Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

Batman and Superman in a film together, what could go wrong? Well, a lot actually...

I went in with low expectations for this film, not just because of the critical backlash towards it, but also because I've never been a big fan of Zack Snyder's style of filmmaking, he's very much a style over substance kind of guy. I went in hoping to be entertained but I didn't even come out feeling that. I left the cinema just feeling a bit let down, this wasn't the Batman V Superman film I wanted to see. Read on to find out my SPOILER FREE thoughts on why that was.

The basic plot of the story goes like this, 'Fearing the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on the man of steel, while the world wrestles with what kind of hero it really needs.' This is just a small amount of what the film is about, they also cram a whole lot more into it as well! And I use the word 'crammed' because this really feels like a bloated film that tries to rush its own world building for future outings. Elegance and subtlety are left on the cutting room floor.

I'm cool with seeing a 'different' kind of superhero film, I'm open to that and I can dig the kind of tone that Batman V Superman is trying to achieve, however it falls on its face a lot when trying to be 'grounded' and 'realistic' because the reasoning for everything that happens in this film is so weak. Batman should be dark and broody, but should Superman be the exact same way as well? Superman is the idealistic caricature of what a 'hero' should be, in a film about a man fighting a god the two characters should be polar opposites, but Superman is just as dark and broody as Batman! And you can tell Zack Snyder hates Superman because he isn't given anything to do in this film, whenever he appears he's just questioning his own existence, it's so boring. Superman should only have cared about saving people; he's the type of guy who has to get involved because he has the most power to do good, he shouldn’t care how people perceive him. Batman should just be wary of him, not hate him. When they actually fight, I spent the whole time thinking 'why are you fighting, you are two smart guys and you could just talk it out, but instead you just have to punch each other’? It didn't work for me. I wanted to feel goosebumps, I wanted to have a massive grin on my face when they met but I didn't, it left me feeling cold, these aren't the characters I know and love from the comics.

I was digging the opening of this film, it was cool and it looked great and then this weird thing happened, it felt like the editor gave up and put the system on autopilot. Here's a Batman scene, here's a Superman scene, here's a Lex Luthor scene, here's a Lois Lane scene... You never spend a large amount of time with anyone to care about them; it was like watching a soap opera where the producers think that audiences only have a two minute attention span per scene. The only scenes I liked were the ones with Batman and Lex Luthor. Batman because Ben Affleck does a brilliant job of bringing Bruce Wayne to life, whenever he was being Batman-like, it was awesome, but whenever he was written out of character it just didn't work. Lex Luthor I liked because Jesse Eisenberg was a breath of fresh air in the film (I'm surprised at this as well...), I'm not saying he was amazing but his take was a lot more interesting than the stone-cold faces of your two main characters. If Wonder Woman did more in this film I'm sure I would have liked her more as well.

I liked Man of Steel, I didn't love it but I think it still has some very cool scenes; I had some fun with it. All I can think of when leaving Batman V Superman is that I wanted something more. I wanted more Batman. I want to see a Batman film set in this world with less killing. I want more Superman but under the helm of a writer and director who understands the character. I want more from this world, from anybody but Zack Snyder because it has so much potential that’s unapologetically wasted. This film gives you so many interesting questions about what Superman's existence means to the world and never answers one of them. There was no outcome or point to this film. There's a lot of interesting stuff ready to be explored but it was cast out for shoehorning in sequels and mind numbing CGI punching.

I'm disappointed, more than I thought I would be. There's a lot of fat on this film that needs to be trimmed and action sequences that need to be spread throughout the film instead of leaving it all for the final act because I just got tired of it quick.

There is an interesting world here which I look forward to seeing other people take the reins of. Batman V Superman is not the kind of film I want from this world, it didn't work, and I wasn't entertained in the slightest which is crazy when this film is about two staples of pop culture battling it out. I'm giving Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice a 1.5/5.

I preferred Man of Steel.

Let me know what you thought of this film? It's been very divisive so far! Tell me what you think in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Batfleck

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last month then you've probably heard that Ben Affleck has been cast as Batman for the sequel to Man of Steel. The team up sequel film was announced last month at Comic Con and since then nearly every male actor in Hollywood has been rumoured to don the cape and cowl. Every actor apart from Affleck who came as a bit of a surprise to everyone I think. As the whole of the internet is is giving their opinions on the Batfleck I thought I would put mine across too.

Ben Affleck is a good actor and an even better director. He may have been in quite a few crappy movies but he is at the top of his game right now and could definitely pull this off. That isn't to say i'm not sceptical as when I first heard the news I found it pretty surprising and couldn't at first picture him as Batman in this new DC cinematic universe. I, like many people wanted Christian Bale to comeback but i knew deep down that this would never happen as his version of Batman couldn't stand up to Superman and I didn't really want Warner Brothers to tarnish the Nolan trilogy. Affleck is a brave choice for the studio as he was very well hated not that long ago, but now he is an oscar winning director and his most recent films that he has starred in are awesome and he does not let himself down in them. This is a great relationship for the studio and actor to have as now we could see Affleck directing possible solo Batman films and the ultimate goal from the new cinematic universe; a Justice League movie.

Daredevil was a long time ago and it was the bad script that ruined that film. Affleck has been a massive Batman and comic book fan since an early age and it seems that when you hire a fanboy you can expect good results as they truly understand the character or characters in the case of Joss Whedon. We as an audience have hated certain casting decisions before such as Heath Ledger as the Joker and Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk and look how good they turned out to be!

I am more and more liking the idea of Batfleck even though I wanted Idris Elba to be the surprise choice from Warner Brothers. Controversial I know but just think about it... Awesome, right? Anyway we're stuck with Affleck so we might as well deal with it and hope the guy blows us away as the best Batman yet. Just think about it, Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck, it truly will be the hottest film of 2015. If it sucks then we can moan but for now I say good luck Ben Affleck, tough crowd out there so you sure are going to need it!

Oh and these rumours that Bryan Cranston will be playing Lex Luthor, hell yes to that! If not just cast him Commissioner Gordon.

What do you think of Batfleck. Good or bad decision? Bitch and moan in the comments below!

Thanks for reading.

Man of Steel

So late last year I named Man of Steel my most anticipated film of 2013 and I now finally gotten to see it. So how did this latest incarnation of Superman turn out? Read on and find out in my SPOILER FREE review.

So in the latest version of Superman we see Henry Cavill don the cape with Zack Snyder on directing duties. Instead of being a sequel to the classic Christopher Reeve films like Bryan Singer made in 2006, Man of Steel reboots the story and gives us a fresh take on Superman's origins. Although I enjoyed Bryan Singer's Superman Returns I was pleased to see a reboot of the film and with Christopher Nolan on producing duties and The Dark Knight scribe David S. Goyer on scripting duties I was excited to see a darker more grounded side to the story of Kal-El.

The cast is perfect and one of the best things about film, not one part felt out of place. Henry Cavill is an amazing Superman, Amy Adams is the least annoying Lois Lane yet, Michael Shannon plays a truly chilling General Zod, Russell Crowe plays Jor-El brilliantly whilst Diane Lane plays Martha Kent with Kevin Costner as the awesome but underused Jonathan Kent.

The film plays out more like a sci-fi film then a superhero movie, which is not a bad thing as the opening scenes on the planet Krypton are brilliant. When the film finally gets to Earth we see the early days of Clark Kent through a series of flashbacks inter cut with present day Clark discovering his powers and where he came from. The first act of the film is it's best whilst unfortunately the second act suffers from being a stuffed with too much action and spectacle that it takes away from the beautiful character pieces set up at the start. For the most part of the film the story and script are great except a few dodgy moments such as a scene between young Clark and his Mother in a school that felt very out of place and unnatural.

As much as I enjoyed the film, my problem was with action. Now I knew going into the film there was going to be a lot of action, this is Zack Snyder we are talking about after all, but it was as if he had hired in Michael  Bay to help him out on the last act of the film. the action pieces went on for far too long, just as you think a set piece is going to end somebody else gets a train kicked into them and it carries on. If at the climactic showdown you make your audience think 'Really!? They're going to fight again?' then you are doing something wrong! The amount of skyscrapers destroyed and other collateral damage in this film is crazy and sometimes just downright stupid. And in the middle of this we have sub-plot involving Laurence Fishburne's Perry White which just felt as if it had been pushed in because he was an important character in the previous versions of Superman and in the comics. Here his story arc just felt forced in for fan service.

With a lot of action comes a lot of special effects and this film is full of it. Thankfully most of the CGI looks pretty impressive but because there is so much of it, it can become quite obvious at times. However you can now believe a man can fly, more than you did with the Christopher Reeve films, with Superman's first flight being one of the highlights of the film.

Now that I'm done telling you what I didn't like about the film, I will tell you what I did like. I have already talked about the cast and their brilliant performances but the stylish approach to this film also helps make this film. Snyder has stripped back the brightness of the colours to give you a more riveting a serious tone to his Superman movie. He also sticks heavy to the themes of religion and God which I have no problem with and enjoy seeing the comparison of the Superman story to that of Jesus's. The ending is also great however has already proven controversial amongst fans, the climactic scene of the film is how

however one of my favourites in the film.

I really enjoyed this new take on Superman and it's great to see him on the big screen again. It's unfortunate that after such a great start the film starts to go downhill by the second act. I am however still excited to see what is next for this version of Superman and if the rumours are true we could be seeing a sequel very soon indeed. I just hope that they don't rush it as I am still waiting on an incredible Superman film to be released. I am giving Man of Steel a rating of 3.5/5.

Thanks for reading!