Previous Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice coverage at The Reel World:
Ranking the Batmen (where Matt argues the Ultimate Edition has value!)
Five Things About Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice That Do Not Completely Suck
With Zack Snyder’s version of Justice League getting released soon, this will probably be the only relevant time for me to examine THE ULTIMATE EDITION of Snyder’s Batman V Superman. Here be my thoughts.
Government’s Fetishization of Elon Musk Lex Luthor is Tragically on Point
There is nothing special about billionaires. While some of the quirks and idiosyncrasies of the Luthor characterization were tedious, there was a lot of truth to how the dynamic between Lex and the government plays out. The notion that one brave senator stood up to him though was cringe.
The Bruce Wayne Characterization is Well Done!
Ben Affleck tries real hard in this one and mostly does a fine job. It’s not a job suited to his strengths (charming interpersonal con artist), but he gets by on effort and a savvy characterization. Bruce Wayne truly believes in his brilliance and infallibility. His instincts for the need for brute force are nearly always proven wrong. The seemingly complete failure of his mission to help the people of Gotham has been completely lost on him. These are all interesting things to explore with Bruce Wayne, but the film does not know what to really do with it.
Batman’s Fantasy Nightmare Sequence is Still Really Cool
While the scene is cool from a strictly action sequence standpoint, the really cool part is the ambiguous nature of the interpretation of it. It could have been strictly a nightmare. It could be foreshadowing one timeline of events. The Flash part could be genuinely what happened. Or it was really just Bruce Wayne fantasizing about what he craves deepest of all. I bring it up again because it’s possibly more relevant with Snyder’s proper follow-up coming.
The Everyday People are Boring
There are a handful of “characters” floating around that pop up to give false reassurance of the characterizations and motivations that the film wants to reenforce. They do not feel like human beings at all and instead feel like the film talking down to us. It’s miserable filmmaking!
Doomsday Sucks Fucking Ass
What a limp fucking way to end this fucking thing. These soulless CGI conclusions to films are just terrible. Hell, even Superman “dying” felt stupid for obvious reasons.
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