Spoiler warning! If you haven’t seen Batman v Superman and are sensitive to spoilers you might want to skip this. You have been warned.
It has been a week since the release of Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman, which, despite an overwhelmingly negative reception from critics, has enjoyed incredible box office success.
While I understand some of the criticisms leveled at BvS, I walked out of the movie with the complete opposite opinion. The film did exactly what I wanted it to and struck all the chords I wanted to hear. While there were some issues -- it’s too long, some storylines are convoluted -- Dawn of Justice is bold and unafraid to make you question its heroes.
The darkness of Batman v Superman has raised inevitable comparisons to the lighter Marvel movies. Though I was born and raised on Marvel Comics and am a fan of the MCU, I appreciated that BvS is challenging in a way most superhero movies won’t attempt. The latest movie in the DCEU isn’t perfect, but here are five ways it made me love its take on two iconic superheroes.
Ben Affleck’s portrayal of grizzled 40-something, head-spiking, car-tossing, screw-you Batman is incredible. Batman has been doing the Caped Crusader gig for too long and he is absolutely tired of your crap. He’s seen it all and has no tolerance for your idealism and belief in the inherent goodness of people. This is the Batman I wanted to see. We’ve already seen his origin stories and tales of redemption. Seeing cynical Batman, the scarred veteran of his war against Gotham’s criminals, provides the perfect foil to the idealism he perceives Superman and his followers to represent.
Batfleck also apparently has no issue offing bad guys; something Batman purists have taken issue with, but he has done many times before. From KGBeast in Batman Vol.1 #420 to the group of thieves he sets on fire in All-Star Batman and Robin No. 7 to Batman Returns, where he torches some of the Penguin’s henchmen with the Batmobile’s jet engine, comic book writers take artistic license with characters and so do directors. What works about Affleck’s portrayal of Batman is that he walks such a fine line where you aren’t quite sure whether he is a savior or just a vigilante.
Henry Cavill’s portrayal of a conflicted and imperfect Superman worked for me. He’s not a benevolent God from Krypton - he’s a man from Kansas doing the best he knows how. From the immediate hypocrisy evident in Clark Kent wanting to blast Batman’s vigilantism in a Daily Planet article to his internal struggle displayed when talking to Lois on her hotel balcony, this is a Superman divided. Superman is a relatively young, lonely, indestructible super-being trying to do what he thinks is right.
Try placing yourself in his shoes: you’ve taken your first life and it was potentially the last surviving member of your race. The people you saved want to punish you for what happened in that battle. There are still crowds burning you in effigy and demanding justice for the catastrophic collateral damage caused by your heroics - and maybe those protesters have a point. The depiction of Superman’s struggle was perfectly captured when we saw him standing in the burning wreckage of the Senate. The very people he vowed to protect died because they wanted to hold him accountable for the damage his actions caused.
It’s refreshing to see this Superman reflect the bleak world we live in. It’s also a very valid perspective to want Superman to remain an unsullied beacon of hope, like IGN’s Lucy O’Brien’s argued in the fantastic article Snyder's Superman is Not the Hero We Deserve, but I found this take on Superman believable and fascinating.
During the climax of the film’s titular conflict, Batman is ready to kill a defeated Superman. With what could be his final breath, Superman’s last worries are for his mother, Martha, and he pleads for Batman to find her. The coincidence of Batman’s mother also being named Martha seems to break him out of his zealous search for (what he sees as) justice.
It’s this moment that shows to Batman that his seeming enemy Superman, despite being an invulnerable alien of nearly limitless power, is,on the edge of death, primarily concerned with his mother. As Batman said previously, “You’re not brave; men are brave.” Nothing could have convinced Batman of Superman’s bravery or humanity more than this act of selflessness in the face of death. It also shows the audience that Batman is human too and not just a single-minded zealot bent on making Superman answer for his crimes regardless of the cost.
Even though Batman v Superman is only the second instalment in this particular DCEU, we get thrown into a world that feels like it’s five or six movies deep and doesn’t come across as another origin story. We get introduced to this Batman who has been stalking the streets of Gotham for decades and has already lost Robin and Wayne Manor. It’s a world where Aquaman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Cyborg are all active and (secretly) documented. We’re expected to know who Wonder Woman is and to figure out her motivations for ourselves. None of the story details are spoonfed to us, and we are meant to come to our own conclusions and realizations. The dots are all there, and it’s up to the audience to connect them, which is a nice change from movies that explain everything from the beginning.
Who does Superman answer to and who can possibly hold this godlike being accountable? This question works because it’s nearly impossible to answer. All the hypothetical outcomes only lead to more questions, and Batman v Superman doesn’t offer an easy resolution. Who will be the one to make Superman answer? What do we do if Superman doesn’t want to answer for his crimes? Can he be held accountable for what he’s done? Can any goal justify the destruction at the end in Man of Steel? These difficult questions motivate every character, and Batman, Lex Luthor and Senator Finch are all grappling with those issues. Instead of satisfying us with an answer to these questions the movie chooses to challenge us into finding an answer for ourselves.
Whether you love BvS or hate it, we want to hear from you. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Kyle O'Connor is IGN's eSports fanatic and runs IGN's social media feeds. Find him on Twitter @KyleThatKyle.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire