Justice League Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor

[idiot09]

A more accurate way of putting it would be that Snyder and co possibly based lex on how they interpreted Birthright's lex to be, which was inaccurate according Mark Waid himself as he saw no similarity between his lex and the BvS lex, which he clearly hated.

Actually they confirmed in the blu ray features, that Birthright was indeed their inspiration. Waid(who btw goes into twitter arguments with anyone who praises MOS or BvS and goes to cons and and actively insults these movies and their creators) saying otherwise doesnt really prove anything.

What I'll say is I can see that its based on that, and so can a lot of people. The creators confirmed that they based it on that. Other comicbook writers who worked on the movie(Jiminez, Johns) also said so.

Thats all I'll say.

 

[Micromind]

Perhaps you wanted Lex Luthor to look like this ? Which is why those who wanted him Intimidating, mature, scary, imposing with a physical presence were disappointed.

Continuing from my previous post...

Kingpin-esque Lex Luthor who looks intimidating, imposing, scary and has a physical presence as a Billionaire is making him stereotypical Mob Boss, who has collected wealth by using strong arm tactics and worked his way up starting as a low-time mob boss in underworld.

He does not give me the impression that this is a genius who also has good business sense and can charm people into doing what he wants to, who makes others feel comfortable around him till he deceives them by treachery. (Look how Lex in BvS got ex-Wayne Enterprises employee Wallace Keefe, to do what he wanted without getting him suspicious, Keefy did everything willingly, not because Lex threatened him to do it, that's more dangerous.)

 

[wnjcwjkk]

I like the idea they had with Luthor, modeling him after the millennial generation and the new image of a tech millionaire, I think it fits with the modernization of the characters and the allegory of our modern society. And I like Eisenberg, I like a lot of the things he did with the character, I did truly feel like he was psychopathic, narcissistic, unpredictable, and just a little scary or intimidating while also being unassuming and kind of nerdy, quirky, somebody that probably got picked on and didn't fit in. I like all those things, and I think it's impressive to be able to pull that off. But even still, something about it didn't quite hit home for me, and I wonder if somebody else may have been a better choice for the role.


I feel similarly about Leto's portrayal of the Joker, I like what they were going for and I feel like it really could work, but to me they just got a bit too heavy handed with the mannerisms and little gestures, or blankly staring off into space as they're talking like they're not really paying attention to what they're saying, or changing up the cadence when they're speaking from really fast to slow. It felt like somebody trying a little too hard to play crazy. Like, Ledger managed to include all these little facial tics and mannerisms that felt natural, and it's a really hard thing to do, so that it doesn't feel hammy


Leto and Eisenberg felt a little hammy to me. But I think both have potential and can pull off a really good portrayal, I'm open to giving them both another chance, as opposed to just feeling like they screwed up with the character

 

[Uroboric Forms]

Look how Lex in BvS got ex-Wayne Enterprises employee Wallace Keefe, to do what he wanted without getting him suspicious, Keefy did everything willingly, not because Lex threatened him to do it, that's more dangerous.

In fairness, all he really did with Keefe was give him a wheelchair and arrange to get him to testify in the Senate. In the UC, it's clear that he didn't know what was going to happen.

 

[Micromind]

In fairness, all he really did with Keefe was give him a wheelchair and arrange to get him to testify in the Senate. In the UC, it's clear that he didn't know what was going to happen.

Yeah, Keefe didn't know everything about Lex's plan but this is how Lex operates.. he never reveals everything.

What I was saying is that he convinced Keefy to testify in the Senate hearing, which was important for Lex's plan to succeed, and Lex talked him into it, which shows how manipulative Lex can be, which is important to his character, having a 'Mob Boss" version of Lex would not be useful in such situations.

Lex is more interesting as manipulative billionaire genius than stereotypical thug Lex.

 

[idiot09]

Whats important to notice is how Lex gets into your head, and how manipulative he is.

When Lex goes to Keefe's house he spins around in that chair and introduces himself as "just a man". When Keefe goes to the senator, he does the same wheelchair thing and introduces himself as "half a man".

 

[Wolfgangamadeus]

Perhaps you wanted Lex Luthor to look like this ? Which is why those who wanted him Intimidating, mature, scary, imposing with a physical presence were disappointed.

Yeah something along those lines. Basically Kevin Spacey's Frank Underwood is the perfect Lex. He is so charming, and can easily manipulate people with charisma but also can strong arm and threaten them with pure intimidation. That's Lex Luthor. Like I said, I thought some of his lines would've resonated a lot better with another actor with gravitas.

 

[misslane38]

Yeah something along those lines. Basically Kevin Spacey's Frank Underwood is the perfect Lex. He is so charming, and can easily manipulate people with charisma but also can strong arm and threaten them with pure intimidation. That's Lex Luthor. Like I said, I thought some of his lines would've resonated a lot better with another actor with gravitas.

I would rephrase that to say that it's not your Lex Luthor or your preferred take, because it is a valid interpretation of the character that has its roots in other versions. Eisenberg's version has charm and intimidates, which I thought was on display during his meeting with Finch at his house, but it slips sometimes when his intellectual or emotional passions get the better of him. Even the Jolly Rancher scene is about strong arming and pure intimidation in that Lex is showing that with the Senator's decision to sell out, he has become his puppet or dog to do to what he will. In today's society, some CEOs go for a more relaxed professional look, and what charms people isn't their suave sophistication, but their nerdy joie de vivre.

 

[Wolfgangamadeus]

I would rephrase that to say that it's not your Lex Luthor or your preferred take, because it is a valid interpretation of the character that has its roots in other versions. Eisenberg's version has charm and intimidates, which I thought was on display during his meeting with Finch at his house, but it slips sometimes when his intellectual or emotional passions get the better of him. Even the Jolly Rancher scene is about strong arming and pure intimidation in that Lex is showing that with the Senator's decision to sell out, he has become his puppet or dog to do to what he will. In today's society, some CEOs go for a more relaxed professional look, and what charms people isn't their suave sophistication, but their nerdy joie de vivre.

Well no duh! Of course it's a valid interpretation.

Like I said, like a lot of people I didn't find him intriguing, charismatic or intimidating. Just an annoyance with an actor I respect giving a really over the top performance. Having grown up with the animated series, some Smallville and the main Superman comic books--I think an actor like Cranston, Spacey o Rosenbaum delivering those lines with their gravitas would've made the character a lot more appealing. Considering the fact that a lot of people were put off by the antics of Luthor and Eisenberg was even nominated for a Razzie. Not that it matters of course but it's definitely a take that didn't sit well with a lot of people and thus, even all the philosophical complexity they were trying to convey didn't hit because of the performance.

 

[Superchan]

Actually they confirmed in the blu ray features, that Birthright was indeed their inspiration. Waid(who btw goes into twitter arguments with anyone who praises MOS or BvS and goes to cons and and actively insults these movies and their creators) saying otherwise doesnt really prove anything.

What I'll say is I can see that its based on that, and so can a lot of people. The creators confirmed that they based it on that. Other comicbook writers who worked on the movie(Jiminez, Johns) also said so.

Thats all I'll say.

Not sure if you're serious; the guy who wrote the comic sees no similarity and yet that doesn't prove a thing?! LOL!!
Snyder and co might've taken inspiration from birthright but it's safe to say that they took inspiration from what they interpreted the character to be rather what was intended by the original creator.

 

[Mz. Hyde]

Not sure if you're serious; the guy who wrote the comic sees no similarity and yet that doesn't prove a thing?! LOL!!
Snyder and co might've taken inspiration from birthright but it's safe to say that they took inspiration from what they interpreted the character to be rather what was intended by the original creator.

Do you think the writer's intention defines the character?

Or, to put it another way, do you believe Snyder's interpretation is invalid because it doesn't align with the original writer's? If a writer believes they've written a complex and compelling female character, but what you see on the page is a sexist stereotype, did they write a complex and compelling female character?

There are many situations where the creator and the consumer have different interpretations of character, which is one of the reasons so many people prefer non-canon ships. These interpretations aren't wrong, although you may find them unconvincing. Even so, the reason you find the interpretation unconvincing should be, in my opinion, because you find the interpretation unconvincing, not because the writer says they got it wrong. At the same time, it's hollow for people to argue that this Lex is the one from Birthright just because the BvS creators said so, rather than because they see the similarities themselves.

 

[The Guard]

It's not the Luthor from Birthright, but there are clear influences of that approach in this film. This Lex was a combination of several of the classic and popular takes on the character, merging charismatic modern businessman and the unhinged mad scientist.

 

[GothamBat]

in those turkish airline commercials we get a very different demeanor from Eisenlex

 

[Wolfgangamadeus]

in those turkish airline commercials we get a very different demeanor from Eisenlex

I actually quite liked this one. I was excited. But in the film it was sadly nothing like this at all.

 

[odilonredon]

a self absorbed millennial tech start-up type is an interesting take on lex. but they really botched the execution of that idea

 

[misslane38]

a self absorbed millennial tech start-up type is an interesting take on lex. but they really botched the execution of that idea

How was it botched?

 

[odilonredon]

um because he didn't act at all like how one would expect someone like that to act. in fact he wasn't acting like anyone resembling a real human being

 

[odilonredon]

but like I believe I said before, I kind of enjoyed the hamminess of the character and performance as it was it just wasn't at all compatible with the rest of the movie

 

[GreenKToo]

He was my least favorite part. He came off as crazy but not someone I'd be afraid of. That said, I work in EMS, soooo.....

 

[The Guard]

in those turkish airline commercials we get a very different demeanor from Eisenlex

He's at a press conference.

And the "serious businessman" footage in that lasts all of 10 seconds.

Although hey, there's his little blue ball!

Are we now going to pretend that Luthor wasn't serious for 10 seconds at a time in BVS?

The scene in his office with Finch is an excellent example of the way Luthor is portrayed through most of the important parts of the film. He has some small jests, but for the most party is a fairly serious, if slightly operatic and pretentious character, with moments of mirth and "cleverness" in BVS until he absolutely doesn't have to pretend anymore, once he thinks he has the upper hand over Superman. It is really only the rooftop sequence with Superman where he truly "lets the crazy come out". Though even in that scene, there's some very serious stuff from Luthor. I thought there was a decent balance of it, actually. I think the problem is that a lot of people just seem to want NONE of that from Luthor. And I suspect that has to do with being mostly exposed to certain types of characterizations, largely the MAN OF STEEL-era businessman type, thanks to the various animated series and a particular era of comics. However, even the comics have been taking Luthor more and more back toward his "Zany mad scientist" roots.

 

[misslane38]

um because he didn't act at all like how one would expect someone like that to act. in fact he wasn't acting like anyone resembling a real human being

That's not the same as an idea poorly executed. And don't say "one," when you can only speak for yourself. Also, since what you would expect isn't the be all, end all of how "a self absorbed millennial tech start-up type" acts (check on the show Silicon Valley for reference), then that's still not a reasonable explanation for why it was poorly executed. Neither is saying that he doesn't act like a "real human being," when the range of "real" human behavior is vast. There is a difference between something that didn't work for you as a reflection of a character type, and something that was poorly constructed using objective criteria.

 

[odilonredon]

you cannot tell me that my opinion that a fictional character was poorly executed is wrong because I didn't use "objective criteria". what is the objective criteria for wether or not lex in bvs was acting like a real "self absorbed millennial tech start-up type"?

 

[misslane38]

you cannot tell me that my opinion that a fictional character was poorly executed is wrong because I didn't use "objective criteria". what is the objective criteria for wether or not lex in bvs was acting like a real "self absorbed millennial tech start-up type"?

Yes, I can because there is no right or wrong precisely because there is not objective criteria to judge him by. It's only subjective. So, it's better to say you did not like the execution of Lex than to say the execution was poor. The first is a subjective statement of personal preference and judgment while the second is an objective statement.

 

[odilonredon]

there is no right or wrong precisely because there is not objective criteria to judge him by. It's only subjective.

this is exactly my point. me prefacing every opinion I offer about the execution of a fictional character with "in my personal opinion" is redundant.

 

[GothamBat]

He's at a press conference.

And the "serious businessman" footage in that lasts all of 10 seconds.

Although hey, there's his little blue ball!

Are we now going to pretend that Luthor wasn't serious for 10 seconds at a time in BVS?

The scene in his office with Finch is an excellent example of the way Luthor is portrayed through most of the important parts of the film. He has some small jests, but for the most party is a fairly serious, if slightly operatic and pretentious character, with moments of mirth and "cleverness" in BVS until he absolutely doesn't have to pretend anymore, once he thinks he has the upper hand over Superman. It is really only the rooftop sequence with Superman where he truly "lets the crazy come out". Though even in that scene, there's some very serious stuff from Luthor. I thought there was a decent balance of it, actually. I think the problem is that a lot of people just seem to want NONE of that from Luthor. And I suspect that has to do with being mostly exposed to certain types of characterizations, largely the MAN OF STEEL-era businessman type, thanks to the various animated series and a particular era of comics. However, even the comics have been taking Luthor more and more back toward his "Zany mad scientist" roots.

that and even before BVS was released and his portrayal was heavily criticized, Johns and the producers clearly said this was just the early stages of the Lex character and his arc and that he'd evolve and change. Even if they hadn't unambiguously stated it, we can easily infer it even just based on how the character looks. the hair is a clear signifier that he's not meant to be the definite, final version of the character, just the genesis.