Grace ChiaHyped as the comics superhero fight of the century, Batman v Superman; Dawn of Justice pits not good guy against bad guy, but surprisingly the 2 best known and most respected crime-fighting characters to inhabit comic books and more than a dozen TV series and movies starring a sometimes contentious lineup of Hollywood leading men.
Fans naturally jumped into the fray, defending heatedly online their own champion as the one to be victorious in the 1-on-1 clash, engineered by supervillain Lex Luthor (Oscar-nominated Jesse Eisenberg), now appearing as a billionaire brat with wavy hair rather than the brilliant bald baddie in Kevin Spacey mold.
So UrbanWire invited Auden Ti, Batman fan, alongside UW editor Grace Chia, who supports the Superman to the media preview, to have the 2 slug it out after. Here’s what happened (be warned, spoilers ahead):
I can’t believe…
Batman fan:
how misleading the title, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, is. Instead of the battle between the 2 heroes being the main focus of the movie, the duel lasted a mere 5 minutes! In fact, the 2 never really wanted to fight each other. Both wanted to expose Lex Luthor. And Lex, to avoid facing both the Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill), thought of a plan to get both to fight each other instead. He captured Superman’s human mother, Martha, as hostage to force Superman to kill Batman in exchange for her life.
Superman fan:
Batman’s change of heart towards Superman. Just because Superman’s mother, Martha, happens to share the same name as Batman’s mother, Batman made a 360-degree change to help Superman after realizing that she was held hostage? C’mon! That part really bugged me. I also felt cheated by the false expectations set up by the tease of the duel. In the end, good triumphs over evil, but it was neither satisfying nor convincing how it was set up, because even though Batman was annoyed at Superman for destroying Wayne Enterprises during his battle with General Zod (from Man of Steel) and injuring his employees, his main focus couldn’t have been on getting revenge on Superman.
Your hero is portrayed…
Batman fan:
better than we feared. Despite all the flak Ben Affleck got for being cast as Batman, he actually did a pretty great job. Batman was shown to be a rather seasoned vigilante of Gotham City, facing many hardships – notably the death of his sidekick, Robin – which we can see from his constant nightmares. From the smallest details like the firm set of his jaw, Affleck portrayed veteran Batman really well. Unlike George Clooney’s lightly comedic Batman, Affleck’s Batman is more solemn, having seen many deaths in his life. Yet, Affleck’s Batman isn’t completely humorless like Christian Bale’s. There was a scene where Batman, in his Bat Mobile, tried to ram into Superman. That of course didn’t work out. Instead, the Bat Mobile nicked off Superman’s shin and careened into a wall. Low laughter reverberated in the cinema at that point.
Superman fan:
As a himbo. Although this movie is directed by Zack Snyder, who gave us Man of Steel and the Henry Cavill-Amy Adams pair casting, Superman still comes across as someone with all brawn but very little brain. During the climb to the showoff between the 2 heroes, Superman fell for Batman’s booby traps twice consecutively. One would have expected him to be more careful after the first surprise attack. Another scene that makes him look foolish was when Superman dived into the water to retrieve a Kryptonite spear, and passed out momentarily (needing his girlfriend, Lois Lane (Adams) to pull him out). You’d think that after being gassed with Kryptonite twice during the duel with Batman, Superman would learn his lesson. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me…
The movie visuals were…
Batman fan:
Very well done. Hats off to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice for the palette, which is rich and for having contrasts that effectively captured the feel of each scene. In fact, it can be described as ‘visual poetry’. There was a particular shot that I love – Superman drifting in space, seemingly defeated by Doomsday, against the backdrop of a very colorful Earth.
Superman fan:
Gorgeous. Honestly, this movie has one of the best visuals of any comic-book movies that I’ve watched. Maybe it is because Christopher Nolan, the director of the Dark Knight Trilogy, oversaw the movie, the visuals seemed to take on the same doom and gloom feel of the Batman series. The cinematography was also stunning, and there was an extensive variety of shots. The one I love was Doomsday releasing the power that he’d soaked up from the nuke – the red, crackling forks of electricity radiating from Doomsday’s body against the gloomy background of the overcast sky.
Sound-wise, it was…
Batman fan:
Awesome. Having composed music for over 150 films, including The Lion King (which won Academy Award for Best Original Score), the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Interstellar and so on, it’s no wonder Hans Zimmer slayed the music department of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. However, it wasn’t solely Zimmer’s credit to take, Junkie XL is the other reason why the soundtrack nailed it. One of the first songs played in the movie was Batman’s theme, called Beautiful Lie. It captured nicely the anxiety and sense of loss Batman (as a kid) felt after his parents passed away.
Superman fan:
Splendid. I loved Hans Zimmer’s music in the Pirates of the Caribbean, Inception and Interstellar. Both he and Junkie XL, who gave us the scores for Mad Max: Fury Road and Deadpool, really breathed life into the characters through their music. I especially love Lex Luthor’s theme. When the arch nemesis appeared on screen, the music became slightly erratic and had a touch of comedic feel to it, enhancing the complexity and duality of Lex’s maniacal character.
Will be repeating this quote from the movie…
Both fans:
Lex Luthor: “The red capes are coming… The red capes are coming!”
Overall, the movie was…
Batman fan:
Not bad. Although the movie didn’t present what we expected, it doesn’t mean it was any less exciting. Action-packed from the start till the end, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice kept me at the edge of my seat and my eyes were glued to the screen, and not just because I had to write for UrbanWire either.
Superman fan:
Pretty okay. The 152 minutes flew past and the fast-paced action kept me wondering what was going to happen next. Although at the end Superman was shown being laid to rest in his grave, after he died from the battle with Doomsday, Superman’s journey is far from over. In the comic book, Superman died in 1992 and then returned in a popular series that spans multiple issues. We know that this movie, too, is as Forbes describes : “a backdoor pilot for Justice League and/or an eventual stand-alone Batman movie.”
[xrr rating=2.5/5 display_as=textstars label=”Rating (both fans):”]
Release Date: 24 March 2016
Runtime: 152 minutes
Language English
Censorship Rating: PG13
Genre: Action / Adventure
Director: Zack Snyder
Main Actors: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg
Photos courtesy of WarnerBros