This is an important programing note to the subset of our moviegoing readers that are weeks behind on their new release viewing.
At 04:09 this morning, we posted a Batman VS Superman review that, upon reflection, needed some further editing.
To wit.
...does a character study of Batman in the midst of an ethical dilemma that has driven him to distraction and an appreciation of Alfred, the butler...who is portrayed so very right.
...was probably meant to be...
...does a character study of Batman in the midst of an ethical dilemma that has driven him to distraction, and provides an appreciation of Alfred, the butler...who is portrayed so very right.
Note that while a single comma and the word "provides" were technically all that was required to salvage the post from the slash bin, I ultimately decided to do a slightly more comprehensive tweak of the paragraph.
Apologies to those who were initially offended or who rushed off to see the film based on false pretenses.
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.
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:
1. Batman kills a lot of people
2. Batman uses guns.
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.
Batman is at a particularly dark point and is going over to the dark side. The branding epitomizes that.
Note that he is generally aiming the guns at equipment rather than the actual people that it explodes, flies through the air and falls on....a terribly semantic point to be sure, but as Alfred notes, he is really not himself. Only when he realizes that Superman is some dude trying to save his mother does he begin to get a grip.
Amusingly, it's not until the point when Wonder Woman (unaware of the Kryptonite spear) angrily confronts him about the collateral damage that results from his leading Doomsday INTO the city (this is after Superman is dead) that he realizes that he has done exactly the same thing that Superman did at the beginning of the film, for the same reason...it is the only way to stop a world level threat.
This film has Batman go right to the edge of the moral event horizon before stepping back...and there is a whole LOT of introspection in his future.
At this point I can easily see Batman, (who had quite a few uncomfortable self reflections in this film) very much BECOMING the JLA Batman, to assure himself that he'll never go down that path again.
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.
Posted by: Rick C at Thu Apr 28 22:07:08 2016 (FvJAK)
5
Elaborating on a point that I tried to make above:
All three heroes, in the course of this film, actually turn their backs on being dark and gritty. Batman's been branding people and is willing to kill Superman for not abiding by a higher standard than he maintains. Superman had his dark moment in the last movie and decides to redeem himself...by harassing Batman*. Wonderwoman, gave up on humanity due to the horrors she saw a century ago and has been letting crap happen ever since. All three at one point or another decide..."No, I'm better than this." This movie is, in many ways, a rejection of the dark gritty superhero, and this dynamic makes it an even better jumping off point for the JLA than it might otherwise have been.
* A long missive on the misdirected virtuousness of SJWs could probably be written about that.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at Sat Apr 30 17:33:20 2016 (QEjG2)
6
One amusing point noticed by my friend BOB!1!
Batman in this film is Alfred's Robin. Alfred is doing all the detective work and Batman is the distracting loon who draws the villain's fire. It's explicitly stated that Batman is off his game, but it is also noted pointedly by Alfred that the only successful gumshoe work he's done lately has been as Bruce Wayne being Bruce Wayne.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at Sat Apr 30 17:38:45 2016 (QEjG2)
This was announced on April first,which allowed us to blissfully ignore the warning, However, it keeps getting talked about by Rooster Teeth and reportedly has a release date of sometime in May. There is supposed to be a clip released on April 27th, so we'll know in a week if this is just a ponderous leg-pull...or perhaps something even more cruel.
Myriad Colors Phantom World wrapped up with episode 13. Despite having to cram about half a dozen episodes worth of material into 23 minutes, this whirlwind episode manages to have quiet, even touching moments of introspection and character development interspersed with all sorts of delightfully escalating violence. The writers do resort to expediting the plot with a somewhat unlikely hacking montage...
"Somewhat!?"
...and don't quite clear up every single plot thread, but this episode is brilliantly paced and serves as a thoroughly satisfying climax. I never would have guessed that they were going pull this off so well.
