Batman v Superman (2016)

Last Friday I finally got to watch the much hyped Batman v Superman. As a long time follower of both Batman and Superman series of films, I was looking forward to a pulse pounding action adventure which would culminate with a once in a life time battle between two of the most (arguably) endearing protagonists of all time. Instead I was treated to an insipid tale reeking of melancholy which dragged on for the better part of 3 hours. Now this is not a typical movie review, I wanted to write this piece up from a fan's perspective to address some of the maladies which seem to plague not only this movie but also practically every superhero movie that's coming out these days. So watch out spoilers ahead.

Batman vs Superman: A battle without the fizz <Courtesy: Yulia Matvienko>

The first problem with this movie is its title. Yes you heard it right, the title which conjures up images of gigantic confrontations between its two lead players just doesn't live up to its hype. In fact the entire conflict between Batman and Superman is nothing but a giant sub-plot in the grand scheme of things and neither is the fight between the two anything great to write about. The focus on spinning a series out of this installment seemed to trump every other consideration including the titular rivalry which is sad considering how much fans waited to see this movie take shape.

Second is the feel good factor or the lack of it. We all want superhero characters whom we can relate to or derive inspiration from. While humanizing superhero characters is great what's not great is the excessive emotional drama that gets weaved around the characters and the soap opera feel (The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a good example of this) it generates. Superhero movies are all about action and fantasy, they are a source of upliftment. Put the hero through hell but let him/her rise above evil and shine like a star. Show the fans every bit of the hardship was worth it. This is exactly what is missing in this movie. Both the leads go through hell and beyond with very little to show for it. Since the payoff itself is non-existent the movie falls flat.

Third is the very concept of a reboot. A reboot in my opinion should only be employed when the series reaches an absolute dead end and there is no way to go for the lead character. Rebooting a character has to take into consideration the emotional bond that fans have built with the earlier series. There were a ton of directions that the Batman series could take after the excellent 'The Dark Knight Rises'. All of them were forsaken for this movie where the character is once again rebooted. Everything we knew about 'The Bat' is no longer relevant and considering the rate at which characters (Spider-Man is once again a shining example here) are being rebooted I don't want to invest myself with any series again. Now there might be an argument that the character direction at the end of 'The Dark Knight Rises' was not conducive enough to make this movie. The problem could have been easily dealt with by making a connecting movie between 'The Dark Knight Rises' and this one. That way without the reboot, the Batman series would have sustained on its own on the base built by the Christopher Nolan films.

Fourth is the scale of destruction. The sight of buildings being leveled, bridges being destroyed and cities being demolished has become so commonplace that I don't feel the rush anymore when I watch these large action set pieces. It also leaves me with a question as to what have these so called superheroes saved when everything around them has been razed to the ground.

When was the last time a Superhero saved a building?

There you go folks my take on the bizarre world of movie Superheroes. If you have a take of your own on Batman v Superman leave a comment. I would love to listen to what you have to say. Here's hoping for a better world, its high time we had one considering the rate at which Superheros are being launched and being rebooted.

Until Next Time,

Your Movie Buff,
J.J. Chaitanya

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