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Just finished watching Zack Snyder's Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice courtesy of On-Demand, was about $4.45, so cheaper than the movie theaters by about ten bucks. It's about $15 dollars in Brooklyn.
Anywho...it surprised me. Not at all what I'd expected. Probably helped that I went in with very low expectations. For one thing, I didn't feel like I was watching a video game, well maybe for about two minutes, but even then? Not so much. Felt more like watching a painting. Say what you will about Zack Snyder, but he is a great cinematographer. His visuals are quite striking, and not quite as busy as other directors. Also, it didn't give me a headache like the action sequences in Man of Steel, The Avengers Part II - Age of Ultron, and Deadpool, so kudos.
A bit lacking in the dialogue department, though. I'm not even sure there was more than maybe a half hour's worth of dialogue in what amounted to a three hour movie. Snyder is not into dialogue, much more into visuals and cinematography. Not that superhero movies strike me as dialogue heavy movies to begin with. Let's face it, people do not go to these films for the dialogue. That said, the Nolan Batman films had good dialogue, as did the Iron man films, Deadpool, and Days of Future Past. So it is possible. But I've yet to see a Zack Snyder flick with good dialogue. (The 300, The Watchman, and Man of Steel had crappy dialogue too.)
It also, felt more "archetypal" in characterization. Not really providing anything new -- although let's face it, is there really anything new that can be said about Superman and Batman? Or for that matter the super-hero genre? I mean all three have been DONE by now. Possibly overdone. I think they may be slightly crispy.
As far as the visuals went, it reminded me a great deal of Frank Miller's Dark Knight comics in the 1980s, and Alan Moore's Sin City, V for Vendetta, and The Killing Joke. Both men took over the Batman comics, along Tim Sale, back in the 1980s and 1990s, and their decisively noirish take on the comics sort of bled into the verse as a whole. I remember writing my senior thesis in the bowels of a computer room next to a guy who was writing his on the death of superhero in comics, or rather the reimaging of the hero as vigilante and what that means. It was a controversial thesis - because academics, especially in the 80s, tended to frown on graphic novels, in particular action and pulpy noir graphic novels. Which I never really understood, a story is a story is a story...after all. And who's to say my thesis on Joyce's Molly Bloom and Faulkner's Caddy Thompson (aka their Mommy issues), was any more or less valid than this guy's thesis on the post-modern hero? In some respects I think his thesis was more interesting, because it commented, if indirectly, on our need for a hero, but romanticization of the vigilante. Or America's pop culture love affair with the powerful bad-boy, much to our own detriment (see Trump, Christian Grey, Walter White, Soprano, Hannibal Lector, Spike/Angel, Iron Man, various characters on Game of Thrones and Walking Dead, etc.). Oh, should mention, the guy writing his thesis on the death of the superhero in comics - had bleach blond hair, a leather jacket, rings, black boots, and steel rimmed glasses. We had some great conversations at 1 am in that computer room. (I half wish I saw the film with that guy. And I can't help but wonder what would have happened if we had merged our theses, mother goddess/mommy issues vs. death of superman/rise of the vigilante?)
( spoilers )
All in all not a bad film. Not sure it's worth $15 bucks. But I enjoyed it for $5.
I'd give it a B or a solid three stars.
Anywho...it surprised me. Not at all what I'd expected. Probably helped that I went in with very low expectations. For one thing, I didn't feel like I was watching a video game, well maybe for about two minutes, but even then? Not so much. Felt more like watching a painting. Say what you will about Zack Snyder, but he is a great cinematographer. His visuals are quite striking, and not quite as busy as other directors. Also, it didn't give me a headache like the action sequences in Man of Steel, The Avengers Part II - Age of Ultron, and Deadpool, so kudos.
A bit lacking in the dialogue department, though. I'm not even sure there was more than maybe a half hour's worth of dialogue in what amounted to a three hour movie. Snyder is not into dialogue, much more into visuals and cinematography. Not that superhero movies strike me as dialogue heavy movies to begin with. Let's face it, people do not go to these films for the dialogue. That said, the Nolan Batman films had good dialogue, as did the Iron man films, Deadpool, and Days of Future Past. So it is possible. But I've yet to see a Zack Snyder flick with good dialogue. (The 300, The Watchman, and Man of Steel had crappy dialogue too.)
It also, felt more "archetypal" in characterization. Not really providing anything new -- although let's face it, is there really anything new that can be said about Superman and Batman? Or for that matter the super-hero genre? I mean all three have been DONE by now. Possibly overdone. I think they may be slightly crispy.
As far as the visuals went, it reminded me a great deal of Frank Miller's Dark Knight comics in the 1980s, and Alan Moore's Sin City, V for Vendetta, and The Killing Joke. Both men took over the Batman comics, along Tim Sale, back in the 1980s and 1990s, and their decisively noirish take on the comics sort of bled into the verse as a whole. I remember writing my senior thesis in the bowels of a computer room next to a guy who was writing his on the death of superhero in comics, or rather the reimaging of the hero as vigilante and what that means. It was a controversial thesis - because academics, especially in the 80s, tended to frown on graphic novels, in particular action and pulpy noir graphic novels. Which I never really understood, a story is a story is a story...after all. And who's to say my thesis on Joyce's Molly Bloom and Faulkner's Caddy Thompson (aka their Mommy issues), was any more or less valid than this guy's thesis on the post-modern hero? In some respects I think his thesis was more interesting, because it commented, if indirectly, on our need for a hero, but romanticization of the vigilante. Or America's pop culture love affair with the powerful bad-boy, much to our own detriment (see Trump, Christian Grey, Walter White, Soprano, Hannibal Lector, Spike/Angel, Iron Man, various characters on Game of Thrones and Walking Dead, etc.). Oh, should mention, the guy writing his thesis on the death of the superhero in comics - had bleach blond hair, a leather jacket, rings, black boots, and steel rimmed glasses. We had some great conversations at 1 am in that computer room. (I half wish I saw the film with that guy. And I can't help but wonder what would have happened if we had merged our theses, mother goddess/mommy issues vs. death of superman/rise of the vigilante?)
( spoilers )
All in all not a bad film. Not sure it's worth $15 bucks. But I enjoyed it for $5.
I'd give it a B or a solid three stars.
