Zack Snyder - Blog Posts
Batman vs Superman
Time to break down the BvS fight in TDKR (the Dark Knight Returns) and also the film BvS (Batman v Superman).
in TDKR, Superman was just trying to reason with Batman. He wasn’t out for blood. He was just trying to confront him like a parent to his or her child. That’s all it was. Stop blowing it out of proportion. (Another tumblr user came up with this analogy. It’s not mine.)
and in BvS, same thing. Clark was trying to reason with a bloodthirsty Batman. Superman needed help finding Clark’s mom—Martha. (He could have just used his super hearing to listen for her heartbeat.) stop blowing things out of proportion.
“If I wanted it, you’d be dead already!” -Superman to Batman
In Batman: Hush, Bats even said that Superman could take him down with his superspeed. But Clark was holding back. And Clark is more than just fists.
Clark has alien technology that is more advanced than earth and understands it. He led the JL before Bruce Timm showed up and forced a bunch of changes—-Batman, the self-righteous lone wolf as the leader of the JL (“I work alone.” Yet has the entire Batfam, GCPD, and Batman Inc.), an OOC Wonder Woman interested in Batman and a grumpy strong man for Superman.
(Also, (This is coming from a formerly bi person (not important in this context)): i don’t mean to force anything on anyone, but we have various types of evidence for biblical events, if anyone is interested. I also found ways to combat lust, if anyone is interested. (I’m talking archaeological evidence, miracles caught live, arguments against evolution, divine revelation, science, cosmology, fulfilled prophecy, evidence for the Bible outside of the Bible, God’s work in people’s lives, etc.)
Review: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Rating: 4.0 of 10.0
I have to be honest, and I’m going to drop the bomb this early in the article: Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is the single most boring movie I’ve ever watched in the theater in a long time–and I’ve endured A Good Day To Die Hard. Even that movie still wins favors from me for being a quick 90-minute movie with an earnest desire to be as simple and as loud as possible. BvS, on the other hand, is 2 and a half hours long and the studio themselves proudly stated that (I paraphrase, but I kid you not it’s true) “there will be no jokes in this movie”. They lied, by the way. There were a couple of jokes, maybe 3, but none of them were remotely funny. Maybe that’s what they meant. Of course not every movie should be witty–but when a movie is bad and you can’t even laugh, that’s when a movie-going experience becomes a torture.
BvS, actually, had a promising beginning. It still insisted to have a scene of the Wayne’s parents death and of little Bruce’s fall into the cave, which I am so tired of. Okay, I get it. Bruce’s parents were murdered in front of him as a child and that’s his origin story, but that’s how it’s been in every iteration of Batman. We don’t need to be retold the same story all over again, particularly because this version of Batman had been around the streets for 20 years. But if you must have the scene for the simple fact that your movie has Batman in it, I made peace with it. The next scene though, was quite excellent and actually gave me hope that this would be a great movie (I was wrong). It was of Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck), in the exact moment of Man of Steel’s final battle when Superman (Henry Cavill) and General Zod (Michael Shannon) destroyed half the city–and apparently, a Wayne building. To see the effects of the battle from a pedestrian perspective was genuinely terrifying, and that created an understandable motive for Bruce Wayne to hate on Superman.
In fact, Batman is the only decent thing to come out of this movie. Ben Affleck actually makes a pretty good Batman, at least as good as the movie lets him be. Admittedly his motive on hating Superman might not be the most logical (after all Superman is the person who saved them all, city-wide destruction notwithstanding), but experiencing that much destruction in front of your eyes might do something to you. Honestly though, Batman is kind of insane in this movie. He has repeating nonsensical nightmares, is fixated on killing Superman on an unhealthy level, and brands criminals with his logo for no apparent reason. But, his solo fighting sequence is the only interesting one compared to the rest, and the simple fact that Ben Affleck is a better actor than Henry Cavill makes him the better half of the bunch.
Superman is where it all falters. First, I’d like to point out that I actually kinda liked Man of Steel, which is the prequel to BvS. Zack Snyder, who directed both movies, takes the idea of Superman, an all-American hero, and turned it on its head with MoS. What if, he asks, Superman is not regarded as a hero but as an alien threat instead? It was a compelling question, and one he began to answer in MoS. But in order for MoS to work (which is an origin story), it has to be followed by a rather traditional Superman movie, otherwise MoS would be pointless. Instead with BvS, Snyder continues to try to subvert the idea of Superman, but he hasn’t earned any of it. BvS tries to discuss the dichotomy between “Superman as a savior” vs “Superman as a monster”, without first establishing the savior part of Superman at all (neither in MoS or BvS). The result is a gritty Superman movie that both rings hollow and violates the very idea of Superman itself.
The messages telegraphed about Superman in this movie is all over the place. Alfred (Jeremy Irons) spouts two opposing opinions on Superman at two different times. Also, at one time Clark Kent/Superman talks about how he wants to do good and save people to honor his father, while in my recollection Pa Kent basically told him in MoS (I exaggerate, but still), “Don’t save the humans, they don’t deserve it.” It’s clear that the movie itself isn’t sure on how to handle Superman. Also, Henry Cavill’s acting that only ranges from brooding to grimacing (coupled with Snyder’s obsession of having Superman suspended mid air to hammer-in the idea that he is a god), just worsens it all.
How about other characters? Jessie Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor, that one I can’t understand. The less I can say about him the better, so I’m actually gonna chalk it out to taste. Perhaps, his Lex Luthor just isn’t my taste. One thing I know for sure though, his character is as annoying and as perplexing as he appeared in the trailers, so if you hate him there you’ll want to burn him in the actual movie.
I don’t have any special thing to say about Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot). She doesn’t have much to do in BvS (yet. She’s having her own movie and she’ll also appear in upcoming Justice League movie) and doesn’t have much time to build her character, so I can’t say anything worthwhile yet. I’m not fond of her costume from practical perspective, but that’s hardly the worst thing in BvS.
Alright, maybe you’re thinking, what if I only want to watch the movie only for the action? I’d just warn you that any kind of action only begins halfway into the movie (probably maybe even way into the third act), and the ride leading to it was excruciating. Even the titular fight between Batman and Superman is wildly lackluster, purely because of the fact that you just know how stupid it is. When you want to avoid a fight, definitely the first thing you do won’t be throwing your supposed opponent 10-feet into a building. When you don’t have time to talk, then you shouldn’t have time to keep saying you don’t have time to talk. The conclusion of the fight is also pretty stupid ("Martha," anyone?). To tell you the truth, the titular fight really is boring. The final fight, featuring Wonder Woman, is slightly better, but only if you like those kinds of heavily CGI’d fight.
The story itself is incomprehensible. Fortunately there’s something resembling a plot, but it has no apparent arc aside from the obvious question the writers ask themselves: HOW DO WE GET BATMAN TO FIGHT SUPERMAN. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is not what a good writer should do. Obviously, there’s a certain kind of art about a movie that builds quite and slow suspense that leads to a satisfying climax. Some movies though, just draaaaags, and BvS is the latter. I’m not a person with the shortest attention span and I certainly don’t need an explosion every 5 minutes to keep me engaged, but I just couldn’t care for BvS and I was bored. out. of. my. mind. With clunky pacing, disjointed edits, and worthless dream sequences, BvS is basically an incoherent rambling of Zack Snyder.
While we’re here, let’s talk about the title. “Batman v Superman” doesn’t really mean anything outside the court of law, which certainly has nothing to do with the movie. Even “Dawn of Justice” is kinda meaningless unless if you think it’s a clever enough pun for Justice League. And since the movie does not talk about the actual justice itself, and certainly doesn’t end in any way that implies justice is served, it simply is a misnomer. Basically the title was just a collection of things that Snyder thinks would sound cool, which ironically is a fitting description of the entire movie.
Honestly, the only thing I liked about this movie is the fact that practically anybody could figure out who Superman is; because when your disguise is a pair of glasses, then you’re not really trying to fool anyone.
My TL;DR is this: Do yourself a favor and skip this movie. Just watch literally anything else; Kung Fu Panda 3, Nolan’s Batman Trilogy, Supergirl, your high school graduation video, anything. Treat yourself with a decent lunch. Just don’t pay for this movie, unless you’re prepared to be disappointed.
Emmet O'Brien takes on Superman.
Here is my review of Man of Steel. I've made it pretty much spoiler free but still approach with caution if you're trying to stay uninformed before the film is released!
The Snyderverse is not a grimdark story
Each time I see someone unironically call it grimdark I immediately know they are surface level watchers that let themselves get distracted by the dark lighting and explicit violence.
Because how can a trilogy of movies in which the main focus is returning hope back into the world be considered grimdark? Those movies are all about how trust and understanding are the right way to build connections and how those connections can make the world a better place. With the movie condeming those that refuse to trust and prefer to fear and hate.
Snyderverse Superman
I don't like the angle the story itself is trying to sell on him but I do think the reactions of the characters inside the story are realistic to what would happen to him in the real word.
Lex Luthor hates him because of his own internalized issues, using him as a scapegoat he can pin blame on. Pretending he hates him due to some higher purpose.
Bruce hates Superman because he doesn't understand him, and people fear what they don't understand. (and in this universe metas became common after Superman appeared so this Batman has no experience with superpowered beings, he didn't slowly increase the powerlevel of the powered being around him, he went from 0 to a 100, and that is scary)
The people who he has saved and cared for love him because they've seen him, they know him.
The people that hate him tend to be people in power or those affected by Black Zero.
He didn't get that much time to make the world know him, he was Superman for like 2 years only, compared to the 20+ he has in the comics.
He is this powerful being that sprung out of knowhere, that is bound to make people afraid, and no ones likes being afraid so they hate.
I think the most realistic part of the movie is the tv scene where people are sitting down and talking about weather he should be allowed to roam free or not.
As if it is moral to deny a sentient being freedom/ autonomy.
Because as much as it sucks to think about it is what would most likely happen if a superman appeared.
People say snyder superman is too angry or gloomy but who the fuck wouldn't if they were subject to hearing people treating them like an object and hating him?