underrated - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) Discussion

It definitely had ambition, but failed spectacularly in trying to fulfill it.

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Yeah, they tried to make an epic but ended up with an incoherent mess, but some fanboys want it to be good SO badly that they try to defend it.

You have my sympathy, DC fanboys, I've been through it with the damn "Hobbit" films. I wanted to like those SO much, but finally I had to admit the sucky truth.

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[–] TexasJack (12515) 7 years ago

I gave it more than a fair shot, multiple viewings, even bought the dang extended edition because I heard it was such an improvement over the theatrical cut. In the end, it was still a mess, as you aptly described it.

But I'm glad that enough people liked it and that it made enough $ for them to press ahead with more films, and I remain hopeful for Justice League.

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[–] Otter (24464) 7 years ago

That's the thing, I still want these films to be good. That's why I rant about their failures, instead of ignoring.

I also hope the JL film is good, but at this point it takes a hell of a lot to get me to see a DC film in a theater. The only one with any merit at all has been WW.

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[–] Renovatio (2990) 7 years ago

In some ways, it's better than the rest...

I realise that these types of movies are basically products and advertisements, but that doesn't preclude the filmmakers from exercising an authorial voice and having a vision. And this is why Snider's Batman Vs Superman stands head and shoulders above the rest

By daring to impart a distinctive aesthetic on this film and using certain iconography (particularly the religious themes) Snider is doing what most of the other comic-book/superhero/franchise directors have been too cowardly to do, he has continued to be an artist.

The scenes with people in awe of superman, the crucifix / saviour poses and imagery, the manic comic book inspired batman hallucination/dream scene, are all examples of moments of idiosyncratic filmmaking that simply do not exist in any other recent franchise movie. Snider is explicitly trying deal with these modern myths in an artistic and emotional level and is bringing our attention to their influence in our culture. No other director has done this. Nolan gave a political and economic context to his batman superhero films, Snider tries to give us a cultural and spiritual one.

This movie gives us a faint glimmer of hope that filmmakers may try to stem back the tide of mediocrity and assembly line standardisation that we have been subjected to for the better part of a decade now. Snider should be recognised for this, instead he is admonished by viewers and critics for not following the prescribed formula. Incredible!

I found all of the comic book movies, apart from the Nolan batman movies to some extent, to be incredibly mediocre as films. Batman Vs. Superman is not exception in this regard, but at least like Nolan, and Burton before him, Snider has maintained his artistic integrity and that is something that we should take note of.