On Sunday night at the MTV Movie Awards, DC revealed the third trailer for the much anticipated third movie in their Expanded Universe (and first potentially good one) in “Suicide Squad,” entering theaters this coming August.
Now, the DCEU is kind of a mess. “Man of Steel,” the beast that launched all of this, was mediocre and comically inaccurate. And “Batman v Superman” has it’s plethora of problems: from a bad script, to a bad director, to the many bad reviews (including mine HERE), to losing the top spot at the weekend box office to a Melissa McCarthy movie with a worse Rotten Tomatoes score.
Suffice it to say, “Suicide Squad” has a lot riding on it. And while I’m slightly more cautious about this now than I was before, “Suicide Squad” should begin to right the ship that is the DC Expanded Universe.
Key word: Should.
This third trailer, set to a You Don’t Own Me/Ballroom Blitz medley, initially starts on the wrong foot, implying the squad is a reaction to the emergence of Superman, but the mainly Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) led-trailer quickly gets back on track, offering more glimpses at El Diablo, Killer Croc, Will Smith’s Deadshot, and Jared Leto’s Joker (who is going to be incredible).
The trailer comes amid reports that DC and Warner Brothers have begun reshoots to make the movie “funnier“, in response to the negative reviews of “Batman v Superman” being too dark and brooding. But that wasn’t the issue with “BvS.” Yes, it was too dark and too brooding, but the issue with that film was a bad script with no story, and an even worse director in Zack Snyder, who somehow has still not been fired from the DCEU, with filming on “Justice League: Part One” scheduled to start today.
Starting reshoots on this movie to correct the problems of another movie is nowhere near a good sign, and even though Zack Snyder screwed up an overall lackluster movie that had incredible potential, Warner Brothers needs to remove their hands from the dirt and trust that David Ayer knows how to make “Suicide Squad” a success. I think he will.
“Suicide Squad” comes to US theaters on August 5, 2016.
Trailer (above) via JoBlo Movie Trailers YouTube Page.
About a year ago, I wrote an article titled Preemptive Strike: “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (read HERE). Essentially, I spent about 1,000 words eviscerating this then-upcoming film, based on a singular 2 minute trailer. I made claims of DC copying Marvel. I attacked the name of the film. I attacked Ben Affleck’s Superman fighting Batsuit. I went after Jesse Eisenberg and Zack Snyder, and the size of the film itself.
I’ll admit, I may have been a bit immature, and showed a bit of a bias in there, but that doesn’t mean I was wrong.
The basis of my original argument, more or less, held true. And, contrary to what some believe, I do wish for the DC Expanded Universe to be good. Batman is my favorite hero, Marvel or DC, and as a fan I appreciate the cinematic history here, and I really, truly hoped I would be wrong. I really, truly hoped this movie would be good.
But it wasn’t. (Some spoilers from here on out, although the trailers basically showed the whole movie).
Photo Cred: Collider
One of “Batman v Superman”‘s largest problems lies in the plot, or lack thereof. After the, rather unnecessary, five minute opening sequence again showing the murder of the Wayne parents, we join Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne in Metropolis in the middle of “Man of Steel”‘s third act battle between Superman (Henry Cavill) and Zod (Michael Shannon). A Wayne Enterprises building becomes a part of the wreckage, and some people who worked for Wayne were killed, mainly because they didn’t evacuate the building until Wayne gave them the OK, even though they could clearly see the city being destroyed around them.
Thus begins Bruce Wayne’s vendetta against Superman. And thus ends the only true plot point in the film. From here out Bruce Wayne indulges in some pretty mediocre sleuthing for the world’s greatest detective, which involves stealing some files from Lex Luthor without discretion, leading to Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) coming out of no where and stealing Wayne’s stolen file.
Yeah..
While all this is going on, Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) is around, and he hates Superman. Why you ask? No idea. That answer is never made clear. Lex spends his time either trying to frame Superman for crimes (such as blowing up the Capitol building), or trying to kill him (by pitting him against Batman).
Yes, the titular battle, hyped for over two years between Gotham’s Dark Knight and an alien from a destroyed planet, was orchestrated by Lex Luthor. How you ask? Well it’s simple. Luthor kidnapped Martha Kent (Diane Lane) and basically said to Superman “Go kill Batman, or I’ll kill your mother.”
A battle Batman is fully prepared for, as he stole a big slab of Kryptonite from Luthor, killing people along the way. Yes, Ben Affleck’s Batman kills people, a practice that goes against everything Batman has stood for throughout the character’s history.
And that’s basically it. Without spoiling the last few details, the fight only last for about 7 of the film’s 151 minutes, and ends on an incredibly bland note. After that, Doomsday (created by Luthor using Zod’s body) shows up, Wonder Woman suits up (again, out of no where), and the movie ends. Thrilling.
Ben Affleck as Batman (Photo Cred: Batman-News)
While the plot, more or less, made very little sense, Batman v Superman‘s biggest problem is that it had too much going on at once. You’re dealing with introducing Batman (and his origin story, which had been said to not be included), you’re introducing Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, Alfred. You’re fitting in forced and unsubtle cameos for Aquaman (Jason Mamoa), the Flash (Ezra Miller), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher). You have Batman trying to kill Superman, Lex Luthor trying to kill Superman. Oh and don’t forget Superman going out of his way to save Lois Lane, and remain apathetic to the devastation his actions cause around him.
Now, the sheer number of characters alone should have been alarming enough – it was for me. I’m all for DC Comics and Warner Brothers developing a film universe of their own. It’s great for comic fans! To have both Marvel’s Avengers and DC’s Justice League comic lines adapted on screen is fantastic. The issue, however, is that DC is trying to play catch up to Marvel in this one film. Marvel has developed their cinematic universe over the course of eight years. In those same eight years, DC has only produced 1 comic book movie toward a universe of their own (before “BvS”). I applaud DC for taking a different route with their films, opting to go for the team-up ensemble and then splitting into solo films, but introducing 5 heroes in one film (3 were cameos, but still) is a little sloppy.
And this all leads back to Zack Snyder. Say what you will, but he is a mediocre director. “300” was OK, “Watchmen” should have been much better, “Man of Steel” was no good, and “Batman v Superman” was only better because of Ben Affleck. Snyder is a very good visual director (and even then the CGI in this movie was shoddy), but when it comes to meaningful content and storytelling, he is severely flawed, and “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” suffers because of it.
A couple more things…
Jesse Eisenberg underwhelms as Superman big bad Lex Luthor. Eisenberg plays the role too jovial, hokey, and a bit cheesy and is just annoying.
SIDE NOTE: Eisenberg originally auditioned for the role of Jimmy Olsen, a part that had just 2 minutes of screen time. So instead, Zack Snyder gave him the role of the big bad villain.
Wonder Woman had massive potential for this film, is she was utilized correctly. She came out of no where to be a thorn in Bruce Wayne’s side, without any story or introduction.
Ben Affleck was the one redeeming quality in the film. Once he is able to step away from Zack Snyder’s (mis)direction, he’s going to be a very good Batman/Bruce Wayne.
Grade: 4 of 10
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is in theaters now.
This is the first post in a new series I’m writing called “Preemptive Strike,” where I will voice my concerns about projects yet to be released. If there is an element or multiple elements in an upcoming project I take exception to, I will air out my opinion in this series. Today, we begin with 2016’s upcoming superhero film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Photo Cred: Wikipedia
This past Friday, thanks to the always reliable pirated leak, Warner Bros. and DC Comics were forced to release the first trailer for their upcoming superhero flick Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Now normally, I would write up a quick “Sneak Peak” and link to the trailer at the end of the piece (which I still will; see trailer below), however I have some additional thoughts I’d like to share about this movie.
In short, I hate just about every single element of this film.
Except for Ben Affleck. Unlike most everyone else on the internet, I am going to give Affleck a chance in the role (although from the looks of the trailer the poor guy had no decent material to work with). For what it’s worth, the Batman film franchise is no stranger to controversial casting. Remember Heath Ledger? Nobody was looking to give the guy from Brokeback Mountain a chance, and he turned out, in my opinion, one of the best acting performances in modern film history. Granted I’m not expecting Affleck to win an Oscar like Ledger did, but I’m still willing to see how the man does before condemning him.
Ben Affleck as Batman Photo Cred: Variety
But enough optimism, let’s get to the meat of the matter, and just why exactly Batman v Superman is going to be horrible:
First and foremost, this film, and the DC Cinematic Universe as a whole, were insanely rushed. When Marvel birthed it’s cinematic universe with 2008’s Iron Man, DC was in the middle of Christopher Nolan’s widely successful The Dark Knight trilogy. When that trilogy ended in 2012, DC obviously saw the massive popularity of Marvel’s MCU and The Avengers, so in 2013 DC decided to build an impromptu film universe off of their 2013 half-hit Man of Steel. So to start, the copying of Marvel’s interconnected film universe is beyond blatant, and as I said before, incredibly rushed.
To continue the Marvel comparison, that studio has put in the effort to introduce each of their characters correctly, either in their own solo film or in conjunction with another character’s story. DC, on the other hand, is introducing almost the entire Justice League of America in this second DCCU film, save for Superman (who has already been introduced) and Green Lantern (who has yet to be cast). Confirmed heroes in BvS are: Superman (Henry Cavill), Batman (Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Mamoa), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and The Flash (Ezra Miller) is rumored to be introduced as well. Add in the introduction of Superman’s greatest foe Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg [more on this later]), and all the characters necessary to bring in Batman, there is already way too much going in this one film – aside from the main plot.
Which brings me to my first question: Can somebody please tell me what the hell this movie is about? I understand that at some point Batman and Superman fight about something, but what is going on that causes this battle and allows the other thousand superheroes in the film to be brought in? At this moment, we are 11 months away from the film with no real indication of a story. The trailer shows basically nothing, and the plot of the film as listed on IMDb is: “The plot is unknown.” All we have to go on is the title. So, why are Batman and Superman fighting? When will the Dawn of Justice be? What is the Dawn of Justice? If two superheroes are fighting, where even is the justice?
And while I’m on the name: Batman versus Superman: Dawn of Justice has to be one of the dumbest names for a movie ever. This title is at the top of the list, along with the 1995 Japanese cinematic classic Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla.
In regards to the alleged “epic” fight between Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent, all I really got from the trailer was a hero in a metal suit fighting another hero. Which, in other words, is basically DC’s way of copying Captain America: Civil War, coming to theaters just over a month after BvS. And speaking of that metal suit, Batman’s special Superman-fighting suit (Hulkbuster imitation), looks eerily similar to what a live-action LEGO Batman suit would look like. Actually, the resemblance is uncanny:
Ben Affleck as Batman (left) and LEGO Batman from ‘The LEGO Movie’ (right)
As for casting, I only have one issue: Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. I’m sorry, but I’m having a hard time picturing a bald 31-year old Jesse Eisenberg, who looks 25, as a serious villain. When I think Lex Luthor, I think an older, experienced, ruthless nemesis – key word older – a la Bryan Cranston (who has already proved he can pull off the bald villain role). Eisenberg’s casting, to me, seems to be a version of Baby Looney Tunes meets DC Comics.
Even though I don’t mind Ben Affleck in the film, there is still a Batman issue. When the film was announced, and the 42-year old Affleck cast, it was revealed that the new Dark Knight would be “tired and weary and seasoned” and an experienced superhero. The new direction for the character would be lined up with its inspiration from Frank Miller’s limited comic series The Dark Knight Returns. In other words, not an origin story. However a video on Instagram surfaced seeming to show the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents, which is Batman’s origin story. Which then bring up the obvious question: if Batman v Superman isn’t a Batman origin story, then why are you showing Batman’s origin story? In a film that is already overflowing with superheroes and a million other things, why overpopulate the movie and force audiences to again sit through the murder of Wayne’s parents when you have said that the murder won’t be a part of the film? It doesn’t make any sense.
Alright, I’ve aired my grievances. It seems rather obvious that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is going to be a complete mess, which is what happens when a studio (DC) sloppily tries “to catch up to Marvel,” as the father of Marvel comics, Stan Lee, said at a Gillette shaving event. But what else can be expected when Zack Snyder is in charge of the universe? (For the record, I find Watchmen to be underrated, but that’s about it). All this being said, I still will make my way to the AMC down the street to see Batman v Superman when it comes out, however that is purely out of curiosity as to how DC will try to launch their shared universe, and to see just exactly how much of a disaster Dawn of Justice will be.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice premiers in theaters on March 25, 2016. If the film appeals to you at all, you can watch the first trailer, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures’ YouTube page, below:
Brian Leary 