A lot of people whose opinions I appreciate and respect on a number of topics have been, in a manner of speaking, up-in-arms over the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie which was released Friday before last. I'm here to tell you; their thoughts, discourse and opinions are lies or, perhaps it's better, instead to simply say: they fucking missed the point.
In my aging state I tend to prefer to avoid opening weekend release viewing of major films. Gone are the days of sitting online for hours to rush into the theatre with the hope of getting a decent seat. Now we can buy seats, specific seats, in advance and never concern ourselves with spending any more time waiting to view the film than we decide is desired. As such I waited till today to see BvS.
I wasn't worried about spoilers; I've read the stories these characters are loosely based on (Dark Knight Returns, Death of Superman) and so I waded knee-deep into the minefield of Twitter seeing posts about how Rotten Tomatoes rated it terribly and numerous, numerous people stabbing at both the writer David S Goyer (Blade, The Dark Knight) and the director Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead, Sucker Punch).
Let's touch on some important things that people completely missed the boat on. First, the decision to "retell" the Batman origin story. Yes, they show Thomas and Martha Wayne be gunned down but that isn't the point of the memory; it was in fact a dream and it was a dream about how Bruce first encountered bats and how in this dream they saved/killed him and brought him into the light. It's a metaphor for who he had become but it also showed that this version of Batman that Goyer and Snyder were portraying was truly broken. And despite what people will tell you mainstream American (you know, those millions and millions of people who went to see the film that have never read a comic book and may have never even seen prior Batman or Superman movies) they needed to be able to connect Martha Wayne to Bruce in the story.
Second, on that note let's talk about Martha Wayne and Martha Kent (a story line crossover literally decades in the making). Batman is broken, like...seriously and unimaginably fucked up in this version of the story. Unlike previous incantations where Bruce used his parent's death as an excuse or even a driving force; this version seems to see that occurrence as a mere stepping stone along a path he was destined for. Batman is the core of the Justice League; he is their human moral center. He, unlike all other standard members of the League, is a flesh and blood natural human and he's been broken for a long time. But guess what; at his core he is still a good person who wanted to do good for the people of Gotham and when Clark utters Martha's name Bruce has an awakening. He realizes that Superman isn't some god who needs to be feared and destroyed, he's someones son.
You can call that cheesy. You can call that a cop-out. But as someone who's read Batman comics for more than half my life; through dozens and dozens of versions of his personality based on differing writers and their construct of him, I can tell you that his reaction was something I expected.
I can't tell you that this movie is perfect; it's not. There are plot points that seem rushed or at the very least lacking; such as, Diana Prince being in Metropolis to get back a photo of her from when she was fighting in Belgium (along side Chris Pine...) is both naive and somewhat hokey...it's 2016 (even in this movie) and it's a digital image...even if she stole the original and wiped every hard drive she could find he could still have copies...so there's that. There's the Superman killed people story. It kinda doesn't make any sense...they were killed with bullets...untraceable bullets, but still...bullets. Superman would have obliterated them with heat vision if he wanted them dead. Plus; though this isn't covered in the movie, I am positive that he didn't kill the guy who was holding Lois hostage with a gun to her head so...yeah.
Let's talk about some things that people hated on that aren't plot holes. First, Batman missing what Lex was really doing. Bruce had his suspicions and knew Lex was up to something; but I remind you that Bruce is BROKEN mentally and he is absolutely focused on Superman and the need to take him out before he destroys every one and every thing. Plus there was the Diana women distracting him and weird dreams involving the Flash (which he doesn't know is the Flash yet) and a basically drunk Alfred who wants him to spawn instead of fight.
Second, Superman not seeing the bomb in the during the hearing in DC. I read a review where the person actually said "why didn't Superman hear the bomb"...I don't mind this person voicing a rather stupid thought, but I do mind them clearly never having watched Fight Club! "Modern Bombs Don't Tick" is real and the bomb was most likely triggered by a remote device set off by Lex. There seems to be a side-story in that as well where he allowed his close assistant to die; perhaps he knew that she wasn't able to prevent Bruce from stealing his file, perhaps she knew too much and had to be disposed of.
Batman v Superman is an action-packed film which does a solid job of establishing the DC Universe in characters beyond just Batman and Superman (introduction of Aquaman, Flash, Cyborg, Wonder Woman) and the link between Lex and Darkseid is so...comic-booky that I LOVED IT. People have been hating on this version of Lex...why? Because he's a weirdo creep rather than a maniacal psychopath bent on Superman's destruction? How do you think he got that way? This movie was Lex Luthor's origin story. How's that for irony?
I really enjoyed this movie; every film has flaws and plot holes and something for everyone to dislike. Critics didn't understand it (yes, I realize what I mean when I say that) but it's true. I'll give you a parable; George Lucas craved the acceptance of Hollywood and critics so much that when he made the prequels he basically said "the true fans will love anything I make but I'm going to try and make this for the masses to enjoy!" and so he went out and did the complete opposite both stylistically and managerially than he had previously by bringing on huge named actors to star and wrote BORING crap stories hoping to appeal to a wider base rather than just focusing on making good movies. This movie was made with a head nod to the comic book fans specifically. The story lines are deep rooted in the core of these fanbases. The Death of Superman and The Dark Knight Returns are some of the most famous stories ever and this film took pieces from both to connect the characters and bring them together.
Is there a better version of this movie? Possibly. But this movie didn't disappoint me and I think a lot more people enjoyed it than not. The fact that on a midday showing the second Sunday after its release I was still in a full theatre is telling. People love big action films - whether they're about some terrorist trying to take over an airport (Die Hard 2) or superheroes battling a demon monster and each other.
The most important thing I can tell you is this: don't let other people tell you a movie is good or bad; you have to decide that for yourself. But what's important is that you go in with an open mind. And also that you listen to me and what I say most of all...I kid..I kid.
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