April 28, 2016
All the World is A Lie
"What the HELL ah these nuhds thinkin'!? This heah is the best DC movie EVAH!"
"Ah had to pee SOOO bad at the end...!" *
The Batman Versus Superman film has gotten execrable reviews, and, in any event, exams, term papers and various other adult responsibilities have precluded anything that took time or misallocated my already limited creativity reserves until this week.
My friend BOB!1! claimed to have enjoyed the film, but he had really liked Wing Commander too and so is an unreliable gauge of such matters. Nevertheless, with some trepidation, I accompanied him when he went to see it again this week.
A southern gentleman is expected to comport himself with a degree of stoicism and gentility that makes adequate description of what I sat through difficult to express.
Fortunately, this blog employs some imaginary cartoon debutantes who are not so constrained.
"What the HELL ah these nuhds thinkin'!? This heah is the best DC movie EVAH!"
Believe not the naysayers!
This is an ambitious film that tries to cover an awful lot of territory and bring to the big screen multiple iconic characters from the DC comic book universe. It's surprisingly successful in this and for fans of the DC universe this movie is a special treat, being full of all manner of easter eggs. It's a dark film that's asking some tough questions about power, responsibility and idealism, and is surprisingly thoughtful for a superhero film.
Afleck as Batman should not work except as parody, and yet he pulls off one of the best representations of the Dark Night, ever. Henry Cavill does a fine Superman, wracked with guilt over the people he could not save, and the actions he had to take in the process of saving the world during events portrayed at the beginning of the film...in what is a gut-wrenching homage to the September 11th attacks.
For a brief moment when Catwoman shows up I started to have doubts...but the payoff from even that sideplot is quite satisfying..
This film tells two important Superman stories, gives an updated and very satisfying origin for one of DC's most important villains, introduces several major DC Characters and does a character study of Batman in the midst of an ethical dilemma and an emotional dark patch that has him quite explicitly off his game in some ways.
That's...a LOT of ground to cover...Indeed, this could have been three films...it is not...which leads to one legitimate complaint regarding the movie.
It is LONG.
"Ah had to pee SOOO bad at the end...!" *
Ahem...
However this movie works. It appears to be a genuine labor of love by people who "get" the DC universe and have produced a solid, well paced, thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying cinematic experience. I will probably see it again.
*One helpful note: There is no stinger, so one can just go straight to the bathroom after the film rather than sit through the interminable, bladder bursting credits.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
04:09 AM
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1
I agree it was an entertaining film, and I am looking forward to where DC takes their film-universe next. I do have two quarrels with the movie, though:
My greatest exposure to Batman was through the animated Batman and Justice League TV shows, and I just can't reconcile that version of the character with the one in this film.
Still entertaining though, and worth watching.
My greatest exposure to Batman was through the animated Batman and Justice League TV shows, and I just can't reconcile that version of the character with the one in this film.
Still entertaining though, and worth watching.
Posted by: Siergen at Thu Apr 28 15:35:32 2016 (De/yN)
2
I took that as part of the point.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at Thu Apr 28 18:12:57 2016 (/4jFR)
3
I enjoyed Afleck's Batman a lot more than I ever expected to (which was practically not at all). He was actually quite good. I didn't enjoy almost anything else about the film. It uses characterizations that I don't care for, and I'm not interested in DC taking the heroes to a darker place so they can reflect and agonize on life. But to be fair, when they said Singer was the choice to launch the DC Movie Universe which would actually start with Man of Steel, I knew then that the franchise was moving in a direction I wouldn't like.
Posted by: Ben at Thu Apr 28 20:58:58 2016 (DRaH+)
4
"I'm not interested in DC taking the heroes to a darker place so they can reflect and agonize on life."
We got that once. It was called Knightfall. Afterwards, the letters sections were full of people complaining. DC's response? "You wanted a darker Batman and we gave you one." Very David Bowie in Labyrinth.
We got that once. It was called Knightfall. Afterwards, the letters sections were full of people complaining. DC's response? "You wanted a darker Batman and we gave you one." Very David Bowie in Labyrinth.
Posted by: Rick C at Thu Apr 28 22:07:08 2016 (FvJAK)
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at Sat Apr 30 17:33:20 2016 (QEjG2)
6
One amusing point noticed by my friend BOB!1!
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at Sat Apr 30 17:38:45 2016 (QEjG2)
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