Yeahhhhhhhh!!!!!! oh God Yes!!!!!!!!! Fuck yeah!!!!!!!! Freaking amazing!!!!! Woooooohhhhhh!@#!$!!!
That was my reaction just when the movie was announced 2 years ago, so you can pretty much guess how excited I was for the movie itself. Ever since I was a kid and discovered how movies were filmed etc. I had said one thing to myself “So you are telling me that someday in the future I am gonna be able to see Batman and Superman fight on screen?” Yes, 25 or so years waiting for a dream to come true. So if you are expecting a small review, this is the time to walk away.
See there are two types of rivalries, one are the really intense ones like India V Pak or Batman V Joker etc. but here, give or take a few instances, you clearly support one side over the other even though it’s so much of fun to watch these. Then there are rivalries where the sides are so subtly split, the odds so evenly matched, that whichever side you support it is very difficult to define a clear winner or loser. These are the rivalries which become the scope of endless debate and actually valid arguments from both sides- Shiva Vs Vishnu Left Vs Right, Kishore Vs Rafi, Asha Vs Lata, Marvel Vs DC, Stone Cold Vs The Rock and of course, Batman Vs Superman. It is just very difficult to convince any non-fans about how important that last argument is. Because if you have never had a playground debate over who would beat who, then your childhood was a waste of time. People with elder brothers would better understand what I am talking about.
But boyhood debates apart, is it really an argument? A superhero who can burn through steel and survive in space without breathing Vs a billionaire with the most advanced gadgets but a brilliant tactical mind. But it is this very principle of a determined human being fighting against an almost immortal god that makes this eternal debate most interesting. Comic book writers being little boys at heart themselves, have obviously tried to capture this dilemma in multiple storylines but none did it more famously than Frank Miller’s 1986 Batman- the Dark Knight Returns. And this movie borrows heavily from that comic.
Personally, I have only lately become a bigger Batman fan thanks to a certain Mr. Nolan. He made Batman more than just a gadget toting billionaire. He made the Batman stand for something any mature mind can relate to. But think of an 8 year old kid….what does he dream of…the first time any little boy has ever dreamed of becoming a hero…he imagines putting on a red cape, being able to fly freely in the skies…standing with his arms on his waist...proudly bouncing off imaginary bullets….having the strength to punch a monster into the skies…being polite and simple as he fights for truth and justice…I didn’t even have to mention the word Superman there, but your mind filled that in yourself. Superman is so ingrained into our minds, he is the literal grand-daddy of all the superheroes out there. Though there were others before him- Phantom, Flash Gordon, etc. but the very concept of a man who can be more than what we are, is just so linked to Superman since your grandfather’s time that now he is a part of our cultural consciousness. He is a messianic figure, a Jesus metaphor and a symbol of pure hope. An ideal we must all strive to be. And that is why I supported Superman for he is first love for any fan out there. Besides to add it, if he really wanted to, Supes could rip Batman in half and no amount of Kryptonite can help you if someone can drop a comet in the city that you live in :P
But having said that, the reason we love Batman, is because he is human. Because he went through tragedy like most of us and is trying the best he can to deal with the crimes around him. We like him because in a fight against an almost immortal God, he will still take his chance. He will give it a shot because that is what he believes in and hence he earns more respect.
Taking this deliciously complex and iconic rivalry to the screen was an enormous task on Zack Snyder’s shoulders. Zack Snyder is one of my favourite comic book directors and I do feel he is unfairly criticized at times. The guy has amazing vision and the skills to bring breath-taking visuals to life plus he does action and melodrama well. He is born to direct comic book movies. But because he appears to bring a Hyper real quality, particularly to his action scenes, I believe many mainstream critics don’t take him seriously, criticizing him for apparently lacking substance (whatever the hell that means). After watching Man of Steel, I was convinced Snyder might do a great job with this and when after a few changes, Ben Affleck (a good director and screen writer in his own right) introduced Chris Terrio (screen writer for Argo) to the script writing team, I was thinking to myself that even though DC appears to be in a hurry to introduce all of its Justice League heroes in one movie to catch up with Marvel, this movie might just be good.
Man of Steel was primarily criticized for the civilian damage Superman’s fight with General Zod must have caused when they almost destroy half of Metropolis, although the same is the case with any Superhero movie. The stroke of genius that DC pulled was to take that real life criticism and work it into the movie by having Bruce Wayne being around when the climatic fight in Man of Steel was on. Gotham and Metropolis are almost twin cities and Wayne witnesses one of his offices in Metropolis being destroyed and his employees dying as collateral damage in a fight between two super aliens. This becomes the source of Bruce’s enmity against Superman.
Also, what I loved about the movie’s take on Batman is that they have actually toyed with the idea that Bruce Wayne might have some serious anger management issues. Holy God, if you think the Nolan Batman was dark, this one is fucking demonic. I loved how they really focused on the one aspect of Batman which Nolan movies only hinted at. It is that Batman is out trying to compensate for his anger at not being able to save his parents as a kid. He puts fear into the hearts of criminals, attacks them mercilessly, brands them with his symbol and uses lethal force if necessary to achieve his goals. 20 years of crime fighting in Gotham has made him a ruthless vigilante. Kudos to Ben Affleck for bringing a different violent, volcanic intensity to Batman and to Bruce Wayne.
Jesse Eisenberg as the psychotic but calculating Lex Luthor is actually quite good. In the trailers, I had thought he would go overboard with the psychotic acting, but he just manages to stay in line and shows depth to his character in more than one scene. All the supporting cast including Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jeremy Irons as Alfred and Diane Lane as Martha Kent are quite brilliant in their roles.
I must specially mention Gal Gadot portraying Wonder Woman. Now Wonder Woman has got to be the most famous female superhero and even after all these years, we had never ever seen her on screen. Gadot is primarily a model and there were doubts whether she could portray the role well..but wow! does she do really well. What I loved about her short but intensely badass role was that she isn’t portrayed as most other female heroes are- waifishly thin, usually with non-contact powers like magic or something and also being overtly sexualized. There is not one scene, where Wonder Woman is objectified. Also, they took care to get her to have a toned, heavy built. She looks like she could take down 3 or 4 guys easily even without superpowers. Without revealing too much, let me tell you that her fight scenes got an almost bigger roar than Batman or Superman.
Coming to Superman, Henry Cavill takes his role from Man of Steel forward brilliantly and we actually see him becoming Superman we all know gradually. The story is well written to finally portray something which I felt had never been done on screen before- to convey the weight of problems on Superman’s shoulders. To show us that even having all the strength and immortality in this world can’t solve all the problems. It does well to show the politics behind power and how people's perceptions of messianic figures affects our daily lives.
The story moves at a brisk pace and does not have any ‘blank’ moments whatsoever. Although some of the other Justice League references to the Flash (mild spoilers) Aquaman etc. look kinda forced but they are very intriguing, DC doesn’t wait for any post credit revelations like Marvel, they freaking dropped those in the middle of the movie itself. I think personally that's an awesome idea rather than aping Marvel. Its hard to believe the number of events and the kind of story arcs they managed to cover in a two hour forty minutes movie without it appearing too bloated. This may also be due to the crisp and quotable dialogue.
Zack Snyder has always been a very visual director and he often uses dream sequences and visions to convey the plight of the characters more than dialogue. Although they are one too many here sometimes, but still they are very aesthetically done. It almost elevates the movie to the kind of superhero movie you have never seen before. Even when the titles open, there is almost no fanfare or highlight when the title of such a big budget movie appears on screen. It just comes and goes non-challantly as if telling us that we know what you came for and the story is more important.
Having said that, don’t worry the action junkie in you will leave thoroughly satisfied. I am a huuuuuuuuuuuge fan of the Nolan movies, but I must admit that the hand to hand combat scenes were not that well done. But that’s not the case here, the action is brutal yet spectacular. There is a fight scene with Batman and some goons in a warehouse which I am telling you is straight up inspired from the Arkham Games. Also, the main fight, the money shot, the central conflict- the Batman v superman fight is just so satisfying. Although it ends the way you would expect it to, but still it is all your money’s worth.
And finally, just have to say that Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL give some of the most epic tunes you will ever hear. A battle as epic as this can only be made more effective through Zimmer's music.
So all in all, great story, great acting, great music and great action, it is the kinda movie you'll immediately wanna watch again – My Rating is Superrific!
BATMAN VS SUPERMAN:DAWN OF JUSTICE
DIRECTED BY ZACK SNYDER
CAST- BEN AFFLECK, HENRY CAVILL, GAL GADOT, JEREMY IRONS, AMY ADAMS, JESSE EISENBERG, LAURENCE FISHBURNE, ETC.
PS- Although, I would love to do a list of easter eggs and references, to reveal any would be to spoil the movie. Just let me tell you, there is a lot of fan service in the movie to satisfy all your nerd urges.
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