BvS Batman v Superman - Reviews Thread [TAG SPOILERS] - Part 1

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This is a continuation thread, the old thread is [split]511129[/split]

 

[Angel0fDeath]

Yep, the time has come. After three long years, when Batman v Superman was announced at San Diego Comic-Con, the movie is finally here and we get to open our reviews thread. Plenty of hypsters will see the movie tomorrow. The rest of us will join them from Tuesday. That's also when the embargo ends so the critics reviews will start to flow. I personally don't think there is a need of a separate thread for a non-spoiler reviews. I think it would be easier for people to just write their reviews in one place and tag the spoilery bits. However, if you guys think there should be another one, let the mods know in your comments so the title can be changed.

Fight Night!
The greatest gladiator match in the history of the world.
Black and Blue. God vs Man. Day vs Night. Son of Krypton vs Bat of Gotham!
​

 

[KingKane88]

Shouldn't there be a poll only thread? the poll for this thread is not gonna work pretty soon.

Yea, not sure why it closes so quick, just hoping it stays open long enough to get everyone's weekend reviews in.

 

[jmc]

Can one of the mods create a poll thread with no discussion? At least then everyone can post their scores.

 

[kalhawj]

I just finish watching BvS. It was amazing. Probably the best CBM I've ever seen. That ending got me choked up. Ben nailed it as batman, Wonder Woman was awesome, and lex was amazing and crazy evil. The cameos were amazing and got me excited for JL. Need to see it a few more times. 9.5/10.

 

[technobot]

I just watched it. Perhaps I was skewed by the reviews but I went in looking for the horrendous editing, but it had the Man of Steel feel to me, where the movie just keeps chugging along. To me it felt like a comic book, i.e. there are many threads going on concurrently and we switch back and forth between them. I think there might also be some confusion because some of the threads are not quite concurrent or sequential, but more of the "while this character is doing this, let's check up on this other character, at some other point in time"

There wasn't much action until the BvS showdown, is this what people don't like? I'll put something in the reviews thread but I'd really discuss the movie itself which would require spoilers.

Two bits of anecdote. I asked the people to our left and right what they thought. The people to our left:

Spoiler

No offense but looked like "the type". They were heavy set and tapping away on their phones for most of the movie. No hatred to heavy people, but these guys looked and sounded like McWeeny. Starting from the beginning, when Superman flies the warlord through the wall, they audibly kept count of "that guy's dead". This continued through the movie and peaked during Batman's scenes. What do I mean by the type? I mean they've read every fan-based review which was negative, and are going with the flow. Negative momentum so to speak. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, why watch a movie if you already know you're going to hate it? They really struck me as the group that were against the movie to begin with, and watched it for confirmation. They obviously did not like the movie.

The fellow to our right:

Spoiler

didn't know what to think. He looked confused. When I gently prodded, his reply was "well... they killed Superman (shrug)"

I think this guy might be indicative of the non comic-book fan, who might have liked Superman (Reeve) or Batman (Keaton) as a kid. Believe it or not, there are a ton of people like this out there who

Spoiler

do not understand the significance of Doomsday in the comics

I heard a group of girls discussing it, and one girl was saying she thought the middle was a little choppy but it was easy to follow otherwise.

There was a group at the front that cheered when Wonder Woman showed up for the

Spoiler

Doomsday fight, in full WW regalia

I can certainly understand some hatred toward the movie. Things I disliked:

Spoiler

just like Man of Steel, they give Lois busy work and it's more than ridiculous. Just like she teleports (or has Flash carry her) to the exact location where Superman is about to kill Zod, she magically appears at the right places where the plot requires her to be. I understand the emotional tug of Clark saving her and delivering his "my world" speech before he sacrifices himself, but spear retrieval by Batman would have made more sense.

I don't like Batman killing only because as others have stated, if he kills a low level thug, why not kill the Joker? If anyone has it coming, it's the Joker. I don't understand how he can casually kill the thugs through his reckless driving and firing (chasing the kryptonite, saving Martha) but then forces himself to spare the Joker. And I agree with the thought that although most of the kills are not explicit, they are heavily inferred.

And I'm not even annoyed by all the kills. I've always thought it was unrealistic that Batman, no matter how smart he is, would never face a situation where he had to kill someone to save another life, or his own. He has no powers, and it seems the stories over the years have either intentionally steered him clear of such situations or resorted to unrealistic solutions, even by comic book standards. But i agree with the sentiment that once he has crossed the line, he wouldn't stop, especially with the gd Joker!!!

There were a ton of things I loved, which should be obvious. I felt acting across the board was great. This whole "Superman isn't smiling" nonsense is to me, nonsense. First, he does smile and secondly, he doesn't have much to smile about in the movie.

Spoiler

Luthor engineers everything perfectly. Clark has every right to be gloomy. The guy is just trying to help, but whenever he does it blows up in his face, sometimes literally. He really questions himself and his place, but by the end of the movie he is "fully formed". He finally accepts his place without hesitation and the world will revere him when he returns.

Cavill didn't have as much dialogue, but delivered what he had well, and conveyed much with just facial expressions (sadness, melancholy, some happiness, and *Superman* rage). He *is* Superman to me, it's set in stone.

Affleck was fantastic. And yes, he's (intentionally) portraying a villain for much of the movie, or at least the antagonist. I had no problem with this. The movie heavily borrows from The Dark Knight Returns for Batman's dialogue. TDKR also has influence on the type of Batman we see: borderline fascist, sadistic, and more than a little unhinged. Killing aside, this is truly the Batman I've been waiting for.

I really liked Eisenberg. The guys to the left of us were snickering, can you guess what they thought of his casting announcement? I wasn't on that bandwagon, because I wasn't beholden to a "certain interpretation of Luthor". I loved this interpretation. He was brilliant, and as the movie went on, certifiably crazy. I do feel his craziness isn't channeling the Joker but something to do with JL1.

This has been rambling, but I just got back from the theatre. Comic fan with knowledge of the source material (esp TDKR) will (probably) derive much more enjoyment out of this, since there really isn't that much action for the first half. However, comic fans who are beholden to specific archetypes for their characters will be (understandably) annoyed.

I can't wait for the ultimate edition!

 

[John Locke]

I loved it. I can see why people were disappointed and I was a little disappointed as well. However there were many moments I loved and I had a fun time. I'll be seeing it again.

 

[mclay18]

7/10

Snyder has gotten too ambitious for his own good, but there was plenty to enjoy in this movie. Even though it was very dark, there are a few moments of levity. I found myself enjoying the first half of the movie more than the last, which packs on the action a bit too much. Some of the JL world building felt shoehorned in IMO, and some of the dream sequences were too much.

Affleck was great, Cavill was reliably good, Gadot was good but Eisenberg was a mixed bag. His Lex is great but irritating at the same time, but hopefully his character will have evolved once we get to JL. And none of that cringeworthy dialogue like in MOS, the dialogue was snappy and flowed well.

 

[CELTICPRED]

Absolute schlock. Painfully paced, sloppily edited, complete lack of focus, just everything I expected it to be. And I still walked out disappointed because the Batman and Superman encounters absolutely did not deliver. I would say I was more devastated by Rises because it felt like an obligation to make, but this was almost a baffling disappointment seeing as I had even lower expectations going in.

Not even going to bother rating. This movie doesn't deserve it. And it sure as hell is no high cinema as all these people claiming that 'it's a movie you have to think about' are, it's just a noisy mess of a movie.

 

[MahvelBaby!]

Got out a while ago.....I'm torn I think I enjoyed it. ....but I'm not sure I did. ....I totally get the reviews, and I totally get those who love it. ...I'm .....undecided....I think they tried to do too much, way to early for what they dos at the end


I feel drained and depressed from it not sure I can sit through it again in a theater and man something about the way Snyder does action really gives me a headache.....



There's alot of really really terrible dumb ***** in this and alot of great stuff too.

Eisenberg was really really miscast

Affleck was incredible imo

Did not like Cavill at all in this I'm not sold on himm as an actor

Gadots was. ....ok


The dawn of justice part was forced but. ...interesting


Hated the prophetic dreams super power they gave bruce in this lol

 

[TripleJ]

My rating - 8.5-9 out of 10.

That was one of the best CBMs, I have watched (if not the best).

I honestly don't care what the critics say (seriously? Are we going to trust the critics who gave SR a 86% rating? We all know how that turned out).

The audience I saw it with enjoyed it (they were cheering at the end - Wouldn't make much sense if the movie was as bad as the critics describe it, right? Or maybe they were all fanboys and fangirls ).

It has issues for sure - but no movie is perfect.

As for fans - honestly, there were people who had issues with Snyder's take on Superman. I don't expect them to suddenly change their minds.

Pacing could have been a bit better (at least at first).

Anyways, this movie will give you the feels, for sure. I wound my crying by the end - an amazing Superman story.

There are a couple of weird things for sure.

Spoiler

Flash dream - He mentions Lois, nor Martha. I wonder why. Could it be a nod to future films?
Knightmare - Really would love to see more of this; I am guessing we will in Director's Cut.
Batman straight up killing people - While I am open to it, it was a bit jarring at first.
Lex's portrayal - It's weird and amazing. Lex is more of a psychopath than ever before. He is different, and you might end up loving him for that.
Interesting that Lex figured out Kal's identity. And Kal did the same for Bruce. But, Bruce never managed to do that for Clark.

I am sort of glad they did that - no matter how weary or jaded this Batman this, he won't used loved ones to beat someone else, especially someone like Superman.

Or maybe he was too angry to think of that

I remember people commenting on the cameos feeling forced - not at all. It's more organic than ever (heck, I don't feel it as forced as Thor's dream in AoU).

It's basically

Spoiler

WW opening an email from Bruce with the footage of other metas.

I will be watching it again, and again - multiple times for sure.

They shouldn't fire Snyder. Keep him for JL. Get a different editor, a more competent one. Because editing could have made this movie a lot more seamless.

 

[SpaceGhost]

Just saw it. All lot of criticisms are truly valid.

But MAN that was a fun movie. It made me forget and lose all care for critical opinion. I had so much fun. Ben Affleck IS Bruce Wayne. He IS Batman. Can't wait for a solo Batman movie.

 

[Samurai_Adam]

I absolutely loved this film!

I was nervous after reading all the criticism, but I was thoroughly entertained from beginning to end. Ben, Henry, Gal, and Jesse(surprisingly) put on excellent performances. This got me extremely hyped for the rest of the DCEU and I can't wait to watch the extended cut when it's released. I can't seem to vote on the poll, but I'd easily rate this a 9.5/10. This definitely surpasses Watchmen as my favorite comic book film and I'll definitely be going back to watch it again!

 

[kguillou]

All right, my friends. Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. I cannot describe the level of hype and anticipation built up inside me for this movie. As someone who loves 300, loves Watchmen and LOVED Man of Steel, I was 110% convinced that this movie was was going to be the end all be all, balls to the wall, epic Zack Snyder superhero film I had been waiting for. I was CONVINCED that this was going to be THE superhero epic film I have waited my entire life for. For so long I have wanted a Superhero movie that doesn't hold back, that just goes for it, goes ALL out, that goes for broke, that tells the audience "sit back, folks, your in for the thrill ride of your life."

This film had every possible ingredient I could ask for: Great actors, the best looking Batman we've ever seen, a new FIERCE Wonder Woman, a great story concept, a director who not only loves comic books but delivers visuals, action and set pieces like you've never seen in any other film, a bombastic, energetic score from two composers that I LOVE. I was already pre-programmed to fall head over heels for this movie. I was an easy lay.

And the truth is, I didn't. My thoughts and emotions are... complicated. I liked the movie, I liked its ambition, I liked what it was striving for. But, in my opinion, it ended up being kind of incoherent and prevented me from loving the movie. This was not the Batman/ Superman movie I was expecting or wanting but I had an open mind all the way through the film until the credits rolled.

I loved the first 30 minutes of the movie. The build up, getting to know our new Bruce Wayne, seeing where Clark was in his life with Lois, seeing Superman be SUPERMAN. I liked Lex's introduction. I liked seeing this world after the events of Man of Steel. I enjoyed the world building.

And...then somewhere around the 40 minute mark the movie loses itself and throws me for a loop. [BLACKOUT]The Knightmare sequence had no business being in this movie, [/BLACKOUT]I'm just going to go out there and say it. It completely took me out of the film and ended up being completely inconsequential.

The editing. Everyone is talking about the editing of the film being wonky and unfortunately I'm inclined to agree. Scenes jump back and forth and back forth and your wondering whats going on. I don't mind being disoriented as long as there is eventually a payoff but there definitely seems like there was more to this movie that just wasn't there and Snyder was not sure how to fit certain scenes together.

Batman. HOOOO Boy, Batman. Look, I am a VERY open minded guy. I encourage filmakers to take creative liberties with these characters so that they can be kept fresh and surprise you. Batman was badass in this movie but when he was [BLACKOUT]straight gunning people down left and right,[/BLACKOUT] I don't think I can stomach that. Coming from someone who [BLACKOUT]champions the Superman/ Zod neck snap,[/BLACKOUT] this was a bridge too far. This was a Frank Miller Batman through and through and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Superman. Why oh why oh why won't Snyder let Henry Cavill shine in this role?! Cavill is a SUCH a charming actor and he could be conveying so much more in this role. I don't mind a serious Superman, I WANT a serious Superman but I also think if your going to use Henry Cavill, bring some charm to the role. Every time we get glimpses of it, it ends up being wonderful. His moment with Lois in the bathtub--BEAUTIFUL. GIVE US MORE OF THAT. One of my complaints with Man of Steel was that we couldn't get inside Clark's head because he was so introverted and it is the same here.

Lex Luthor. I just did not like Jesse Eisenberg in this role. I see what they were going for and it wasn't for me, plain and simple.

Wonder Woman. Standout. FIERCE. BADASS. Gadot surprised the **** out of me with her performance and my audience seemed to agree. This is what I want out of modern Wonder Woman.

The main event. The big fight. Very beautifully filmed. Brutal. But one sided. This fight NEEDED to be epic. This needed to be two titans clashing. It didn't feel that way, [BLACKOUT]it felt like a beatdown.[/BLACKOUT] Again, well directed and realized but not the fight I had built up in my head for 3 years.

The finale. Wow. Stunning climax. I can see myself watching that climax over and over again on Blu Ray where it will probably look even more beautiful. Snyder needs to direct a live action Dragon Ball Z film.

I have so much more to say about this movie but I don't want to ramble. I need to see this movie again and then I need to see the Ultimate cut. I think and truly believe there is a GREAT film buried under all this footage, but it is not put together in the best way. This could have been THE superhero team up film to end all superhero team up films, but it feels like a bit of a mess. A beautiful looking mess. I am almost positive that upon further viewings my enjoyment will increase and my rating will increase. This was one HECK of an ambitious film, I see what Snyder was trying to do and perhaps this is ahead of its time, something that we just cannot comprehend due to our preconceived notions of what a Superhero film should be. Maybe I had this idea and vision of what I WANTED the film to be in my head for so long that when it ended up NOT being that, it felt jarring to me.

This film will go down as being one of the most fascinating pieces of comic book fiction of all time. I give this movie a 7/10 but hoping, PRAYING that letting the film marinate, watching it again, watching the ULTIMATE cut, I will go from liking it for guilty pleasure reasons to genuinely LOVING it and giving it a 9/10.

Phew.

 

[BatMatt]

I've been around a long time, don't post much anymore but wanted to express my thoughts as I care a great deal about Batman.

So I liked it, going with a solid B. I should say that Nolan's Batman is "my Batman" (sorry to borrow a phrase from Jett). I like realism, no side kicks, no partners, but I respect the desire for fans to have these type of stories told as well. As far as details, yes the films is "dark" and "mature" but I honestly feel Snyder handled the tone better than some critics gave him credit for. No, it wasn't as accessible as a Nolan Batman film, and it is a very heavy and dense two and a half hours. No there are no breaks of levity or real comic relief, but personally I can be entertained by that. I don't need lightheartedness for escapism. For those that want something brighter, something they can cheer for a little easier, that's okay too. Personally I prefer my Batman a little more dour. Honestly, I'll probably have some crazy dreams tonight as the movie weights on my conscience. I like that. When Ant-Man was over (which I thought was fine) I don't think I've given it any thought since. It was just a passing moment in time. This films will really sit with me, and I'm sure a subsequent viewing will be needed sooner than later.

Ben was one of the highlights for me, I prefer Bale, but he was imposing, angry, a real man on a mission.

I know some comic fans may want Superman to contrast with Batman more than he does for Snyder, but honestly while I have always liked Superman I always thought he was a bit boring and a bit of a boy scout (I know I'm not alone in this) so I like that he has a little edge here.

Jessie was good too, if you truly understand the context in which he was written, then you have to acknowledge it was a good performance. I love how awkward he was in social situations but put him in a position of evil and he was smooth and confident.

Wonder Woman was as many have mentioned, awesome in her limited time.

I can understand a Superman fan being upset that Doomsday was just used as a plot device, so I get that, but they had to get the trinity together some how and that wasn't going to work with just Lex.

I hope the film is successful so Justice League to move on as intended, Zach has room to grow for sure, but this is hardly the disaster RT would paint it to be and to me, a definite success.

FYI, crowd reaction seemed good, got a round of applause. Didn't hear any criticisms out loud afterwards.

 

[bholliday]

The film was poorly edited with no character development, no actual plot whatsoever and the most useless use of some important side characters.

Blown away at how poor this was. It discarded plenty of movie making 101. Bizzare cuts that randomly jump to non-connected scenes. Lex Luthor was bad just coz.

I need to process this, but I genuinely believe that the last 20 minutes add a little gloss to what is otherwise an empty carcass of a film. Thats the only way I can rationalise the fans thought process when giving it 8/10 and above.

Bleak, boring, intelligent for idiots, incoherent and shallow.

Didn't think I'd be saying that about this film.

4/10.

 

[BETArayBill]

I wanted to like it but certain things killed it for me

Spoiler

Batman killing 30 people was ridiculous it's a defining trait that he doesn't kill people and him actually saying he wants to kill Superman

Spoiler

Holly Hunter and Scoot Mcnairy were pointless and could have been cut out and no more origin please

Spoiler

Killing Superman why???? We're just forming the league and now we're going to waste time with that in jl

Spoiler

Batman and all the guns not a fan

I'd give it a 6 out of 10

 

[bholliday]

Absolute schlock. Painfully paced, sloppily edited, complete lack of focus, just everything I expected it to be. And I still walked out disappointed because the Batman and Superman encounters absolutely did not deliver. I would say I was more devastated by Rises because it felt like an obligation to make, but this was almost a baffling disappointment seeing as I had even lower expectations going in.

Not even going to bother rating. This movie doesn't deserve it. And it sure as hell is no high cinema as all these people claiming that 'it's a movie you have to think about' are, it's just a noisy mess of a movie.

Agreed 100000%.

If this is a well constructed, think piece of a film, I guess The Croods is Citizen Kane.

 

[Shadow Moses]

Just got back from midnight showing here. I loved it. Based on what I've read online I thought I was walking into a disaster. In fact it was far from it. Granted they could have toned down Lex a bit and some of the editing seemed a bit rushed but overall it was a good movie. Best Batman I've seen on screen.

Only CBM I'd rate above it in the last 10 years are CA:WS, Avengers, TDK & IM.

7.5/10

 

[Plaidchuck]

Snyder can take his ambitions and ruin.someone elses franchise as far as I'm concerned.

 

[JtheDreamer]

Agreed 100000%.

If this is a well constructed, think piece of a film, I guess The Croods is Citizen Kane.

A think piece? LOL

 

[RVIDES]

Just saw the movie, here's my mini review

There are so many great things about this movie, sadly its just put together very poorly, editing is terrible there were so many times were i was interested where the story was heading and then because of poor editing/decisions i was taken completely out of the story.

The movie is at least 20 minutes too long, it starts slow and finishes fast, the pace is uneven and the story/script is a mess, i wish the script would have been smarter, i found all the character motivations of why things happened really stupid and its a shame because there are lot of amazing things in this film.

First and Foremost, Ben Affleck’s portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman was awesome, seriously just amazing, Ben Affleck’s chemistry with Jeremy Irons was great, Jesse Eisenberg was ok, he will take some getting used to, but his performance was passable and wonder women was a badass in the Doomsday fight, but i felt her acting was a little weak in some of her scenes with ben, and that brings me to Cavill, i think he is better in this movie then he was in Man of Steel but i felt like his character took a backseat to Batman.

I have to say though everyone should experience this movie for the actions scenes alone, spectacular work by Snyder in that department especially the beginning of the Doomsday fight, i really want to love this movie but there are just some things that i can’t get past, having said that, i did like this movie and i want to see more of the DC universe, I’m just not sure if Snyder should be the one leading the charge. 3/5

 

[MahvelBaby!]

I really didn't feel like the film earned that ending

 

[kguillou]

Rvides, it sounds like you and I have the exact same complicated feeling about this,movie. I wanted so, so, so much to love this movie and there were PARTS and PIECES of the film I loved but it didnt come together to form a robust whole.

 

[TeeKay]

Umm watched it and yeah, **** this movie. Will write a proper review over the weekend. This is how I'd described it. It's AoU gone very very wrong without all the humour.