Film Discussion - 2016

04I BATMAN V SUPERMAN : DAWN OF JUSTICE I Film Discussion

I find it incredibly difficult to discuss Batman Vs. Superman properly. This is one of those movies that is really difficult to grasp. I can't really tell if I really like this movie or if I really hate it for its wasted potential. I don't know if I should call it deep or pretentious. I have no idea if it's artistic or incoherent.

To best discuss this movie is to do it in the form of a list..

1. I like Ben Affleck as Batman. He's a very deep character, and a very angry one too. His bat suit looks incredible. I love the fight sequences involving Batman. I love that the filmmakers chose to portray Batman as a dark, morally ambiguous vigilante. The movie's opening sequence is actually the 'Birth of Batman'. It was freakin awesome. One of the best movie moments I've witnessed this decade.

2. Superman is good. The character is fine, although I wish he was more inspiring and charismatic. A quiet Batman and a quiet Superman would not be nearly as interesting as a brooding Batman vs. a leader-like Superman. That means he'll be less indecisive. His approach could've been more like: I have to save the world because it's my job. That would've been a better contrast with Batman's fall from grace after the tragedy with Robin.

3. I don't mean to say though that the fight between Batman and Superman in this movie is disappointing. In fact, it's quite the opposite. The fight between Batman and Superman is pretty amazing. There are some real heart-pounding, fist-pumping moments. If you're a fan of either of them, the movie should already be one of your must-watch.

4. SO WHY do we need to have a secondary storyline involving Lex Luthor and all these other stuff that are not nearly as interesting as our core storyline? I'll never know.

5. I though Jesse Eisenberg did a fine job portraying Lex Luthor. I thought he brought quite an interesting spin to a character that's already so iconic it would've been hard to recreate. That being said I may have preferred a more methodical Lex Luthor. Or maybe I don't. I don't know. Next.

6. Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman is interesting enough. She's not Black Widow but she is a badass warrior. Her character doesn't feel as shoehorned-in as I thought she would be. In fact she appears in bread-crumbs throughout the movie sow hen she actually appears - and it's not a spoiler if the announcement was made and the trailer showed it - it fits okay. We get to see her uses some of her classic powers and weapons which are all very cool. The motivation behind her character makes sense but it's quite underdeveloped. However, I love the soundtrack the specifically gave her. It has this badass tribal warrior electric guitar sound to it. All the justice league setting-up stuff are in this movie. They are good. Some of them are awkward in retrospect but they are fine. In fact this movie gets me plenty excited about the justice League. So for the studio, mission accomplished.

7. Zack Snyder did listen to the fans. This movie has a lot more humanity in it than Man of Steel. And by humanity, I mean humor, imperfection, gibberish, and nonsense. Things that Snyder should've been good at but somehow he sucked at in Man of Steel. The newspaper editor (Laurence Fishburne) for example was a dull exposition machine in the last movie. In this one he as developed something new – a personality.