The Four Color Media Monitor

Now, since I'd already mentioned the new movie emphasizing a clash between two heroes more than it actually does the villains, let's add a post about this too. It's already gotten a pretty low critical reception, and while I'm sure it'll gross over $100 million during its first week, that doesn't mean it'll fare so well in the weeks that follow.

What gives me a dismayed feeling about this film is what Crave Online says in their review:

Here’s that plot, in a nutshell: nearly two years have passed since the events of Man of Steel, which left Metropolis in ruins after an attack by Kryptonian invaders. Superman (Henry Cavill) is now perceived as a hero or a monster, depending on who you talk to. The billionaires are particularly worried. Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) thinks Superman is too dangerous to live, and Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) seems to agree. They both spend half the movie concocting ways to rid the world of this infernal Superman once and for all, before finally getting around to it in the second half.

Forget Lex, it's already obvious why he wouldn't want Superman around. If the movie's using the personality premise that may have originated with the Dark Knight Returns - that Batman is obessive, selfish and controlling - and this has what to do with his judgement against Superman, I don't find that appealing at all; it's just too easy and cheap. So in this story, he sees no difference between Supes and Zod, nor does he understand that the villain was responsible for all the chaos in MoS? Hardly a good way to characterize Batman. The idea of superheroes fighting against each other may have been fun back in the day, but ever since the mid 2000s and insults like Marvel's Civil War, it's lost its appeal. I certainly don't see how it makes the best premise to market for movie audiences who'd like more to see hero-vs-villain adventures. I'll be dumbfounded if the reception for Marvel's new Captain America: Civil War movie, by contrast, is positive, because it uses a similar premise.

Labels: Batman, dc comics, Superman, violence