Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

[Mr Mystery]

[url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/batman_v_superman_dawn_of_justice/]Definitely looking like a 'I'll wait for Netflix' job[/url]

[Kaptain Badrukk]

Ok, seen it.
A) Not that bad.
B) Not great either.
Luthor steals the movie, Wonder Woman too.
Some good bits, some meh bits.
My wife (not a big dc reader) and I (a fairly avid one) both enjoyed it enough to make the cinema trip worth it.
A solid 6-7 out of 10 kinda film, and Afleck was nowhere near as bad a batman as you'd think.
I say, go see it.

[eldargal]

^That's what I'm hearing from people I know too, with everyone reporting that Wonder Woman was incredible.

[Mr Mystery]

I've mostly heard that Luthor is intolerably irritating.

But as ever, to each their own.

Glad they didn't arse up WW though. At least, not in this film.

So far my fave WW involved her sitting in a park, watching some kids play sword fighting. 30 seconds later, she's shown a young girl how to best the boys that said she couldn't play.

[energongoodie]

I really enjoyed this film. I really liked Ben Affleck as the bat. I found Luther a little annoying also. Wonder woman was great. Don't listen to the professional critics. Just go and watch it and have fun.

[Erik Setzer]

Saw it with my brother last night. Without spoilers, here's my thoughts:

1. It was trying to fit too much into one movie, and danced around the multi story arcs a lot. That could confuse some people (and has). You have to be really paying attention and filing it all away to keep up. As an example of that, there's a scene that Angry Joe mentions in his spoiler commentary that included a callback to an earlier scene that gave a huge hint something was about to happen, but if you aren't paying attention to the details of that scene and the dialogue from the earlier scene, you could miss it, as he initially did. (That's vague, I know, but, well, spoilers and all. I'll include a hidden comment on it below for those who've watched it.)

2. It's really dark. Not quite Frank Miller levels, but close, especially Batman.

3. Affleck and Irons, IMO, work well as Batman and Alfred. Surprisingly well. It's not just "he didn't suck." He feels believable as Batman, from the use of gadgets to the way he fights.

4. Speaking of fights, the fight scenes were all amazing.

5. The opening is insane, and feels like a scathing indictment of the fight at the end of Man of Steel. Seeing all that destruction from the viewpoint of the people in the middle of it feels like a gut punch, and helps you understand why someone might not be a huge fan of an all-powerful alien flying around.

6. Gal Gadot was good as Wonder Woman, the only complaint I can find around the character isn't with the character. The music during one scene she's fighting in just goes completely different from the rest of the film and feels seriously out of place. But that's it. She might not have had as much screen time as Bats or Supes, but you could tell she was easily their equal in and out of costume.

7. Luthor (Alex, not Lex) did seem a bit over-the-top at times, but if you pay attention to him talking about his past and imagine where he came from, it makes a bit of sense.

I'd give it a solid 7/10... maybe even 8/10. I won't say it's some amazing display of cinematography, but it was really fun, and the story actually made sense overall. Some of it did seem to be DC throwing some big stuff out too early in their movie series, but they've got a lot to work with, and Marvel's shown us you don't have to follow the comics 100% to be good. I know it sounds like I'm listing a lot of negatives, but the negatives really aren't that bad, and it's hard to say much positive without going into spoiler territory.

*Spoilery comment referred to above:
The scene I'm referring to is the Senate hearing with Wally (the guy in the wheelchair). At one point, the senator spots a strange mason jar with a tea bag in it labelled "Granny's Peach Tea." It's a throwback to her earlier conversation with Luthor... he says something like "call it a deterrent" with regards to the Krytonite, and she says something along the lines of, "You can piss in a jar and call it Granny's Peach Tea if you like, doesn't change what it is." So the jar in the hearing scene is a bit of mockery from Luthor right before things go down.

[Charistoph]

I agree so much with the above, I just had to quote it, as it covers much of my perspective on it.

1. It was trying to fit too much into one movie, and danced around the multi story arcs a lot. That could confuse some people (and has). You have to be really paying attention and filing it all away to keep up. As an example of that, there's a scene that Angry Joe mentions in his spoiler commentary that included a callback to an earlier scene that gave a huge hint something was about to happen, but if you aren't paying attention to the details of that scene and the dialogue from the earlier scene, you could miss it, as he initially did.

Agreed. In a way, it was a lot like Spiderman 3, just trying to do too much over all. Most of the transitions were jarring and would often leave you confused for a good period of time after it was resolved.

I do like the subtle nods to the storylines over all like the section you referenced, but a certain "dream" really threw things out of kilter and left you with a WTF.

2. It's really dark. Not quite Frank Miller levels, but close, especially Batman.

It wasn't too bad, unless you are referencing the over all feel. It didn't feel environmentally dark like the Tim Burton films, but then, it was a lot more serious dark than the Tim Burton films, too. Not quite Gotham levels, but close.

3. Affleck and Irons, IMO, work well as Batman and Alfred. Surprisingly well. It's not just "he didn't suck." He feels believable as Batman, from the use of gadgets to the way he fights.

Agreed. It surprised me, too.

4. Speaking of fights, the fight scenes were all amazing.

Also agreed. But hey, at least it wasn't just a super-fast like most of Man of Steel so we couldn't appreciate it.

5. The opening is insane, and feels like a scathing indictment of the fight at the end of Man of Steel. Seeing all that destruction from the viewpoint of the people in the middle of it feels like a gut punch, and helps you understand why someone might not be a huge fan of an all-powerful alien flying around.

When looked at establishing this perspective, it makes sense, but a certain reference mentioned by Affleck was confusing just like numerous other references made throughout the movie.

6. Gal Gadot was good as Wonder Woman, the only complaint I can find around the character isn't with the character. The music during one scene she's fighting in just goes completely different from the rest of the film and feels seriously out of place. But that's it. She might not have had as much screen time as Bats or Supes, but you could tell she was easily their equal in and out of costume.

Agreed. I do wish there was much more development with her, but that wasn't the focus of the movie.

It will be good to see her in her own movie. She shows a great of potential. Let's hope she can get the time and treatment she deserves (both actress and character). Wonder Woman is a potentially deep character, and there is a lot they can do with her.

7. Luthor (Alex, not Lex) did seem a bit over-the-top at times, but if you pay attention to him talking about his past and imagine where he came from, it makes a bit of sense.

It does, but in the end he just seems like he's a rich Joker clone in the end with certain issues that is reminiscent of a certain TV show. That's actually really sad. I really prefer the treatment Bruce Timm's crew gave Luthor in both the S:AS, JL, JLU, and Young Justice. He was crazy, but cold and calculating, not the nervous tic-ridden wretch we see in this film.

[CoffeeGrunt]

Just saw this yesterday. The main thing everyone in my group said after leaving the theater was, "why are critics sh*tting all over this?"

Don't get me wrong, it's not a masterpiece or the deep-thinking movie that Nolan Batman was constantly trying to be. However, Affleck's Batman may actually be my favourite one so far, a man who's been fighting for two decades, and is clearly getting tired of, "pulling up weeds." When you see him doing his thing from other characters' point-of-view, he is genuinely terrifying and actually uses fear as a weapon, something Bale Batman never really did. When it does come to the big throw-down, he does it in typical Batman style; prepare like it's the damn apocalypse then prepare some more. He fights and takes hits like a more human character, which is kinda amusing at points.

There's a few moments that get a chuckle, but I won't mention them here. Jeremy Irons and Affleck work well together, and Cavill is a good Superman who is presented more as an all-powerful being trying to do things right than an actual messiah. Gal Gadot plays a good role, though understated until the end of the movie. Then she kicks a**. I'm looking forward to WW in 2017. Eisenberg as Luthor is...divisive. He's alright, though he leans more towards the Joker than Luthor IMO, but that's a dialogue thing more than anything, and a different interpretation of the character.

I do think Affleck's Batman steals the show a bit, though. He's old, and this is clearly set after a couple of Robins have been lost, one way or another, and some big things are hinted at having taken place in the two decades he's been Batman. He kills now, and apparently has done for long enough that it no longer causes any hesitation. The people of Gotham, even the ones he saves and the police force itself, are terrified of him.

I'm interested to see where it goes. I think the problem is that it relies a lot on established comic storylines. There's nods to the Red Hood and Jason Todd's storyline, as well as hinting at possibly following the Injustice storyline in the future. If you're unfamiliar with those, then the setups for them simply won't make any sense and just seem bizarre.

The intro showing the big fight in Man of Steel from Wayne's point of view does establish why he would consider him a threat to be eliminated. Lex plays puppet-master a bit more than one would expect.

Overall, there aren't many surprises or Shyamalan twists in it. However, I'm actually looking forward to where they go from here. For one, I'm wondering if there's actually any credence to the 'Leto Joker = Tortured Jason Todd' theory.