The world of comics is split into two factions; the stark red of Marvel Comics pitted against the dark blue of DC Comics. For years they’ve shared the comic stands and Sunday morning TV slots, and now they share the big screen. Marvel’s smörgåsbord of superheroes captured their audience with sheer volume of content, while their brooding, gothic counterpart dominated the world of cartoons. But this tangential relationship is fast coming to an end as both companies dive deeper into the age of block buster entertainment – and it’s painfully clear who’s emerged victorious.
‘Batman vs. Superman: The Dawn of Justice’ is what I would call a product of desperation. It’s apparent that DC has lost its footing and is attempting some preposterous copycat act to regain some dignity and traction amongst the tides of frivolous movie goers. And yet, they just can’t catch a break. Every branch they clasp onto snaps under its own weight, as they are swallowed deeper into a pit of their own construct. From ‘Green Lantern’ to ‘The Man of Steel’ and their garbage TV shows, ‘Green Arrow’ and ‘Super Girl’, they might as well drop the branch and stick their heads into the sand.
As a precursor to this review, I realise that you may not agree with my punctual verdict that this movie was technically and creatively terrible because you undoubtedly found parts of the movie enjoyable. I am in the same boat; there were parts of ‘BvS’ that I liked a lot. These include many of the establishing shots between Batman and Superman and I also really liked the way they designed and depicted Batman this time round.
But everything else, from the casting, the script, dialogue, editing/pacing, even the music and acting to the promotional videos, the impertinent product placements, all of which I found tedious and borderline insulting. It is therefore entirely fathomable that a movie that’s been jam packed with everything may also have some small redeeming quality. But this isn’t and shouldn’t be consolation.
The movie’s problems are not static or singular; they compound throughout the entire movie branching into other parts like a cancer. Writing and casting will affect performance, which in turn affects character portrayals. Music and editing affects the pacing, which in turn affects the story. If the dialogue is weak and the story makes no sense, then it breaks the suspension of belief and the movie falls apart.
To keep this quaint, I’d like to list my top 3 things in ‘Batman vs. Superman’ that made no sense:
1. Casting
Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill were perfectly cast to play the two heroes. As accuracy goes, they both look the part. How then, do you fail on such magnitude with the rest of casting when you have jackpots like Affleck and Cavill? The pale, stuttering psycho played by Facebook Guy is the epitomic opposite of what the comic book Lex Luthor was like – a tall, devious and charismatic business-man, composed and cunning but seething with malice on the inside. Instead we get a skinny yuppie in a hair piece.
Following that is Wonder Woman. As beautiful as Gal Gadot is, I find it laughable that she represents strength and power. She looks as though she survives on a diet of cherry stems and the sheer will of the universe. How does someone so skinny embody the drive and intensity of a warrior princess? Affleck and Cavill were both physically robust for their role, why not her? Furthermore, Superman was middle aged, Batman was old, so why did Wonder Woman have to be a mid-20s looking model? Why not cast an older, physically fit woman?
2. Editing/dialogue/everything
Watching ‘Batman vs. Superman’ was like watching an entire TV series that had been compressed into two hours. Snippets from each episode spliced and haphazardly ordered to create the most awesome movie collage. Where every scene had to be totally epic, with the coolest one liners; such as the ‘oldest lie in America’ and other idiotic, over exaggerated rhetoric that’ll sound super sweet when whispered menacingly by a less-muscular Carrot Top.
There’s no grace or delicacy in the story telling, just a ham-fisted mushing of scenes until the next shot arrives. It’s possible to put forth the argument that the merciless cut and paste editing is a metaphor for chaos, but what does cinematic philosophy have anything to do with comic book heroes? Superman is about hope while Batman deals with his brand of justice. The two dichotomy clash because one is the judge, the other fancies himself an executioner – how is that a hard story to tell, it’s already a comic book for crying out loud.
3. The introduction of The Justice League
When you name your movie ‘The Dawn of Justice’ you can’t possibly expect a couple amateur, youtube-looking videos to suffice for introduction of the Justice League. This movie was filled to the brim with potential, but its minutes are meaninglessly wasted on random shots of Superman dragging a tanker, Batman doing cross-fit, and Lex Luthor telling us where angels come from. When we finally arrive at our destination – the fundamental point of this entire enterprise – the payoff cannot possibly be this embarrassingly lazy. This unforgivable faux pas is further compounded by Wonder Woman’s scrolling down as she reads the rest of her email line by line for dramatic effect. This scene has haunted me since and still confuses me to this day.
This is what happens when studios focus more on $$$ than actually creating new and refreshing content. Marvel’s doing it. They know their audience and they listen to their fans. Despite their success, Marvel continues to challenge the limits of their expansive catalogue of superheroes. With ‘out-of-left-field’ characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy, Antman, Deadpool, Black Panther, Doctor Strange. Even Ironman was a lesser known B-Class character, yet now he’s a household name. Yes, it’s all $$$ driven, but while one soars, the other sinks.
A couple streets over, DC is still struggling with their most popular heroes, let alone their minor ones. Refusing to stray from their Nolan success stories they continue to pump out over the top, gritty, real world abominations and it’s gotten stale. It’s a pity. I’ve always preferred DC’s comic books to those of Marvels. Surprisingly, if not ironically, DC has always struck me as the superior story teller. With Vertigo Comics under their utility belts and a history of very successful animated movies, it’s strange that DC hasn’t been more impactful. I wait sparingly for the day when DC regains its momentum and realises that the race was never against Marvel, but against themselves.
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