What Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Left Behind

A Superman movie is great. A Batman movie is great. But a movie that has them together is monumental. At least, that’s what many might think. After several decades of teaming up in comic books and animated stories, Superman and Batman were finally given the chance to put their team up on the big screen. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice gave what fans were anticipating for years. When the movie was announced, excitement was expressed in roars. Some of the biggest icons ever were finally primed to team up. But the film did not live up to the excitement. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was many things but in the eyes of many, a well-executed film it was not. Some things were nitpicked to salvage the good in it, but for the large part of the fanbase the film left a lot more to be desired. Despite all that, the film does have a complicated legacy. People still criticize it. People still applaud it. So why does Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has such a complicated history?

The main premise of the movie, the main selling point, was having Batman and Superman in the same movie. When it was announced at San Diego Comic Con in 2013, Batman’s monologue from The Dark Knight Returns to Superman – the ‘remember the man who beat you’ excerpt – introduced the announcement. Given that, it was clear Batman and Superman were going to fight. And it was also obvious, at the end of the film, both will unite against a common foe. All that is perfect on paper. Makes perfect sense. And quite frankly, felt overdue. So of course, this movie was going to receive an unbelievable amount of hype because two of the most iconic characters for DC, two of the most iconic characters in all of comic books, two of the most iconic characters in all of literature, two of the most iconic characters in all of fiction, two of the most iconic characters were finally going to have shared scenes. And the film was going to be released at arguably the best period of time for all of the superhero genre. It was fated to be the prefect moment in the perfect era. Despite the MCU’s mega success with the Avengers and a small but solid roster of characters, just by having Batman and Superman together was going to be more than enough to keep up. Why? Because it’s freaking Batman and Superman teaming up for the first time ever on the big screen. What could possibly go wrong?

Then casting announcements came with Ben Affleck being the first and the most anticipated. When the movie was announced, the biggest question was; who is going to be Batman? A few months went by until that question was answered; Ben Affleck. Many were resistant toward the decision. They thought Affleck lacked some flare to play the Dark Knight. But given some time people were coming around to it. Then the first image was released which doused some heat. Gal Gadot was another big announcement given that it came from thin air. Wonder Woman wasn’t on a lot of people’s radar to be in the film. Possibly because Batman and Superman were large enough on their own and to put them both in a film would not leave much room for anyone else, much less Wonder Woman. But she was casted and at the moment of her casting, people where just resistant toward Gadot. The reason? Gadot lacked some…qualities…that did not match Wonder Woman’s physique. Nonetheless, she was casted and was viewed as one of the highlights of the film. But according to many, the good in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice came few and far between.

Anticipation was still high even though a trailer kind of dampened it. Doomsday was revealed in one of them and fans were not happy when such a big character was officially revealed in a promotion, not the film. Rumors did circulate about Doomsday but nothing official. What really started the implosion though, was the first round of reviews. The reviews came out days before the film’s release and they were not kind. Even though the reviews gave a harsh truth about the film, fans still gave themselves the chance to get of feeling of the film themselves. That accelerated the complication for Dawn of Justice.

One of the biggest complaints was how stuffed it was. It was trying to do many things with as many characters as it can. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was trying to be a Man of Steel sequel, a Batman solo film, a Wonder Woman prologue and a Justice League prequel. It had Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, Doomsday and The Flash in a movie that, in the beginning, was only going to have Batman and Superman. With all of that going on, not a single plot device was given enough room to breathe. The story felt rushed and stuffed. Things happened to happened just to get the next scene going or bigger yet, to get future movies going. Dawn of Justice struggled to fine its own identity.

Other complaint was the portrayal of Superman. Superman has a long history of being hopeful and optimistic no matter the situation. In this film, he was depressed and guilty most of the film. Shades of his classic persona was slightly there. Despite the world hating and fearing him, Superman still saved lives and tried to be that beacon of hope. But his personality just didn’t quite match. Again, he was sulking and brooding. Practicing self-pity. Constantly trying to fight off guilt. Moping and always seemed to be defeated in some shape or form. Much different from the Superman a lot of people are accustomed to.

Then his villains were also departures from how they are usually portrayed. Lex Luthor and Doomsday weren’t exactly to everyone’s liking. Lex Luthor and Doomsday were just Lex Luthor and Doomsday by name. Luthor was still that mega egotistical intellect who wanted to see Superman dead. But the twitches, noises, and quips made him too similar to The Riddler or even The Joker. Far from the cold, calculating, mild to explosive angry, demeanor Luthor usually is. Doomsday was still large, strong and highly, almost mindlessly , destructive but his background is much different from source materials. Although still an alien that orientates from Krypton, he is the mutated, reanimated corpse of General Zod from Man of Steel. And instead of having the grotesque, barbaric spike protruding from his body, his signature appearance, he was smooth. Jokes came about comparing him to a cave troll from The Lord of the Rings. He did eventually grow them but they never got to the level they are in every other appearance he is in. These are two of the most crucial villains in the Superman mythos and they did not live up to expectations.

Doomsday did have a moment that is faithful to the source material when he killed Superman but many if not all thought it happened way too early in the universe. Superman essentially died in his second appearance. Although it is somewhat rewarding as fans to see vital moments in the comic books be brought to film, that moment in particularly was unearned given how early in the universe it did happen. The mishandling of it was only magnified when Superman was brought back two movies after. Audiences and the in-universe world did not have enough time to process it.

So that was one half of the legacy Dawn of Justice left behind. And unfortunately, that side of its legacy is the one that gets heard the most. But that’s not to say there are no redeeming qualities.

Ben Affleck as Batman was one of the biggest highlights of the film. To date, this is perhaps the most comic book accurate Batman that has been brought to film. This Batman had the intensity, the size, the physicality, the agility, tenacity, the toys, flashes of detective work, and the versatility in fighting street criminals all the way up to Doomsday. The only real complaint he has was he was willing to kill. But aside from that, many believed Affleck brought everything that goes into an accurate Batman.

Speaking of which, one the best Batman scenes was in this film. When he fought a warehouse filled with mercenaries, fans were witnessing a Batman that they only seen in comic books, animation, and games.  No other Batman in film moved the way this Batman did. He used brute strength, speed, agility, brutality, stuff on him and stuff around him. To this day, that scene is still talked about in how it was able to portray how well Batman should move in a fight.

Another character that is known for fighting was also in big plus. At the time of the movie’s release, Wonder Woman played by Gal Gadot was one of the film’s bright spots. Gadot brought some charm and mysteriousness to Diana Prince. Then she brought Wonder Woman’s intensity and craving for fighting to the big screen. Wonder Woman is known as one of the best fighters in the DC universe and it was shown in her limited screen time in Dawn of Justice. But what was praised, was Wonder Woman’s long overdue appearance on the big screen. Batman, Superman, and even Spider-Man had several movies by this time and even lesser-known character got that treatment. Wonder Woman, despite her status, never got a big screen appearance. This was her first time up there and it delivered.

The film’s score is also a highlight. Hanz Zimmer was able to bring another level of epicenes to Superman, Batman, their relationship and gave an energized theme for Wonder Woman. Zack Snyder’s eye for cinematography gave heavy scenes a comic book panel style. And of course, this is the first live action movie that had the guts to finally put Batman and Superman together. That alone should not go unnoticed.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice had an uphill battle when announced due to the magnitude of what it wanted to do; bring Batman and Superman together. When it was finally released, it fell much flatter than what fans wanted. A handful of choices put a bad light on the film. And its that light that shines brighter. When the movie comes up with discussions, its those choices that are thought of. At the same time though, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice did do some good. More than anything it gave a live action moment where Batman and Superman could finally interact on the big screen and bring Wonder Woman to the same spot which were both long overdue. Both sides are part of the film’s legacy. And because of that, it has left behind a complicated one.