5 Reasons Why I liked Batman Vs Superman

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Hey all,

Batman Vs Superman, the second comic book blockbuster of the year, touched down on Friday (25th March). This is a big year for comic book adaptations and Deadpool kicked the year off by ripping down the door and sitting in the big chair at the head of the dinner table.

In the build up to this film I was not amped at all, the mixed press and lingering disappointment of Man of Steel were catalsyts for my feeling of 'blah'. However, my main concern was a general thought that maybe Superman doesn't have a place in this post Nolan's Dark Knight era of superhero films. I know Guardians of the Galaxy kind of tore that belief to shreds but those thoughts still knocked about.

Glady, I was wrong. The film was great, slightly long, but great nonetheless. I mentioned I was concerned about the tone of the film but another concern was having too many heroes on the screen and no plot focus but director Zack Snyder avoided that Avengers 2 pitfall.

So here are my top 5 enjoyable things about Batman Vs Superman.

1. Lex Luthor Jnr - Jesse Eisenberg

Early in his career I couldn't tell the difference between Eisenberg and Michael Cera. They just seemed interchangeable and both didn't really have any roles to make me think otherwise. Personally, Eisenberg broke that belief with his performance in 'The Social Network'. Ever since then I have followed his career. In this film he was brilliantly crazy. The character was frightening and the audience were never sure of his next move. This type of mindless destruction is great but what makes a villain stick, for me, is when they actually do know what they want next, but let on otherwise. This character had shades of Heath Ledger's Joker in him and Eisenberg's performance is comparable in that it was completely captivating. When he is on the screen you really do sit up and notice. In a world of superpowers and capes his maniacal brilliance gave him importance.

2. Ben Affleck as Batman

Firstly, let me give you the backdrop that Ben Affleck had going into this role.

A: Daredevil was his only previous foray into superhero films.
B: He was following up Christian Bale as the capped crusader.
C: Daredevil was his only previous foray into superhero films.
D: He was not anybodies first choice for this role.
E: Daredevil was his only previous foray into superhero films.

To say this casting was a gamble for everyone involved is a slight understatement. 'Winner winner chicken dinner' it paid off. Affleck made this role his own, he was, for the lack of a better word, different. I've not seen any other portrayal of the crippled billionaire playboy as dark as this. He was broken, tired and conflicted, even more so than Bale's incarnation. Some may think he was too dark, too cold, but I think he fit in perfectly with the climate of the film. Batman is a great character but Clooney and Kilmer have shown how he can can be butchered. Affleck gives a performance that I knew he was capable of (watch The Town, he is actually a good actor) but was sceptical he would deliver. I left the cinema actually wanting to see him fighting crime as a stand alone character. I feel there is a lot of meat in this version of the character and Affleck is the guy to deliver it.

3. 'If God is All powerful then he can't be all good. If God is all good then he can't be all powerful'.

This was essentially the main theme that Superman had to battle with for the entire film and its this same fear of an all powerful God that lead Batman to hunt him.

When Lex shouts these words during the film they had a real affect on me. They encapsulated Superman's plight, I understood his pain. Superman has never been one of my favourite superheroes because I've always viewed him as too perfect. I've found the most interesting part of his story is his origin story before donning the red cape. I've never bought into him wanting to be normal and have a normal life and the pains of him being able to do everything.

This line made his internal conflict painfully apparent. He can't live up to the expectations of a God because those expectations are impossible to reach. He just wants to be the best he can be. But because he is seen as a God his best will always fall short.

The fact that it's the stories antagonist that says the words is also clever. It really shows how aware Lex is of the two characters that he is trying to bring down. He really does know them and maybe it shows some type of conflict within himself (food for thought).

4. Setting up of the Justice League.

The Justice League film is set up. We know of other super powered beings and we know that there is a big bad coming to Earth. I think the film did the right thing by only really introducing Wonderwoman and giving us a brief glimpse of the others. This is not their time and I'm happy the team decided against giving any more time to setting The League up.

How good was Wonderwoman btw? Not just smoking hot but actually a character with some depth.

5. Jeremy Irons as Alfred.

I loved Michael Caine as Alfred in The Dark Knight Trilogy. He was friend, father figure, judge, jury and priest to Batman and the relationship felt real.

Jeremy Irons didn't have anywhere near as much screen time as his predecessor but everything he did felt authentic. He loves Bruce and believes in The Batman and this was portrayed wonderfully.

There you have it guys, I really enjoyed the film. It has been getting some bad press and I can't see why, it was a joy.

Comment and let me know your thoughts. Until next time.

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allthingsm4tt

Writer of things, meme supplier, semi-occasional six string swordist, sporadic cinema goer and smiler.