criminals through KGBeast and distribute. Batman stops this but instead of destroying the Kryptonite as Alfred suggests he keeps it. Lex non plussed about this because he still has some. He again uses it to go onto the Kryptonian ship to create doomsday.
While working with Wonder Woman Batman finds the same files about other heroes, but instead of watching them all we see them all playing at once on different screens. Something for people to take and decipher later.
Lex knowing that Batman took the Kryptonite decides to play them against each other. Sending the photos and other stuff.
Superman wants Batman to stop because he believes he's gone to far with the Bat-Brand. He reminds him of what the symbol of the Bat meant but Batman isn't having any of it.
Alfred wants him again he's on a destructive path and Bruce tells him that his weakness before was what let Robin get killed.
They need to reshoot the scene where they kidnap Superman's mom. Superman has super hearing and would hear her screaming. So they need to either shoot her with a tranquilizer or chloroform her so there's no struggle.
Lex tells Superman that he needs to turn himself and the Batman in to the police. Not that he wants him to kill him. I know it's Superman's mom but these heroes would never kill each other. However Lex telling Supes that he needs to get them to turn in their resignation to the police or else his mom dies is sufficient.
When Superman comes to him Batman while he's in the Bat-Wing sees it as him coming to attack. So Batman fires on him. Superman flies up and yanks batman out of the ship while it's still flying. He say's "I don't have time for this." "Batman says "Neither do I" as he uses his Kryptonite gas on him.
This makes the two fall and land in the warehouse. Superman makes clear efforts to try and talk to Batman but he has so many gadgets that go off and break his concentration. This shows off just how crafty Batman can be, even for a fight he wasn't prepared for.
He says probably the most awesome line from this movie. "My Parents taught me a lesson dying in the gutter for no reason. This world only makes sense when you force it to."
Superman replies "I didn't come to fight I came to make you listen." Superman puts up his hands signaling that he isn't going to fight anymore. Batman takes this as an opening and he brings out the Kryptonite which he uses to beat Superman's face in and Superman does not block the hits and just takes it.
He shouts, "I told you to stay out of my city! What are you doing here? What do you want?" Groggily Superman says "He's going to kill my mother." This causes Batman to pause. "My mom, Luthor kidnapped her and said he'll kill her within the hour if you and I both didn't turn ourselves in." Lois comes and she and Superman have a moment. Again humanizing him. Batman drops his Kryptonite. (He does not throw it melodramatically) From here things go in the same way they do in the movie. Batman saves Martha, Superman confronts Lex. But Lex should reveal the whole thing with Batman was just a distraction as he knew neither of them were killers at heart. He however has brought doomsday to life who immediately tries to kill Lex but Superman jumps in and saves Lex, telling him to run as he stops it's fist. Superman takes a Nuke to the face and Wonder Woman comes in to battle the monster.
When he revives he comes down and they battle together for an amazing three way fight. Wonder Woman keeps cutting it with her magical sword but the parts seem to grow back. Superman realizes what he must do and now Lois has the Kryptonite. He asks for it and says it's too dangerous, that it will weaken him and maybe kill him. He says he has to, because the monster is his to fight. It was made to stop him and he can't let anyone else get hurt on his account. And this is key, after they embrace and before he flies off he smiles at her. Superman picks up the kryptonite with his bare hand and with a bloody fist he flies into Doomsday and smashes it into the monster's chest. Doomsday kills Superman at the same time and they both fall over (seemingly) dead.
After this the movie progresses as it did theatrically except there should be more scenes of Superman's biggest detractors being either booed or having trouble talking publicly because people chant Su Per Man during their tv shows. This is all to show that in death Superman has finally reached that beloved status that we know him for.
The movie continues on with Batman visiting Lex in prison, having the same conversation. But instead of just being a crazy asshole. Lex mentions that he'll never stay in prison, because the world is going to need minds like his. The Bell has been rung and when something worse comes along, without Superman, the world will have to come to him and his brilliance for protection. Batman again smashes the Bat Brand into the wall.
In the funeral scene batman tosses the brand away, showing that he's done with that side of himself. He's no longer a killer.
And for the love of God put the floating rocks in the after the credit sequence.
So that's it. Just a few ways to help the DC movie series as it stands so far. I know that no one is listening really and that most likely no one at the movie studios is watching, but I really hope that we can have a great franchize out of DC as I truly love those characters.
Batman and Superman are my favorite comic characters ever and at the end of the day there's nothing I want more than to see them done right on the silver screen.
