The DC world’s cross over has been a long time coming. We have wondered for the longest time whether DC will catch up to Marvel with its constant hero crossovers and combined movies. The internet went crazy with hate when it was announced that Affleck would be donning The Bat cape. And I will admit it, I was one of them. Affleck can’t do the hero run, he runs like… I don’t want to insult sissy girls, so, I’ll keep the insult to myself. But I was wrong, much to my disappointment. I do enjoy saying, “I told you so!”
Batman and Superman are the oldest of the super heroes in movie land. They’ve both had long established histories, and we had grown out of them for a long time. But with Bale’s revamped darker and more adult Batman, we saw a resurgence in DC heroes that was long overdue.
So, with much anticipation, we have our first DC crossover. And well, it doesn’t suck. It’s not fantastic, but it is by no means bad like some have claimed it to be. It turns out Metropolis and Gotham are neighbouring cities, separated by a body of water. Convenient and probably the most striking thing about the crossover. The physical locations of the two cities. But this is a movie, and we are to believe that an alien god walks amongst us, so, we shall deal with the logistics of Gotham and Metropolis.
Affleck is a good Batman, we often forget how big he actually is, he can be a physically menacing man. This is a Batman who is scarred, jaded and has a crusade. He is a detective, a man on a mission; and quite frankly, I liked that about him. Sure, there were times when I questioned his ability to reason, but I get where he’s coming from. Zack Snyder did a very good job putting this film together.
The plot moved quickly, there were a few lulls, but it didn’t stay there for very long. Synder is becoming the man for DC, with a resume that is filling with a lot of DC movies, it’s safe to say that he must be doing something right and the studios are liking his vision. And I think the public are too.
Yes, he’s setting up The Justice League, but so what? Synder has woven the tail very well, it’s discrete, it’s effective, but most of all, it fits in with the existing story.
Henry Cavill is our hero for this movie, but I think that he played second fiddle to Affleck, much to my surprise. Superman is at times, rather one dimensional on film. Cavill had established him as a more complex man, however, he’s yet to bring about the same depth that Affleck is able to with Batman. But perhaps, that’s just because this Batman has a much darker past? He is after all, Frank Miller’s Batman.
Jesse Eisenberg is an amazingly effective Lex Luthor. For such a young actor, he’s able to portray Lex exceptionally well. His mannerisms have worked incredibly well for his portrayal of Luthor. As they say, a super hero movie is only as good as its villain. Luthor, typically, is a pathetic nemesis. He’s one which has obvious flaws and should be easily defeated. This Luthor is another kettle of fish. I can see why he’s would and could outsmart both Superman and Batman.
Amy Adams is my favourite Lois Lane to date. Finally, we have a Lois who isn’t a moron. She’s strong, smart, and not some needy-shit pathetic nosy woman who gets herself into trouble which can be seen a mile away. Lois is a smart woman who has common sense and integrity, she knows herself and she’s got sass.
I am disappointed with the number of interaction between Lois and Clark, but, this movie did have bigger fish to fry.
I won’t talk about Wonder Woman, she was, well, adequately wonder’ish for this movie. I am very eager to see what her movie is going to be like though. I would love to see a woman kick some butt and anchor a movie in this genre which has been so male dominated.
My favourite actor in this film is actually Jeremy Irons’ Alfred. The relationship dynamic between the two is great. I won’t spoil it for you, but keep an eye out on their interaction. It is often very easy for us to tune out when Alfred is there, after all, he’s the caring, ever loyal servant, who is also the parental figure.
This is a big movie, it’s longer than most movies within this genre. Synder didn’t rush with his vision. Maybe the studio did rush him, after all, the Director’s cut is expected to be 3 hours long. I will watch that cut when it comes out, I am curious to see what Synder’s vision for this movie was, if the sensors were to not get in the way.
Personally, I am a Cavill fan, he’s incredibly easy on the eyes after all. I will also say that I am not a fan of Affleck. I have not been able to forgive him for DareDevil from all those years ago. But I will give credit where credit is due. Affleck is good, very good in fact as the Bat of Gotham. I felt myself drawn to him whenever he was on screen. He had a presence that I had always dismissed.
Yes, I thought he was great in Gone Girl, but hey, I am still not able to let DareDevil go. Let alone some of the other crap that he made along the way. I didn’t think he could pull off being a superhero, especially with his inability to run. But, it turns out, he’s more than capable.
If you’re not into the dark Batman, there’s always Will Arnett’s Batman:
Rating: 7.5/10, it’s a good movie, but haters are going to find something about it that they’re unwilling to let go. It’s a movie, suspend reality and just chill man.
See it again: Yes, I am curious to see what the R-rated version brings to the table. Batman had some pretty good fight scenes, definitely worth the watch,
Worth my time: Maybe, I’m saying maybe because it’s the Easter long weekend, and maybe I could have done something other than watching a movie. A 4 day block can definitely be better utilised.
Take my mother: Maybe, she’s a fan of these movies. Dad’s definitely a fan, he’s a big fan of Superman.
Talking points: quite a few actually. But my biggest one was what on earth were the haters on about? I tried looking for the bad in this movie, and I just couldn’t find it. Am I blind? Were my expectations of the movie so low that there was only way it could have gone? I don’t know.
Annoyance factor: 4/10, there were some inconsistencies. But then again, when is there ever consistency within these movies? If I’m going to talk about consistencies, I should be equally as scathing across the board, and quite frankly, I just can’t be bothered.
Ranter & Banter 