I had major reservations about this movie. Anyone familiar with my fandoms knows that I'm a DC comics guy, all the way. It's weird, because my Dad and brother are both bigger fans of Marvel Comics. But Batman and Superman were always my favorite superheroes. Batman, because he didn't have powers; he was just smart and rich. Superman, because, well, he was SUPER.
Batman v Superman is kind of a mash-up of Frank Miller's 'Dark Knight Returns' and 'The Death of Superman'. To prove my fandom, I wanted to show pictures of both comics. I have 2 copies of each, but I don't know where the hell I stored them. So here's what Google provided.
My biggest concern watching this movie was Ben Affleck as the new Batman. I think I still harbor bad feelings against Ben for 'Gigli', one of the worst movies of all time. I also can't help but compare him to previous actors that played Batman. The biggest problem is that previous
Christian Bale was the epitome of Bruce Wayne and Batman. He totally played the rich playboy, and he totally nailed the bad boy anti-hero. "It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me."
And that brings us to Ben. I think he was a really good Batman, but I couldn't really buy him as Bruce, the wealthy troublemaker. The fact that he had gray hair helped, because Bruce was supposed to have been aging in the comic and the 'Batman Beyond' cartoon. And good job bulking up for the role. But, come on. Affleck is most believable as a Bostonian, stoner, Red Sox fan in 'Good Will Hunting'.
In the comics Batman did indeed fight Superman. Batman, with his Kryptonite powered suit, kicked Superman's ass. And, in the Superman comics, the Kryptonian mutant 'Doomsday' did kill Superman. Spoiler alert, Superman doesn't stay dead. In the comics 4 different people pop in claiming to be Superman reincarnate.
As a whole, I think Batman v Superman was pretty good. Jesse Eisenberg stole every scene he was in as Lex Luthor. Many fans complain about the fact that he wasn't bald until he was put in prison. I don't have a problem with that. 'Smallville', the tv show took artistic license regarding Lex as well. I think it worked out well.
A few other minor things caught my attention about the movie and mythos in geneGal.
1. At the beginning of the movie Bruce was hauling ass into Wayne Towers, talking to his 'Dad' on the phone. Wasn't Thomas Wayne supposed to be dead already?
2. Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth is the lamest superhero weapon of all time. Like, seriously? A rope that makes you tell the truth?
3. Jimmy Olsen died in the first ten minutes of the movie. Apparently, one of the writers never read a comic. However, props to Michael Cassidy. He's the actor that played Jimmy, and he also played Grant Gabriel in 'Smallville'.
4. Is Laurence Fishburne, Perry White, or Morpheus?
5. Amy Adams is so hot. Diane Lane is so hot.
6. Thinking back to Christopher Reeve; Why in God's name would Superman tell Lois he couldn't see through lead. He just met her!
Lastly, I have to share my favorite Batman/Superman quotations, including one taken from my own screenplay.
"The world only makes sense if you force it to." -Batman
- "I'm a friend of your son's." -Batman
"I figured. The cape." -Martha Kent
This last quotation is directly from my own screenplay.
"We're kind of like Batman and Superman. We're both good guys. We just do things differently. Superman's both idealistic and naïve. He fights for truth, justice, the American Way, and all that bullshit. He protects first the innocent, second the guilty, and third himself. Batman doesn't really go for that. He doesn't base his moral philosophy on vague words like 'truth' or 'equality'. He mostly just goes with his gut. He might in the same week, sleep with Catwoman, and toss The Joker off of a building. And he won't regret either. Superman requests. Batman, fucking insists."
Thanks as always, for burning brain cells reading my nonsense. See you next time, when I blog about J's Rules, or EpisodeVII.
-J
