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Batman v Superman

Holy Saturday at the Movies

March 30, 2016 by Jason Stanley Leave a Comment

bvs_ww

Since having a child, it has become a rare occasion for my wife and I go to the movies together. On Easter weekend, however, the opportunity for a date night at the movies presented itself. So, Saturday night we went to see Batman v Superman.

In the Christian calendar, it was Holy Saturday, the day that we acknowledge that Jesus laid in the tomb.

I hadn’t read much about the film, and had only seen one or two trailers. I wasn’t sure what to expect but the film was filled with several unexpected twists. One of the most significant – spoiler alert – is when Lex Luther brings Doomsday to earth. For those who know the comic storyline, Superman dies killing Doomsday.

However, for those who attended the film without knowing that piece of the Superman canon, this would have been a surprise. Like the girl watching the film with her mother and older siblings in the theater that I attended. She was about seven or eight and was Team Superman all the way. Whenever Superman appeared on the screen, she cheered for him as if she were cheering on her favorite basketball player.

bvs3

When you think about it, it’s hard not to cheer for Superman. Amidst all the talk of his crest meaning hope and that the world needs a Savior, we are drawn to what he represents in the midst of a dark world. In fact, it’s this sense of meaning that makes the outcome of Luther’s scheme of pitting god (Superman) against man (Batman) unexpected. As the sword-like hand of Doomsday pierced into Superman, the young girl wailed. I looked over and the girl had buried herself into her mother’s chest, visibly upset at the death of a hero.

Her hero.

Whom she loved.

It was one of those rare moments that reminded me just how sacred film can be. Still, what made this moment more sacred for me was that it happened to be Holy Saturday. It was the day that Christians around the world remember that, after his side had been pierced, Jesus lay dead in a borrowed tomb. The stillness and silence of Saturday creates time to wail at the death of a Savior. It allows us to bury our faces into the chest of our loved ones and weep the loss of a hero.

loisandclark

With the death of a hero, it seemed that all hope was gone. The Savior – whether it be Jesus of our faith or Superman of our films– was gone. And with the absence of hope, there is both a deep sadness and a deep fear that the darkness will take over. Without that hope, there is a sense that everything will fall apart. While this hopelessness is unspoken in Batman v Superman, it is felt by everyone from Martha Kent to Lois Lane to Batman as each grieves in their own way.

As the film ends, Lois Lane drops dirt onto Clark Kent’s wooden casket. Just before the screen fades to black, the dirt starts to rise. An appropriate foreshadowing on the evening of Holy Saturday.

Hope cannot be buried.

bvslast

Filed Under: Editorial Tagged With: Batman, Batman v Superman, DC, Doomsday, Holy Saturday, hope, Lex Luthor, Superman

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice: More Wonder Woman, Please

March 25, 2016 by Arnaldo Reyes 2 Comments

batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice-logoTo say that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was one of the most anticipated films of the year would be a slight understatement. It may very well have been the most anticipated films of the year, but it was also the one with the biggest question marks. Batman and Superman are arguably the most iconic superheroes in our time. Their history spans seventy-five years of heroics. These are two iconic heroes that are polar opposites but who have withstood the test of time over and over again. They have had many adventures together, both in comics and other mediums. However, the one thing they have never shared is a live-action film together.

I remember sitting in Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con; Man of Steel had recently came out and for all intensive purposes was a huge success for Warner Bros. Director Zach Snyder surprised the crowd by showing up to give his gratitude and with it, a teaser image to the sequel, the Batman over the Superman logo. The hall erupted with cheers: Batman and Superman in the same film! It was every fanboy’s and fangirl’s dreams come true. As time has passed though, those dreams at times felt like nightmares. The film was pushed back a year and the casting was controversial (Remember ‘Batfleck’?) Add in all these DC superheroes that were slated to be in the film, and it began to sound like a big mess. [Let’s not forget either that the title of the film really didn’t spike any excitement.] Still, whether they either hated or loved the trailers, the fans were going to come out to see this film because the names carry so much power.

So here we are, the time has finally arrived. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is the kickoff to a DC Cinematic Universe. I had very low expectations going into the film, but I will say that I thought the film was not bad. However, it wasn’t great either. The film is filled with great CGI and action sequences. The fights were on the large scale as one would expect. My issue with the film is that it was poorly edited. The first part of the film seemed like each act was cut and pasted in. It was a jumbled mess that wasn’t helped by a story with so many subplots that were going nowhere that, at times, it felt boring. There were several dream sequences in the film that were well-intentioned but really did nothing to advance the story. Those sequences would have been better left out of the film, allowing more time for some much needed character development.

The second half of the film picked up and finally started to show some life to it. Overall, parts of the film felt so rushed with a lack of character development that many times you found yourself trying to piece together the missing holes rather than paying attention to the film. That is not to say that there weren’t some great parts in the film. Snyder took some risks that paid off and some that didn’t. There are moments in the film that leave you spellbound in how great and pure they were. Snyder does a great job in feeding the nostalgia of longtime DC fans in between trying to piece together different subplots that are supposed to intertwine. In the end, the cons outweigh the pros, but not by much. But let’s dig a little deeper into some of the characters.

*Warning, some of this may be spoilery*

loisandclarkWe’ve already seen Henry Cavill and Amy Adams in their respective roles. They carry themselves the same way as before, this time as a couple. The film tries to bring about their love story, but is too busy giving us other plots that it really never takes off and by the time it really blossoms, the film is over. However, I want to delve into the other three main characters of the film, Batman, Lex Luthor and Wonder Woman.

bvsjokerBen Affleck, with all my fear that he would repeat his Daredevil act, was not a bad Bruce Wayne or Batman. He was an older and more angry Batman, but he handled the cowl better than expected. As a Batman fan, I do have to complain about the character on film. Batman has two rules: no guns and no killing.

I mean, this film has a clear easter egg seen in the trailers that shows hints at when Joker killed Jason Todd (Robin). Batman here has no issues with killing: from dragging a car with his Batmobile and clearly killing the occupants, not to mention the ones he threw the car into, to his daring rescue where he kills several bad guys. This isn’t what Batman does. Sure, he’s a lunatic that would beat someone to near death, but he would never cross that line. And his branding of criminals, what was that about? These two aspects should turn any Batman fan off, at least for me it did. Subtract those aspects and Ben Affleck did a passable job as Batman.

bvspaintingJesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor was nothing short of annoying. This was probably the most puzzling rendition of a Lex Luthor I have ever seen. The stories attempt to make everything in the film somehow connect, and all lead back to a plan set forth by Lex Luthor himself, was again out done by bad editing and frankly bad storytelling.

Lex is a character that has a God complex that is challenged with Superman. His goal is to never be inferior to anyone on the planet (or the universe for that matter). He is a psychopath that is smart, cunning, ruthless, and best of all, the biggest conman in comics. For all the evil he is, he carries himself to the general public as this great businessman and philanthropist. Eisenberg brings in the main story of being the puppetmaster in the quest to have Batman or Superman eliminate the other for him, but he does a horrible job in depicting the character.

He delivers a performance of a crazy Lex that is both campy and annoying. He was more Jim Carrey’s Riddler (that bad) than Lex Luthor. With all that said, what Eisenberg did capture is how far Lex is willing to go to make someone superior become inferior to him. From threatening to kill a loved one of Superman, to the creation of Doomsday to destroy Superman, the well thought out plan is everything Luthor would do, without the other annoying stuff.

Wonder WomanWith all my reservations on the casting of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, she was actually the best part of the film. In every scene she was in (not enough, which was a shame), she stole the movie away from the main characters. Whenever she was on screen she had this presence that represented the soul and essence of Diana Prince. Finally Wonder Woman hits the big screen – but it’s in a film where she’s nothing more than a vehicle used for the purpose of telling us there is a bigger universe. Still, she is the one shining light in the film that was great. And all that was before she even donned her iconic outfit.

When she does finally appear in battle gear, it is quite a performance. You believed that she was a powerful warrior as she takes on a monster that was wiping the floor with Superman. My favorite part was when she did get hit pretty hard, she turns and gives a smirk as if saying “finally, a monster worthy of a fight”. In this new DC Cinematic Universe, I can now say that there is no film I look forward to more than Wonder Woman.

With a character like Superman, one would expect a heavy dose of theological parallels. He is always viewed as a Christlike figure. This film is heavy in it on so many different levels. Lex Luthor quotes scriptures to fit his psychotic needs and is fueled by his attempt at disproving that God can be both all good and all powerful. He went out to prove that Superman cannot be that, and in some ways he did. But Superman is not God, and that is why he isn’t without his flaws.

Both Superman and Batman show us that even as heroes, they are filled with flaws. They also can reach a point of losing faith and hope, and need to be reminded of the greater purpose. The enemy plots and schemes against us constantly, and his greatest achievement is when he can bring down the person that seems to have it all together. But it’s not about the fall, but more about the rise. This film showed us the fall of heroes. It is funny that it is released Easter weekend because it plays heavily on that parallel of our savior having those who loved Him turn on Him. Those who would be friends become enemies. And in the end, our savior could have walked away and let us die to our own sins, but He gave it all and sacrificed Himself for everyone.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a film that you should love if you loved Man of Steel. It is not a bad film, but it is a film with many flaws. If I were to rate it, I’d say overall it is a 6 out of 10; just slightly above average. Snyder and Warner Bros. had a real opportunity here to do something great and iconic, and unfortunately they missed. I think they took too many risks and tried to fit several different comic book stories into one film, that it just didn’t quite work as well as one would hope.

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: Batman, Batman v Superman, Dawn of Justice, Justice League, Lex Luthor, Superman, Wonder Woman

Batman v Superman Trailer: Warner Bros. Should Ask Disney For Advice

December 5, 2015 by Arnaldo Reyes Leave a Comment

batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice-logoIf you are a geek like me, the end of November and the start of December has been a time of joy. In a matter of a week, we have gotten the trailer for Captain America: Civil War and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Both set the internet ablaze, but it seems that only one truly stood out. The numbers speak for themselves. Last week when the Civil War trailer was introduced on the Jimmy Kimmel Show, it garnered sixty-one million hits. On the flip side, just a week later using the same venue to debut their now third trailer, BvS garnered only 23.2 million. That’s almost seven million less than the previous two trailers had. Maybe it’s because it is the third trailer and some folks have already made up their mind about whether to watch it or not, but either way, that is a huge difference in fan support.

So I will admit, I’ve seen the BvS trailer approximately ten times. I will also admit that overall I did not like the trailer and my hopes for the film has dropped down a notch. This trailer, and frankly how Warner Bros. has treated their DC franchises is why I think they should ask Disney for help.

***WARNING***

This will be a spoiler filled section as I explain where Warner failed in this trailer. Be warned, that most likely, the film will be spoiled (if the trailer hasn’t done it for you already).

Ok, so now that the warning is in place, check out the trailer again right here and then I’ll explain what is wrong with it.

Ok so first things first, the action sequences look top notch. It’s what you expect from a Zach Snyder film. If you are only looking at that, then the film seems exciting and great. But here is where DC drops the ball in this trailer.

Forced Tension

We know from the teaser that Bruce Wayne doesn’t care for the war that Superman “brought” to this planet. He doesn’t trust him anymore than we trust the IRS. He views him as a threat and is willing to go to war over it. He’s a brooding older man. But this clip starts off with what appears to be Clark Kent’s first-ever encounter with Bruce Wayne and he approaches him in tense kind of way. I highly doubt Kent knows he’s Batman, yet he takes it upon himself to puff his chest out. The banter is not bad, and without context, I won’t nitpick on it because frankly, it’s not them I have an issue with: it’s Luthor.

The trailer clearly reveals right from the start that Luthor is the spark of the tension. Why would a foot on the ground reporter meeting Bruce Wayne seem like it is some giant accomplishment? This isn’t Oliver Queen meeting Bruce Wayne, two rich tycoons that most would perceive as enemies. The whole premise of the film was given to us that Lex knew about Wayne as Batman and Clark as Superman by his simple comments and builds upon their “disagreement” in order for them to take each other out (or at least hope Batman kills Superman).

Lex Luthor

Comics have so many variations of iconic characters that sometimes fans tend to stick to one and that is it. But it seems that in this new universe, DC/Warner prefer the most off putting or obscured ones. Either that, or they just thought that an annoyingly psychotic Lex was better suited than the more intimidating Lex. You see, what I’ve always liked when Lex has been portrayed is that he comes off as a shrewed genius who has a thirst for power. He’s very calculated but also intimidating. He carries around himself a presence that stands out in a crowd, not as annoying but as arrogant and bold.

I see this Lex, and I can’t help but think of Jim Carrey as the Riddler (yes, I think it is that bad). Here’s where DC will fail where Marvel succeeded. In the little that we have seen, does this Lex even compare to the persona of Tom Hiddleston’s Loki? There is something to be said about creating a villain so compelling, that fans will cheer for them like a hero (Darth Vader, Loki). It is something that was so impressive with Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight. Loki stands out because we take him seriously and I’m not sure if this Lex will be taken seriously. They really missed out on an opportunity to create an iconic villain that will be embraced and fans will rally around another film with him and I’m not sure they have it.

Finally, less is more

This is where Warner Bros. needs to ask Disney for advice. Of all the Star Wars trailers we have seen, we are left with each one still having 100 questions. But it is best to compare the Civil War trailer. It gave us what we already knew but still left out most of the why’s. Why does each hero choose their side? What does Black Panther have to do with it? Where was Ant-Man? Where is Vision? The BvS trailer told us the whole movie in three minutes. Batman is upset over what happened in Metropolis. Luthor feeds off that and drives the tension between the two. Luthor is annoyingly psychotic who rather others do his work for him. When he realizes he needs help, he creates the actual villain of the film who was more rumored than confirmed in Doomsday. We see that Doomsday shows up and is the reason that Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman come together. That is your entire film right there. We don’t really need a why Luthor does what he does, we know he’s psychotic and is after power. They revealed so much in this trailer that the anticipation for many dropped dramatically.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a trailer be 50/50 in fan reaction, but this trailer was that. We are four months away from seeing how good it will actually be. The film will be a blockbuster hit, there is no doubt in that. However, is just being a blockbuster good enough? With Star Wars: The Force Awakens just around the corner, and 2016 filled with some big geek-filled movies, the pressure is on for this film.

Let us know what you think after seeing the trailer.

Filed Under: Current Events, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Batman, Batman v Superman, Doomsday, Lex Luthor, Superman

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