Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice

[johnnygobbs]

I went to the fan preview screening tonight.

No spoilers, but my general thoughts-
Ben Affleck has unseated Michael Keaton as my favorite Bruce Wayne/Batman. I really wish that we had a Batman trilogy with him and Jeremy Irons before this, or at least, one film before this one, as he exemplifies so many aspects of the character and it would've worked even better if we had spent time with him before MoS. Loved his Wayne. Loved his Batman. There's only one aspect about this Batman that I know purists won't be crazy about and I'll save discussing that for the spoiler thread.

Gal Gadot is also a solid Wonder Woman. I look forward to seeing these two in their solo movies and the Justice League.

That said...all the Superman and other JL foreshadowing aspects of the film were a mess to me. Henry Cavill does what he can, but Snyder still has difficulty making me care and feel for his version of Clark/Superman and Lois, which was my criticism of MoS, too. This gradually improved in the second half of the film, but after all of MoS and half of BvS, it felt too little too late. The Knightmare sequence that's been teased in the trailer feels jarring and out of place. Eisenberg's Luthor is given a drastically different personality than what we're used to, but I couldn't help but feel he paled in comparison to the past Luthors.

I'll give Batman & Wonder Woman's part of the movie an A. Superman's? An improvement over Man of Steel, but still, I'd give his parts a C+.

I'm down for seeing Bats and Wondy again and I'll see Superman with them in the Justice League. But when it comes to solo Superman movies from Snyder? I'm just not interested anymore.

Damn!  I figured Affleck's Batman and Gadot's Wonder Woman would work.  They just seemed perfectly cast for their parts and everything I've seen in terms of trailer footage and the like has reconfirmed that feeling.  But as expected, at least according to your review, Eisenberg is the weak link and Snyder has still not learned the lessons of MOS's underwhelming reception.

Of course, I'll have to check the film out for myself, but I'm now kind of wishing the whole DCEU could be rebooted but with Affleck and Gadot retained, and Snyder and Goyer being let nowhere near the franchise.

And just one final point, and it may be a controversial one in terms of creative integrity, but bearing in mind how often the internet community seem to be right when it comes to casting choices and potential creative decisions beforehand (i.e. the positive reception towards Bale and Affleck's casting as Batman on the one hand, and on the other hand the negative advance feeling towards last year's Fantastic Four and Eisenberg's casting as Lex) I do wonder if studios and filmmakers would be best advised to 'test out' creative decisions in future.  After all, these films are for the audience and not some $250 million-plus fan-film indulgence for Snyder and Goyer.

[Edd Grayson]

This bitch is PSYCHED!

I second the bitch!

[The Dark Knight]

Get ready for the Nolan crowd to try and pick BvS apart. But I'll be waiting for them - because boy, this isn't a mudhole. It's an operating table, and I'm the surgeon.

[johnnygobbs]

Get ready for the Nolan crowd to try and pick BvS apart. But I'll be waiting for them - because boy, this isn't a mudhole. It's an operating table, and I'm the surgeon.

Have you seen the film yet TDK?  And if not, how do you know you won't agree with them?

I'm not saying this as a hater.  I haven't seen the film yet either so I'm keeping an open-mind and hoping the film will be great.

[Silver Nemesis]

The first Rotten Tomatoes review is up: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_v_superman_dawn_of_justice/

[BatmAngelus]

But as expected, at least according to your review, Eisenberg is the weak link and Snyder has still not learned the lessons of MOS's underwhelming reception.

To be fair to Eisenberg, Snyder could've cast someone else and Lex still would've come across the way he did. (Adam Driver from Star Wars and Joaquin Phoenix were apparently offered http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/why-warner-bros-superman-batman-676891) Snyder clearly wanted his Lex to be a rambling manic psychopath with mood swings, as visible in the trailers.

I'm half convinced in the Internet theory that he based his Luthor more on known MoS critic Max Landis than on the actual character based on the character's over the top mannerisms, long hair, being in the shadow of a famous father, and the anecdote that Landis has done the whole "I love bringing people together" bit in real life (not to mention that previous choice Adam Driver has more of a resemblance to Landis too, which was noted during the Star Wars: The Force Awakens reception).

http://www.mtv.com/news/2679820/lex-luthor-batman-v-superman/

If Snyder based his Lex Luthor off of a known critic of his last movie, that would be incredibly petty.

Regardless, the tradition of a film version of Lex Luthor being over the top and occasionally silly continues. Do not expect a DCAU-style Lex Luthor.

[johnnygobbs]

If what you say about Snyder's Lex is true, Snyder is a grade-A a-hole.  He shouldn't be playing with some of the most iconic characters in 20th century fiction just to settle personal scores.

Does that mean we can expect a scene where Luthor's father is responsible for a terrible helicopter tragedy? 

And just for the record I think Adam Driver and Joaquin Phoenix would have been equally terrible choices for Luthor as Eisenberg (although it's clear Snyder was looking for a particular type).  What happened to the 'Richard Branson meets Brad Pitt' version of Luthor Snyder originally talked about?  That sounded perfect to me.

I'm starting to think that WB gave Snyder too much latitude with BvS.  Now I know that some people say the same thing about Burton's Batman Returns, but the difference is Burton delivered a mega-hit with Batman '89 (and all his previous films had been box-office and critical successes), whereas MOS was regarded as something of a disappointment.

[Cobblepot4Mayor]

This is the first Batman film project in my life I have very little faith or desire in. I'm much more interested in Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book frankly after yesterday's stunning cast photographs with their respective characters. They said BvS is a "must see!"? Pfft. That movie is the real must see!! Even Paul Feig's Ghostbusters has begun to stir my sympathies and has developed some nostalgia at least for me to see it (yes, really! more on that revelation from me later...).

I've come to accept, in my personal tastes anyway, the Batman films are pretty much dead as an interesting concept for the upcoming future. I wouldn't even call this new one a Batman picture, nor even a Superman one. It's basically a disguised Justice League movie let's face it. Or is that a.....Avengers cash cow?! lol There doesn't appear that much difference with the Nolan pictures in the once magnificent design department of Anton Furst and Bo Welch. I've genuinely no idea what fans are excitingly screaming about. Not just Nolan buffs but the Burton loyalists too. C'mon guys look at this crap. Bland, militaristic "Bat"-vehicles yet again (how dare they call that....for lack of a better phrase, "Airfix model kit plane" a BATwing!) and a Batman once more sorely in need of a utility belt pouch containing cough syrup. Might wanna make that gadget a permanent fixture now Bruce, it's developed into one f*** of an irritating, embarrassing lasting problem.

Gone are the groundbreaking, unique films that truly stood out and were experimental like Batman Returns with a real talented filmmaker like Tim Burton. This is not just nostalgic talk either. I firmly believe we've lost something major and special from this franchise. Slap a Frank Miller armor on Affleck and every fanboy in the world oooh's and ahhh's and thinks it the pinnacle of what you can ever do with Batman entertainment on screen. Or more appropriately they use that bloody word "awesome" exclusively from the "American English Dictionary" in reviewing this already proclaimed "masterpiece". And every time I hear it I begin to "hmmmm", possibly just for the geeks looking for useless smack-down then this one?

I started getting in Gotham this year and watched season 2 sorely to pass the time until this dreaded movie was coming out. I have to say it hooked me so much that I stopped caring at once about the Affleck project and now think this show is the real Bat event of the next few years. Their doing some extraordinary, interesting, brave, controversial choices with the characters all helped by superb performances by a truly fantastic cast. A shadow of a returning "Tim Burton" design style help makes things more exciting too. I think it will save me from the next few years of blander Bat movies in which everybody goes to the cinema just to see boring old Wonder Woman drop in on Gotham City for no reason whatsoever.

[johnnygobbs]

To be fair I am looking forward to Suicide Squad and the first cinematic appearance of Harley Quinn.  I also have fairly high hopes for Ben Affleck's Batman and Jared Leto's Joker, despite the tattoos, which is why I'm intrigued as to what Affleck can do with the solo Batman movies (Affleck is a genuinely talented director, as anyone who has seen Gone Baby Gone and Argo will hopefully appreciate). 

But like you Cobblepot4Mayor, I feel more enthused by "Gotham", which may not be anywhere close to the 'definitive' take on The Dark Knight, but at least takes intriguing choices and an approach that favours wit and character development over pyrotechnics and endless action, than I do about Batman v Superman.  I'll still see the latter, but my mixed-feelings towards Man of Steel as well as the way Snyder seems to be handling Lex Luthor, one of the most iconic comic-book characters of all time, as well as sadly one of the most poorly represented on-screen, has lowered my expectations.

I may end up feeling more positive about the solo Batman and Wonder Woman movies which will hopefully have little to do with David Goyer, Zack Snyder or even Frank Miller (the admittedly excellent Batman: Year One excepted).

[BatmAngelus]

At 0% so far, the critical response hasn't been great either, which doesn't surprise me.
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_v_superman_dawn_of_justice/