A COUNTER-ATTACK TO ALL THE BATMAN VS SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE HATE
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you haven't watched the film and care about stuff like this. personally I don't but yeah I give some stuff away.
So I have to admit. The propaganda was getting to me. Viral post after viral post of pure vitriol on the subject matter of one of the most anticipated comic book films in memorable history. A staggering 31% rating on rotten tomatoes. Critiques ranging from a lack of depth, and disjointed story arch, to overacting and of course the ever touted heavy reliance on digital effects to cover for the lack of plot argument. It was definitely making me sweat. After all, there's a lot riding on this film. This film, would define the quality and direction for Warner Bros cinematic DC Universe for years to come. This film is Warner Bros. venture into Avengers territory. So how did they really fare?
Personally I thought the film was fantastic. The first 20 minutes are a bit slow and there is a lot of set up. There is a bit of a viewing learning curve so to speak. But that's to be expected with a completely different auteur at the helm. We have to give the film makers a bit of a break here as they cover an ORGASMIC amount of source material background here. I mean fan boys get a legitimate taste of some of comic book history's greatest moments all in one film in as fluid a story telling as I have seen in quite some time. So let's get into that shall we? For those fan boys/critics/Nazi propagandists suckling ever so aggressively on the Disney/Marvel Cock N Balls. I would like to address several of the critiques/complaints I've seen on haters blogs.
The story telling, both on screen and on the page was well above board. David S. Goyer, credited with bringing MULTIPLE comic book properties to life with style and depth, (the Crow, Blade, The Nolan Batman series...and the list goes on and on) did a fantastic job of bringing classic source material into our modern social context. Some critics actually had the audacity to shit on this. I mean wow. How dare an artist actually make art? Zack Snyder is a tremendous but polarizing talent. There's no shot I'm going to be able to convince you to like him. You either get what he does or you don't. I know a lot of people shat on Watchmen but i still think that movie holds up and re-watch it on a regular basis. With misdirection and poor staffing behind him to keep him in check, Snyder can easily get lost in Sucker Punch territory. But one thing he understands is Frank Miller material. He proved it in 300, he proved it in Man of Steel the first super man movie that ever made the character remotely interesting to me. As far as resumes is concerned there's no one out there more qualified to tackle this massive undertaking of a film. Just be warned, if you are going in to watch a by the numbers blockbuster, you will be disappointed. Dawn of Justice, is as much an expression of visual art as it is a narrative. And it is executed in an extremely controlled and conservative manner for the masses to easily consume. Enjoy it.
I saw tons of critiques citing the Marvel Universe and their films as far superior. And that this film was so trite and bleak it made them yearn for it. Did no one watch the new fantastic four film, or even Iron Man 2? Lets be honest here. For one...fuck yourself. If you want Marvel watch marvel. Some of us watch CNN, and some of us watch Fox News... and some of us just rely on Facebook to give us our misinformation. Everyone's full of shit and no one is more right or wrong than the other. It's comparing apples and oranges. No one is complaining about the heinously bleak Noir going on in Daredevil (which i actually adore but have to take breaks from watching for fear of jumping out a window from depression) but for some reason where the Dark Knight is concerned its some how shocking that hes not knocking back margaritas and singing jimmy buffet tunes while hes pummeling bad guys towards their near deaths.
Criticisms on "Nolan's" Batman Universe still looming in the new films due to his executive producer title. I hate to break it to you guys, but Christopher Nolan didn't invent that batman, he gave it a voice but Frank Miller invented that Batman. And he did it over 30 years ago. So get the fuck over it. You were lied to as a child. Batman isn't snarky or a nice guy or funny. Hes a brooding, tortured fruitcake who wears underwear over his pants and takes his aggression out in the most positive way he can think of, by making himself feel like he can put a stop to the evil in the world. And the jury remains out as to whether he makes any positive difference through it all or simply makes darkness evolve into an even more demonic plague. The Dark Knight is here to stay. The inner turmoil and conflict is here to stay and its portrayed beautifully in this film and juxtaposed masterfully with Superman's more organic Herculean struggle of someone who is more than a man and less than a God trying to find his place among mortals.
Since we are living in glass houses and throwing stones, lets discuss thinly designed story arcs and heavy reliance on digital effects in place of depth shall we?
Can anyone tell me what the fuck is really going on in this scene or how anyone accomplished anything? I love Joss Weddon, and I think the creators involved did a fantastic job with the Avengers movies. But as far as plot holes and disjointed film making is concerned… the final Manhattan battle scene in the first film is one of the most epic of atrocious shit shows ever committed to film. And yet, the film still stood incredibly strong, because it had all the makings of a great comic book film. It honored both the rules of big budget film making, as well as the canon source material it was derived from. So let’s all cut the shit here. If you do go watch Dawn Of Justice, (believe me they don’t need your money they’ve already broken box office records with pre-sales alone) let me know if when you watch Batman, Wonder Woman and Super man team up to defeat doomsday…if you have any issues visually following whats going on and who’s fighting who as most viewers complained about in the Avengers upon first viewing.
Moving On.
Batfleck. Well this is an old one and people actually started moving over to my side of the fence as the release drew closer. BUT EVERYONE and I MEAN EVERYONE was shitting themselves and throwing it at the walls pissing and moaning that Ben Affleck couldn’t pull it off. Stop. Stop. Stop.
Not only did he pull it off. He was mustard. He gives Bale my personal favorite a run for his money.
Gael Gadot does exactly what she needs to do, I wish there was more on screen time for her but there’s always the next film.
Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Lex Luthor is criticized as over the top. That he might as well be “wearing a sign that says crazy villain.” Personally I thought Jesse brought his flavor to the roll as he does most of his character portrayals, there’s always a unique piece of him in whatever he does, be it playing a future social media mogul lacking in social skills, or the most diabolical megalomaniac in comic book history. So yeah seeing as he’s playing one of the forerunners for the title of first biggest baddest and craziest of all time, I say he did a pretty great fucking job and brought honor and a little freshness to the role. Kevin Spacey, whom is a tremendous actor, took the moderate route with his portrayal with Luthor, and guess what that movie was a tremendous fail.
Last but not at all least. No one has even bothered to mention the rather exceptional original score by Hans Zimmer? It goes without saying, we have been haunted by Danny Elfman’s incredibly memorable (but totally played out) Batman score and rather lazy derivations of it in the latter batman franchises. Out of nowhere Zimmer crafts an elegant fresh and incredibly potent score that plays as much a part in driving the story as the characters in the film.
In conclusion, Dawn Of Justice is everything you could hope for in a big budget blockbuster comic book film. It successfully brings to life a story arc of epic proportions and is as big as the iconic characters it brings together. Its a new Dawn its A New Day, and Warner Bros, DC, and the Zack Snyder Camp are not only positioned to battle it out with Marvel, they’re contenders for the crown.
