Batman vs Superman: A Reaction

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Afternoon folks!

Well I (Stu, hi there!) finally got the chance to see Batman vs Superman (aka Dawn of Justice) last night after a week of house moving stress and pain and you know what? I am one happy little DC fanboi!

Anyone who’s listened to the AI Comic Pod (which is all of you, right?) will know that I’ve long wanted DC to follow Marvel’s lead and start thinking about the long game, create a full DC Universe and build it up gradually over a series of individual films all leading to a Justice League bonanza and while they aren’t exactly doing that I AM pleased to see them putting some serious thought into this.

I went into this film with very low expectations and that may or may not have helped me here but I came out having seen far more positives than negatives.

First of all I’d say that it wasn’t as much typical Synder as I expected, he actually seems to have put some thought into this and while Ben Affleck wasn’t the best Batman – still gotta be Keaton or Bale there – he was easily the best Bruce Wayne that we’ve seen. I also absolutely loved how close it seemed to the Bruce/Batman from The Dark Knight Returns. Batfleck was also fucking RIPPED as well!

The warehouse fight scene was immense and it showcased something that we discussed on our recent preview of the film whereby Batman, now slower and less agile, has to rely more on his superior tactical knowledge to outsmart the gun-toting bad guys but also uses his bulk and sheer brute force to turn the tide in his favour.

I didn’t quite believe Rory when he said that even Henry Cavill managed to muster up some real emotion but you know what? He really did. I wouldn’t go so far as to saying that I’m ready to retract my statements about Superman being the worst, most played-out, boring and predictable comicbook character in the world but it at least went some way to repairing some of the mental scars created by “Man of Steel”.

Jeremy Irons was a casting masterpiece, he brought a whole new attitude and level of sass to Alfred so I hope he can continue this on into the Affleck-penned Batman solo film which is currently in the works. I’d even go so far as saying that I enjoyed him more than Michael Caine. DON’T SHOUT AT ME!!

Onto the true highlight of the film – Gal Gadot – she was, as expected, glorious and the wry smile on her face during *the* fight with you-know-who was more than a little unexpected, she genuinely seemed to be enjoying cutting lumps off him and seemed to relish the opportunity to lower her disguise as Miss Diana Prince and actually be Wonder Woman. She managed to carry the mystique associated with her alter ego with such poise and grace but let’s be honest – we all wanted to see the outfit, the gauntlets and the lasso in full swing!

Looking at the wider DCU I’m still not on-board at all with Snyder’s idea of re-casting existing characters and then playing the “OH BUT MULTIVERSE” card because Ezra Miller can suck a barrel full of dicks – Grant Gustin is Barry Allen and if they wanted a new Flash then should’ve cast Miller as Wally. Same goes for Stephen Amell because he has more than earned the right to be considered Oliver Queen and the Green Arrow over the last five years. Both are physically, mentally and emotionally entrenched in the characters and have the star quality needed to bring that onto the big screen. What better way to create a single universe than by tapping into the already-popular “Arrowverse” which CW have cultivated.

I would’ve liked more Aquaman, kinda feel like that “cameo” was massively overstated in the build-up and I was really expecting a lot more than a few seconds of grainy underwater footage. I am, however, excited and curious in equal measure to see what they do with Cyborg. They’ve got one of the most powerful and fascinating characters at their fingertips and it looks as though they’re implying that his body is made from a Motherbox. Could this be what initially draws Darkseid to Earth? Is he still searching for the Anti-Life Equation? Either way I have faith that it’ll be done properly and it’s nice to see DC throwing arguably their biggest of the big bads into the equation just as Marvel are preparing to wheel out Thanos.

All in all, for me, a fine film and one of DC’s best offerings to date both as a singular film and as a gateway to the wider DCU.

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Stuart Bridson
Stuart Bridson
Can be found talking football, comics, videogames, TV, movies and dogs. AI's resident entertainment guru as co-host of the Comic Pod and host of On The Box.