If “MOS” is the beginning of the DCEU, then the second set of “BVS” is “the beginning of the birth of the Justice League”, because this movie is actually the first time in the DC movie universe that Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are brought together, paving the way for the subsequent “Justice League”. In the title of the film “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”, the “v” in the title does not represent the full spelling of “versus” in English, but the abbreviation of the title of a legal lawsuit, which means “confrontation” or “litigant versus litigant”.
Director Zha also explained that the reason why “vs.” or “versus” is not used is to create a formal, serious, and even court confrontation feeling, rather than a pure action fight. In other words, the atmosphere of that “v” is more like the conflict of positions of “Batman vs. Superman” rather than just a fist fight. However, the general public interprets this film as a “Batman vs. Superman” mentality, and the plot of the film also disappointed their original expectations. This is also one of the fatal flaws of “BVS”.
Before “BVS” was released, superhero movies were already in the shape of “Marvel”. Bright colors and laughter every few minutes were already the formula for the audience to pay. And what’s even more fatal is that Nolan’s highly praised TDK trilogy is still talked about by the audience! Batman’s no-kill principle, no use of guns, modeling standards and actor appearance have been stereotyped by the audience. According to reports at the time, Ben Affleck turned on his computer to see how netizens would react to him taking on the role of Batman. The result was a chorus of curses, which scared him so much that he immediately shut down his computer and did not dare to read any more. It’s comparable to Michael Keaton’s adverse reaction back then!
Ben Affleck wanted to play Batman, but his other Batman predecessor, George Clooney, advised him not to take the role. Because Ben (Big Ben) failed to play Daredevil before, he was worried about failing again, so he found his partner Chris Terrio (the screenwriter of Yago Assignment, directed by Ben Affleck, the film was Terrio nominated for the 70th Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay, and won the 85th Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay). Plus David S. Goyer of TDK Trilogy and MOS, BVS has two screenwriters.
However, Warner Bros. released its trailer for this film, which exploded early. The trailer showed Doomsday, which let the audience know that the plot would involve the death of Superman. And Wonder Woman was directly exposed! People started chasing Gal Gadot because they thought her body was slender and her breasts were not big enough! Wonder Woman has never been made into a movie (only one JL was stillborn, and another TV series could not be made). Everyone’s memory of the real-life version is still in “Linda Carter” in 1975. Gal Gadot was criticized a lot by netizens and DC fans at that time.
After the movie was released, the reviews were polarized. Most viewers thought that the plot skipped to another plot without explaining much, which was very confusing! The biggest harm is the “Martha Territory”. It was originally a touching plot, but it was turned into a laughing stock by the audience.
The biggest fatal injury to the confusing plot is that Warner intervened and cut the film length to 151 minutes before it was released. Many important plots were cut to pieces. Although a “definitive version” of 183 minutes was later released on the DVD, which filled in many important plot points, the damage had already been done.
The movie was expected to be released early at the time, and even if TV stations rebroadcast it, it would be the theatrical version, and the version seen by many general audiences would be the castrated version. Only fans are aware of the existence of the Ultimate Edition. In fact, the length of BVS is not even 183 minutes. According to director Cha, there is a scene in the movie where LEX uses Martha to threaten Superman to kill Batman. There is a scene where Superman uses his super hearing to capture the location of his mother. However, he was upset and didn’t know what to do because he received too many signals from people in the world asking for help (remember, he only served as Superman for seven months in BVS), so he went to Batman for help, but Batman didn’t listen and only wanted to destroy the aliens who would threaten the earth in the future. Since he couldn’t communicate, Superman didn’t say much and started fighting. Because this scene was cut, Superman looked like a person who couldn’t communicate, and the audience couldn’t understand how anxious Superman was at that time. However, Warner Bros. even refused to release the final version of this film, so Director Cha also said earlier that there may be a third version in the future. (BVS has previously launched a new version of the disc that improves the picture quality and releases IMAX size pictures)
Extended and added clips from the Ultimate Edition
african clips: It was revealed that the photographer was actually a tribute to Jimmy Olsen. Ten years later, Gunn fans accused him of insulting the character, saying that Gunn’s version of Jimmy Olsen’s Playboy was a restoration of the caricature.
Investigate Batman: As a reporter, Clark investigates the image of Batman’s actions on citizens, which is a good way to restore Clark’s reporter identity. However, Gun fans think that being dull is the only way to restore Clark.
Bat-branded criminal clip: Caesar Santos, the criminal branded by Batman, was stabbed multiple times by a prisoner shortly after revealing his brand and entering prison; but in fact, the prisoner who stabbed him was bribed by Anatoly to assassinate him, and Caesar was actually framed by LEX as a pawn.
Clips of women testifying against Superman: The movie begins by accusing Superman of destroying the black women in her hometown, who were actually bribed by LEX to accuse Superman. But in the end, she felt that she was being followed, and because of her uneasy conscience, she went to Senator Finch again to confess the facts, which made Finch decide to hold a hearing to clarify the accusations against Superman. However, not long after, the woman was pushed off the track by Anatoly in the subway station and died, and Finch, who was about to tell the truth, also died in the Capitol bombing planned by LEX.
Congressional bombing clip: Shortly after the explosion, Superman helped the injured move out of the building. The theatrical version seemed to have gone away, but audiences still criticize Superman for his actions.
Jenna Kellyburn clip: In order to help Superman clear his name, Lois came to the Star Laboratory to meet with female scientist Jenna Kellyborn and asked her to analyze bullets obtained from Africa. Jenna told her that the bullets were made of lead, and explained that the wheelchair that Wallace Keefe sat in to attend Congress was made of the same element, so Superman could not see that there was a bomb inside. This scene gives full play to Lois’ reporter’s nature of pursuing the truth, and also tells the audience that because the wheelchair bomb uses lead, Superman cannot see through it with X-ray eyes. But the movie never explains how Lois learned that Superman couldn’t see through lead, and could only imagine that as a lover, she already knew his secret.
Wallace Keefe apartment clip: Shortly after Wallace’s death, Louise came to his apartment to investigate, but found his refrigerator full of fresh food, thus discovering that he had no intention of seeking death.
steppenwolf clip: After the death of Superman, when the police immediately rushed to the Kryptonian reconnaissance ship to search, they found that LEX was talking to a mysterious and strange alien projection that controlled three mother boxes. When the projection disappeared instantly, LEX was arrested by the police. The alien’s identity is Steppenwolf, and his appearance is the director’s version of JL, not the 2017 theatrical version.
LEX incarceration clip: When Batman came to visit Rex in prison, he warned him not to reveal his identity, and claimed that he would find a way to transfer him to Arkham Asylum in Gotham City, introducing that his “friends” there would “take good care” of him.
I personally feel that BVS made a lot of mistakes in this drama “seemingly”. I use “seemingly” because it is not wrong in itself, but there is a gap between it and the audience’s expectations! For example, the audience I mentioned above still have their impression based on TDK’s Batman. They can’t stand this Batman who degenerates into a murderous vigilante and knows how to use a gun! Although the movie explains that this version of Batman has experienced good guys turning bad over the past twenty years, Robin has died in battle, and criminals still exist, he is no longer the non-killer of the past. Fortunately, Ben Affleck’s version of Batman shines during the battle in the cabin! Everyone began to think that these swollen muscles and full of murderous aura were very cool! Batman is more threatening than any previous version of Batman versus gangsters.
Although some people criticized this Batman for being impulsive and not smart enough to be easily incited by LEX to hate Superman. My personal interpretation is that firstly, LEX is one of the smartest people in the world. Secondly, at the beginning, Batman had a bad impression of Superman after seeing the Black Spirit incident. He misinterpreted the warning given to him by the Flash when he returned to the past. In addition, the revelation of the future dream made him firmly believe that Superman is a future threat. Of course, the movie never explains what this Batman has experienced before and why he believes in such bizarre events. Because the movie looks like a dream. In addition, Batman was too confident in himself due to his age and made a mistake once in TDKR. Why didn’t everyone criticize him?
The above-mentioned future dream is the plot of “Injustice”. Audiences who are not familiar with video games and comics may find it confusing? Simply put, it describes the story of a future Superman who is brainwashed and controlled by Darkseid and becomes the most terrifying enemy of mankind and the Justice League. I personally think this arrangement is great. Superman has always been an almost invincible character. You can’t create enemies that are stronger than him every time to create a crisis. This is the same as Dragon Ball and Hong Kong comics. It’s never-ending. Turning him into an enemy will create a lot of plot tension! But Warner and the general audience don’t think so. What Warner and the general audience want is for heroes from all walks of life to assemble and then form an alliance to fight the BOSS, which is the formula of the Avengers! So when Warner Bros. and the general audience knew that the future route was the end of the world and there would be plots where heroes died, they thought it was too dark! That’s why Warner asked Whedon to revamp JL in 2017 without the plot sequel. General audiences also criticized director Cha’s dark plot arrangement online. Sunshine heroes are the way to go in movies! (Who would have expected that in the future chapters of the Avengers finale, the style would become darker, the colors would be dimmed, and the hero would die?)
Another audience gap is what the “V” above means. The audience who came to the venue only expected a popcorn movie about Batman vs. Superman, but it was a film that focused on storytelling and a dark atmosphere. (The third episode of Godzilla is more appealing to the public than the first two episodes, so you know the taste of ordinary people!) The layout of the plot for them is just boring.
As for the famous “Martha Terrier”, I think it is really an “unfortunate incident”. As my title said, most viewers have no “empathy”! Martha Terrier movies are staged, and are not what ordinary viewers think: “Haha, a funny plot that stops when the mother has the same name!” First of all, the movie opens with the famous murder of the Waynes. Accompanied by Hans Zimmer’s beautiful music and Director Cha’s beautiful slow motion, a poignant scene brings out Bruce’s childhood misfortune… Different from previous versions, Thomas had a sense of justice and to protect his wife and children, he resisted the gangsters but was shot. His mother was also shot and broke her pearl chain and died on the spot. And Thomas, whose last breath was like a gossamer, uttered the last sentence: “Martha”…
Such a touching scene, but the audience did not pay for it, because the scene of the Waynes and his wife being killed has been filmed too many times, once in 1989, once in Batman Forever, and even Batman and Robin also has scenes of the funeral of the Waynes and Bruce’s childhood. With the addition of Nolan’s version of BEGINS once, the audience felt that it was more times than Spider-Man’s Uncle Ben! They didn’t want to understand what this scene was trying to express. Everyone said, “It’s so boring! How many times will the Waynes die?” In another scene, Bruce went to visit the grave, and the camera stopped to carve Martha Wayne’s name in front of the scene. LEX took out a photo of the kidnapped Superman’s adoptive mother, and kept repeating “Martha Martha Martha Martha Martha” to hint! Until Batman was about to stab Superman with a Kryptonian spear, Superman shouted to save “Martha”, you will let them kill Martha! , at this time, the above two scenes are spinning in Batman’s mind again. The director is afraid that you will forget, so he will retell these key scenes to let you experience it again.
In fact, there are many well-known YouTubers or writers who have seriously said that “Martha memes” are actually very touching. If you haven’t moved anyone, I believe that if you know what “Martha memes” are before, you will develop a mentality to laugh! Because everyone on the Internet laughs? If you don’t laugh, don’t you understand humor? For example, if we had an unforgettable love with someone, and the other person unfortunately passed away, and you met a new partner, and the name was the same, would you hesitate or be distracted for a moment? Or maybe your dead pet, and you saw a pet that looked exactly like the one you had before, and the owner happened to have the same name, would you be distracted for a moment when you recalled it?
I believe that people with empathy will feel that emotion. If not, maybe you are happy and have not experienced the pain of death. It is equivalent to the aristocratic mentality of “eating cake when there is no bread to eat”.
Come and assemble without taking pictures of the character’s origins!
At that time, BVS also attracted criticism from a group of people who regarded Marvel movies as standard. They complained that BVS had too many characters! The traditional way of filming without first making a personal film is unacceptable. It has been ten years now, and Captain America 3 has many characters who have not yet had their own movies released. Even the now-touted Gunn Superman has too many characters. Do you criticize it?
Why couldn’t Superman save the Capitol when it exploded?
This topic is the same as the MOS tornado asking for dad, and it is still criticized by the general audience. I had the same feeling that day. In fact, after watching the director’s version of JL and The Flash movie, I knew that Director Cha’s DCEU world view had certain laws of physics. So in JL, Bruce will explain that the Flash’s suit is made of spaceship material and can resist friction and heat. When The Flash rescues Alice in the director’s version, he needs to move her gently and slowly, otherwise his speed will hurt the ordinary human body. In the Flash movie, Barry quickly moved Berry a short distance, causing the incapacitated Berry’s internal organs to tumble and vomit. Because Clark in the CW drama Smallville ignored the rules and used super-speed mobile people to help him escape danger, and the TV series The Flash also used the same method. Therefore, it is unacceptable for viewers who are accustomed to watching CW dramas to think that BVS’s Superman cannot save everyone in Congress!
We all know that Nolan’s version of Batman uses a realistic concept. Because MOS was produced by Nolan, the DCEU has a certain concept of realism. Just like I was not used to Nolan’s version of Batman back then. Later, after I learned about Nolan’s creative concept from the production special, I changed my mind to appreciate it. So fans who watch CW dramas, can you change your mentality?
From being unfavorable to becoming my goddess
Another highlight of BVS is Gadot’s performance as Wonder Woman. As mentioned above, both the cast and the cast received negative reviews from the beginning! But when the audience saw her performance, they all accepted this new generation of Amazon female warriors! Director Cha abandoned the old TV version of the beautiful warrior who turned in circles and the iconic running to chase the enemy. She was given a sword and shield, a counterattack with crossed fists, and a combative personality. When Gadot knew that Director Cha was going to create this new image of Wonder Woman, she also improvised on the spot. In one scene, she was knocked to the ground by Doomsday, but she smiled with satisfaction when she got up! This performance made Director Zha couldn’t help but say: This is amazing~! Why did you perform like this? Gadot said that she is an Amazon female warrior and has such a powerful opponent, so she is also very excited! This scene created a classic performance, and Junkie XL created thematic background music, giving the superhero another familiar song.
It’s a pity… In order to get rid of director Cha’s style, Warner changed the second episode of Wonder Woman back to the appearance of the TV series, abandoning the sword and shield, and constantly imitating Linda’s version of running… As a result, the box office and word-of-mouth were ruined! Gunn also took the opportunity to cancel the plan for the third episode. Goodbye…DCEU Wonder Woman created by Director Cha!
Let me talk about Batman again. At first, everyone thought of this middle-aged Batman with a bearded face and a bear-like body! Some people who are used to seeing a standard-sized Batman laugh at him as the Fat Batman! But this model is based on the classic comic book Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (The Dark Knight Returns), so it can only be said that they are ignorant… The design, gray and black that looked like civilian clothing, actually didn’t sit well with me at the time. Fortunately, I accepted it after the movie made it very dark.
However, Director Cha’s versions of Batman and Wonder Woman were also successfully created, but the audience could not accept the melancholy image of Superman alone! But Director Cha’s original intention was to mature Superman through three stages, and only after death and resurrection can he become the confident and calm Superman he will be in the future. You can see this in JL.
But unfortunately, the theatrical version of BVS was criticized for deleting the plot. The “Martha Meme” was considered a bad meme by a group of people and went viral, which seriously harmed the movie.
Even so, BVS also achieved a box office of US$873 million at a cost of US$250 million! God knows, if the above incident had not happened, the box office might have achieved the 1 billion that Warner wanted. However, Warner did not take the problem to itself, and they began to weaken director Cha’s power. Their scissors began to reach out to another DCEU extension work, which is “Suicide Squad”.
The trailer for “Suicide Squad” released at the beginning is a serious and dark movie. However, after the intervention of Warner’s editor, JOKER’s scenes were cut to almost no value, and he became a love saint. General viewers may think that the movie is colorful and Harley Quinn is cool! But there are obvious traces of editing throughout the movie, and the soundtrack is also weird! But because of the trendy packaging of the movie, the movie earned a box office of US$749 million! This made Warner feel that their intervention was effective, and further interfered with Wonder Woman and JL.
Wonder Woman was okay. The best-looking heroine debuted in the war. Warner wanted to cut it, but the team tried their best to stop it and fight to keep it. However, the final battle with Ares, the giant god of war, was changed from the giant god of war to a human-sized form. It didn’t feel like a big boss. However, because it made 823 million U.S. dollars at the box office, Warner felt that its interference was justified. Although Wonder Woman was hailed by the media as the best in the DCEU at the time, I actually thought it was just average! It all depends on Gadot’s beauty.
The next episode will be the most talked about Justice League, and it will also be the beginning of the official break between Warner Bros. and Director Cha…