Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Review

Summer Blockbuster season seems to start earlier and earlier every year. Watch, in a decade we'll start the big budget action movie season in December. But probably this year's biggest movie was released this weekend. The Man of Steel and the Dark Knight duke it out.

Well... sort of...

And I have just one question for filmmaker Zack Snyder.....

Do you hate these characters? That's a serious question. Do you hate these DC characters, Superman in particular? If not then Why WHY WHYYYY would you do this to them?

Let's start from the beginning. Firstly I am a huge DC fan. Actually I'm a fan of all comic books, so don't even get me started on that ridiculous Marvel v DC debate. But I have a deep respect for these characters and their roots. It's understandable that they have to change as the times change, but not when you take them in a complete 180 degrees from what those characters were. The writers basically tossed them and tons of other characters into a meat grinder of a script and mashed up characters and storylines.  But let's break this down, let's talk about the good and the bad, and i'll do my best not to spoil stuff that's not in the trailers. 

The Good

Alfred, Perry White, and Lois Lane. They seemed like real people and actually had some pretty good dialogue. I also liked that Wonder Woman has been around for possibly centuries and doesn't seem to age. Wonder Woman was a great added character and she was totally interesting. I'd love to see a film just on her and where she came from. I also think that they did a pretty good job with Batman's look. Personally I don't think that a Batman who kills people, works in a more realistic universe but I have to say this is the best Bat fighting I think I've ever seen. As awesome as the Dark Knight is, you have to admit you can't really see any of Batman's fight moves. And Ben Affleck actually did a good job playing the character. 

I also thought there were a few good scenes that really got the characters down to their core. The scene where Superman questions his role here on Earth with Lois Lane was great. The scenes where he's haunted by the people he failed to save was good too. And most of the scenes with Alfred and Bruce were pretty well done. 

Well as for the bad.....

The Characters

Zack Snyder, have you ever read a superman comic? Have you seen the Christopher Reeves movies? If so then you'll know that Superman is the beacon of hope, he is a character of warmth and love. He's supposed to represent the best of humanity. The superman in this movie seemed... like an alien. Every scene he seems so drifty and indifferent to everything. I know that Henry Cavil is a good actor. We all saw how great he could be in The Man From UNCLE. So why did he seem like he had only been on earth for a few days. He never has a tenth, a hundredth of the warmth and the positivity that Christopher Reeves had when he played the iconic character. 

Hell we even go more warmth out of Brandon Routh when he played the character. 

Hell there was more to the character in Smallville 

And as much as I liked Ben Affleck's Batman does every line he reads have to be a catchphrase? And why does he kill. A murderous Batman kinda worked in the Tim Burton universe as that was an exaggerated crazy version of things. But in a real world.... a guy going around and killing people with no trial. That's the Punisher not the dark knight. Batman has always played judge and jury but he only turned them over to the police. Playing executioner is too far. A guy who isn't a police officer and answers to nobody... you're basically describing George Zimmerman and that is NOT my Batman. I mean would he have killed Superman if their mom's didn't have the same name. Is he really interested in killing someone who he really doesn't know or understand??? Seriously I'm supposed to root for this guy. He sounds like the villain in any other movie. 

Lastly Lex Luthor. Most people were angry about how he played it more like the riddler or the joker than lex. I really didn't mind that they changed up his character, but my issue was that it seemed like he was the stand in for the critics of the first movie. The same way that M. Night Shyamalan put a literal movie critic in his movie Lady in the Water. 

I'm disappointed too

Still these are all talented people. If I blame anyone it's the writers. Afterall they're the ones who fucked up....

The Plot

What was happening in this movie. It seemed more like a stream of unrelated scenes rather than a movie. The are weird dream sequences that seem out of place, and why why why would you include doomsday. This movie is trying to do too much. First you introduce almost all of the characters from the comic book, doing none of them justice. On top of that none of this is earned. Doomsday... in the second fucking film!?!? That storyline firstly isn't that great to begin with, and secondly why did you think you could just mash up the Dark Knight Returns and Superman Doomsday into one film when you know that you couldn't do one of those stories right in a single film. 

And on top of that, it's the worst CGI since the Green Lantern movie

I knew this film was in trouble with Snyder brought out Frank Miller and started reading from one of the greatest comics of all time "The Dark Knight Returns" But that comic worked because it was Superman and Batman fighting at the END of their careers not the beginning! Guess what, we've seen this fight in the comics, and in the animated tv show, and in the comic books AGAIN! It always ends with them realizing they're on the same side. Every single fucking time, meaning that we went into this movie with no stakes. Nothing. 

You mean we're on the same side... Boy, I sure do feel like kind of an asshole now

Before I get accused of being a Marvel fanboy I should tell you that as a 90's kid who grew up watching the DC animated universe (still to this date the definitive iteration of those characters in the audio visual medium), most of my favorite characters are actually DC characters. To this date my favorite comic book characters are ...

Swamp Thing

Batman

Superman

Wolverine

Green Lantern (John Stewart Version)

Captain America

The Flash (Wally West Version) 

Daredevil

I think that new interpretations of characters are great but you have to remember what's at their core. And this movie turns Batman and Superman into idiots. They seriously couldn't work this out without fighting? I know, Lex Luthor is a genius but still the fact that he played these two like puppets is just disturbing. 

The two guys seriously were just ready to kill each other??? Over what? Again this fight wasn't earned. The two characters came to a point in The Dark Knight Returns. Here... it just seems rushed and lazy at the same time. These characters are supposed to be our heroes and yet they can't seem to work out their shit without getting into the biggest pissing contest the planet has ever seen. Superman in particular is not just a big tough guy who punches stuff. That's the HULK. Superman is a born leader, he's the voice of reason, the big blue boyscout, guy who will always put others needs in front of his own and can't help but try to save everybody. 

I love these characters and I just want to see them done right. Please DC.... GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER!!! Between the new 52 and this I'm starting to wonder if they even like those characters I grew to love in the 90's. 

Wait what's that? I have to give the movie a rating? 

Okay....

I give it a rating of: Buy a ticket to see Deadpool instead and afterward sneak into this movie. I say that because the more money you give them, the more they'll think that they made the right decisions. Remember, studios don't read reviews, they only see one thing and that's green. 

Justice League!!! We need your help. You're greatest enemy has revealed himself It's Zack Snyder and whatever DC Execs thought this script and the new 52 was a good idea. GO GET THEM!!

Creepiest Horror Movie Themes

Halloween!!! It's absolutely my second favorite holiday of the year. I'm kind of a horror movie junkie and this holiday is just so much fun! I was thinking about writing something other that the standard top scary movie thing, and I decided on my favorite horror themes.

Let’s face it, like many genres, the music can make or break a movie. The music, or lack thereof, sets the mood and can be the scariest part of the entire experience. Music in movies should the invisible hand guiding the suspense or tension for what’s happening on screen. It shouldn’t be overbearing otherwise it can make the film seem cheesy. So here are my favorite horror film scores and themes of all time.

Halloween

The Michael Myers theme is as much a staple of the season as the Halloween movie is a staple of the season. Halloween the movie isn’t only the quintessential slasher film, it’s theme music stands as a standard.  I love light notes that seem to be cursed with the foreboding heavy notes on the piano. It always reminded me of how much of an unstoppable force Michael Myers can be. 

The slasher who gave birth to all other shashers

You may be faster, you may out run him but he always catches up. His slower more oppressive force overpowers you. It’s such an influential theme that I’ve heard people claim that all other horror themes are variations of this tune. Now Holloween is not the first slasher film. It's predated by both Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Black Christmas. But this was the film that introduced most people to the modern day slasher. In more ways that one, John Carpenter’s Halloween is a staple and the pinnacle of the horror Genre.

 

Child’s Play 1 and 2

Anyone can tell you that I’m a huge fan of the Chucky character. The Chucky movies do as many slashers do, getting sillier and more for laughs as the sequels begin to stack up. However, while the original had it’s moments of dark humor, it had a very creepy tone to it.

 The theme reflects that perfectly. It’s sad chorus of children singing is just eerie and somewhat depressing. The only time the theme played in the movie was during the credits. It’s was such a dark ending to what was creepy yet really fun movie.

Child’s Play 2 however took it’s campy elements and put them over the top. The theme is very clown or circus like. Yet there is something there that makes it seem off. The reason is, this is a very unhappy song, played by comical instruments. Just imagine this same tune played with a violin or piano. The music is sad, but because it’s played with light and happy instruments with the toots of horns, it sounds like your at some depraved carnival. That was really perfect for this movie. Chucky is a cute little children’s doll, yet he curses, murders, and commits all kinds of acts of wanton violence. 

While the first movie wanted the whole thing to be creepy, Child’s Play 2 wants it all to be fun.

Poltergeist

Wanna hear something unsettling. Skip to 3:05.

Why is it that a chorus of children singing can be so scary?

 If you’re a child of 90’s or 80’s like me, this movie was probably the first scary movie you ever saw as a child. The movie is a masterpiece directed by Tobe Hooper....

but as most people know it was really directed by Steven Spielberg,.

Before the jump scares of modern horror movies, (not that I mind jump scares, I think the things that first few Blume House pictures did are amazing) horror flicks had characters and story.

What’s different about this theme is that it doesn’t really have much darkness to it other than it being a bunch of kids singing. It’s innocent and unassuming, much like little Carol Ann whose trusting nature and naiveté leads her to becoming friends with an evil spirit, thinking that it’s her friend.

Most haunting of all is the way it ends. The laughing is so incredibly unnerving; it feels like you’ve been listening to a chorus of ghosts this whole time.

The Grudge

When the Grudge first came out it was the first film to really freak me out in a long time. I remember watching it at home alone....

That was a mistake.

I love the presence that’s present in the theme for this film. The light notes almost dancing around the darker evil. Similar to the way Kayako torments her victims before killing them.

 The theme is exactly what it should be, haunting and eerie. These ghosts could just take you out right away, but they don't. Instead they choose to follow and torture you as you freak out when you see them. They're a black mark of death, following wherever you go. 

The way the tune loops just reminds me of how these spirits, though hateful are themselves forced to relive their deaths and their last moments of despair. And they share that despair with anyone who crosses their paths. 

The song is sort of a warning. Because once you're marked you're basically fucked. Seriously, one of the things we learned from the movie is that once these things decide to haunt you there is NOTHING you can do. You are forever cursed and whenever they decide to put you our of your misery they will come. So the song in a way is a warning before you enter the house.  A warning to people that this house is forsaken and you should stay away unless you wish to invoke the wrath of ....

Okay that’s enough of that!!! Scroll Down, this is freaking me out!!!

Okay safe... Next up is....

Insidious

I’ve mentioned before that this is one of the creepiest themes ever. I’ve never been as unnerved as I am when I hear the way they torture violins to get that screeching sound. Skip ahead to about 2:28 in the theme to hear what I'm talking about. 

 Of all the themes on this list, I’d guess that if I were locked inside of a pitch black room and I had to listen to this on repeat then I would go insane the quickest. 

Either that or I’d will myself to die from fear. I love that this actually sounds otherworldly It’s a perfect description of the nether. A place absent of hope and filled with despair. The theme perfectly creates the sounds you'd expect to hear from a place like hell or any sort of purgatory. 

It's frightening and it honestly creeps me out just to hear it. It's almost as if the walls and the air are wailing directly at you. As if you don't belong here. As if it knows that you're one of the living, walking amongst the dead. 

Nightmare on Elm Street

This movie has certainly earned its name as a horror staple. Freddy Kruger is one of the all time sickest villains with his signature claws and the premise of a monster that literally haunts your dreams making him inescapable.

But his horror theme is brilliant. It’s almost like you’re dreaming when you listen to it. The notes playing seem to go in in one direction then they nonsensically change. It’s sort of an ambiance more than anything. And it perfectly sets up the world that Freddy lives it.

 Actually if you want a freaky haunted house, this is exactly the music you want playing over the speakers. The sense of unease and the way that it’s impossible to tell where the song is going is perfect. 

One of the best horror movie themes ever!

The Ring--- Samara's Song

Very short but very cool. While the tune comes up throughout the film you actually hear very little of this song actually sung in the movie. But when you do it’s absolutely perfect. It is a compilation of all the things that went into the other songs on this list. It’s soft and haunting.

 Samara eerily sings the words that are deceptively sinister. What’s works so well is this song can be completely innocent and unassuming without the use of heavier notes. It doesn't need to have a dark undertone to be creepy. The song itself and it's lyrics do that for it. 

Maybe none of this wouldn't have happened if they put her on the track team

The sound of the lone girl singing is representative of the story and the way that Samara was outcast and left alone to die.

 It’s a horrifying reveal at the end when you find out what happened to her and that makes her song all the creepier. But it's only deceptively innocent. There's something malicious right under the surface which can't be seen until you look closer. Much like the characters in the film find out about Samara. She seems to be an innocent victim but there's actually something very evil inside. 

The brilliance of this song is that it totally could be a really nursery rhyme like Ring Around The Rosy. But listening to the last words of the song “.... and then we all die...”

Don't Look!! Too late.... my bad. 

It’s just perfectly done.

2001: A Space Odyssey

For my money this is probably the most unnerving and just plain creepy theme music I've ever heard. If fear of the unknown had a sound, this would be it. The mysterious Monolith. What does it mean? why it is here? what can it do? These are the questions this thing asks us. Every time this thing appears in the movie you hear this sound. It's truly unnerving, horrific at points, creepy, but most of all ... it's alien.

It's the unknown. This sound is the sound of approaching something that's completely uncharged ground. A place that human's have never gone and possibly a place that humans never should go.

It's not the psycho theme with the knife coming down. It's not the jaws theme of the looming shark in the distance. This is more or less just a theme that embodies fear. That's the best way I can describe it. 

These Honorable Mentions are also great horror themes. They aren't necessarily worse that the ones listed above I just had less to say about them.   =\

Jaws

Probably the ultimate theme of looming danger, that's silently stalking you. 



Psycho

And the shower stabbing music. Much like the Insidious music this is the embodiment of the sound of sheer terror. 

The Fog

The Exorcist

Bram Stoker's Dracula

And in my humble opinion the greatest music video ever made....

 Thriller