Batman Vs Superman: What Went Wrong?

Batman vs Superman

The return of both Superman and Batman in the same film this month should have caused shockwaves of excitement throughout the communities of comic nerds and superhero fans around the world. But since it was announced three years ago that the two would fight head-to-head in the sequel to ‘Man of Steel’ (2013), frenzied speculation has divided the hardcore fans. Despite a resounding opening weekend, box office receipts dropped off significantly in the weeks that followed, and it has received harsh criticism from critics and fans alike. For the purposes of this article I will refer to the movie as ‘BVS’ throughout.

Bad press

In a lacklustre review for the British newspaper The Guardian, Mark Kermode called ‘BVS’ a ‘Stygian quagmire of quasi-religious imagery’. In the same paper Lindy West called it ‘153 minutes of a grown man whacking two dolls together’. Decent reviews have been conspicuous by their absence, and there seems to be a remarkable proliferation of ‘Reasons why BVS sucks’ videos on youtube.

But why all the hostility? ‘BVS’ offers two of our favourite superheroes in the same movie, so what went wrong? In order to understand why this movie has received such bad press, we need to compare it with previous incarnations of both characters, and look at the source material for Zack Snyder’s bloated epic. Maybe this film isn’t quite so bad as everyone makes out. Perhaps it suffers not just because it plays fast and loose with Batman and Superman’s respective stories, but also because there have been better versions of both their character arcs in recent years.

Cultural legacy

Batman and Superman have diverse interpretations throughout the last century and beyond, in both cinema and comic book forms. Their wide appeal is usually reflected by the American cinema going public, who have favoured one superhero over the other according to the cultural ‘mood’. Back in simpler times fans would have identified with either Batman or Superman as their favourite superhero (or Spiderman if you were one of the cool kids). Now both of their stories have been merged into one narrative which complicates their respective character traits.

Just when a newly refurbished version of the Superman myth brought him into the 21st century in ‘Man of Steel’, it now seems as if Batman has petulantly invaded the sequel in order to steal back the gloom. In ‘BVS’ both superheroes seem at odds with the humans they seek to protect, and there is a notable absence of convincing human relationships.

In previous Batman and Superman film franchises, both heroes were integral to their own universe. ‘Superman’ (1978) inhabited a Metropolis which was undeniably New York in the 1970s, and this made his particular brand of old-fashioned crime fighting all the more relevant.

Michael Keaton as Batman in Tim Burton's Batman
Michael Keaton as Batman in Tim Burton’s Batman

Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’ (1989) which followed soon afterwards, was a different kind of ‘grown up’ superhero. Bruce Wayne lurked in dark caves, existed above the law, and stalked his victims by night. His troubled childhood spawned a pathological desire to fight crime which was matched only by the unhinged insanity of his criminal counterparts. Burton’s kooky reimagining of Gotham City within a dark fairytale setting was the perfect environment for Batman’s vigilante justice.

Comic book origins

A popular tome amongst comic nerds in the 1980s, Frank Miller’s graphic novel ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ (1986) has now surely become the bible for any modern filmmaker attempting to rework the narrative of Gotham’s great saviour. For his ‘Dark Knight trilogy’ (2005-2012) Christopher Nolan borrowed the idea of placing Bruce Wayne at the centre of an ultra-violent near future (complete with copycat vigilantes). He also reshaped the villains as modern day terrorists, thus giving the film a contemporary relevance.

Although ‘BVS’ should be considered a sequel to Zack Snyder’s finely tuned Superman reboot, the narrative also incorporates the visual look of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy (2005-2012). By referring back to what was a hugely successful version, Snyder hopes to rekindle our interest in the character, unfortunately it only serves to remind us how intelligent Nolan’s movies were, and how silly ‘BVS’ is.

Snyder forged his reputation with stylish interpretations of graphic novels that have thrilled (300) (2006) and disappointed (Watchmen) (2009) in equal measure. He certainly seems to be a big comic book fan, and has used them as source material for most of his movies so far.

Batman Dark Knight Horse

Snyder has now plundered Frank Miller’s text in order to create the story for ‘BVS’, and questions the legitimacy of Superman’s actions in the process. A straightforward sequel to ‘Man of Steel’ may have explored this intriguing theme further, but it doesn’t quite gel with Batman’s story. Painting the literary conceits of a graphic novel within the broad brushstrokes of big screen entertainment is not an easy task, and Snyder struggles with a multiplicity of cultural references.

Snyder also takes the idea of a standoff between old buddies Clark and Bruce which appeared in ‘The Dark Knight Returns’, and uses it to create the main action set piece of his film, but it lacks the satirical edge of the source material. in Miller’s version the standoff is a distraction from the main narrative, a wry observation on Superman’s unquestioning innocence as he becomes a puppet of the US government. In Snyder’s version Batman and Superman are pitted against one another in a building smashing climax, with no cultural resonance.

A new franchise

‘BVS’ bears a heavy burden. It seeks to combine the legacy of two massive franchises, and launch the new ‘Justice League’ universe. Combine with director Zack Snyder’s desire to impose his own commentary on the Batman/Superman myths, and you have a big, heaving mess of a movie which isn’t sure if it is a reboot, sequel, prequel or a revisionist take on the whole genre.

Unfortunately Snyder’s movie stands somewhere in the centre of his own ambitions as a filmmaker, and the pressure to create a new franchise with endless iterations. By far the strongest element in the story is the interpretation of the media who can’t help but dissect and disinherit their saviour, Superman. But then Batman muscles in and proceeds to rain on the parade. This movie feels like being at the centre of a collision between two juggernauts of cinema, who have now become just another pair of superheroes in an increasingly overcrowded market.

Justice-League

The promise of yet more superheroes and supervillains in this franchise makes one wonder how much there will be left of the earth to protect in the future. Maybe these heroes have lost their power to impress, or maybe they should just hang up their tights for a while.

What do you think? Leave a comment.

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64 Comments

  1. Great write-up. People should actually care about these characters, and a film having a plot that makes sense, not just the fact they look cool on film and there is so much riding on it that they must defend it.

  2. Iluminad
    0

    It was a bit silly in places, and if I was Iron Maiden illustrator Derek Riggs I’d sue for the fact Doomsday is a rip off of Eddie. Biggest irritant was the frequent, blatant product placement (Bentley, Dropbox) and the final scene seemed more of an excuse to launch Avengers Assemble type films than the basis to end the film.

    But it wasn’t terrible.

  3. I think you hit on a lot of good points, but a passing reference to the film’s unnecessary dourness and Batman suddenly being okay with wanton slaughter would have helped it a lot.

  4. Munjeera

    Agree with your analysis 100%.

  5. Good write-up. I agree, especially with the last paragraph; the market is too oversaturated with big-budget hero movies for any truly great ones to come out. Civil War defies all expectations, but I assume it will be the exception not the rule, and that’s considering that many of it’s characters aren’t blockbuster names but deeper cuts from the Comics that will satiate the appetites of hardcore fans as well as wet the palette of those needing a human-plus fix.

  6. The movie attempted to tell three different stories at the same time: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, The Death of Superman, and the origin of the the Justice League… and it did all of them poorly. If you are going to do THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, then do it! Don’t use little pieces of it in several live-action movies and produce a direct-to-DVD animated version which was drained of all context & death. If you are going to do The Death of Superman, then spend a good deal of the story after that death to show the reactions of the other heroes and the whole world. If you are going to do the origin of the Justice League, then show us a lot more than brief appearences by Aquaman, Cyborg, and The Flash (Civil War did a much-better job of introducing the MCU Spider-Man).

  7. Rina Arsen

    I think another aspect that is worth noting is that while the content and execution of the movie itself left quite a lot to be desired, on a marketing and competitive basis the movie also had to rival with the recent and upcoming Marvel releases. For instance, Civil War also depicts the crashing of two mythic heroes, but it involves the cameo of many more renown heroes, which tones down the excitement fans might have felt at seeing the single Wonder Woman. Moreover, the human bonds you mention in your article are much more obvious in the Marvel movie, and the plot was better executed as well. With both movies being released so close together, fans and critics alike could directly compare both movies together, on top of comparing BVS with the previous famous cinematic takes on the heroes, which probably made this DC movie look even worse than it was

  8. The story was a bit muddled but I did find the visuals stunning. It seems like Snyder’s sensibilities are more suited to Batman’s story as opposed to Superman…I think the Batman scenes were terrific whereas Superman seemed a bit gloomy for a character who is meant to epitomize hope. Captain America in the Marvel films has shown that you can present a “do gooder” type in an intriguing way…i’d like to see a more aspirational superman.

  9. BVS sucked because . . . YOU DON’T KILL SUPERMAN!!!
    That in itself was enough. It’s not believable under an circumstance that Batman (a mortal in rubber suit w/ props from Inspector Gadget) will be able to overpower and kill Superman . . . a humanoid from another planet with super-human strength. It just doesn’t work. George Clooney may have killed the Batman franchise. THIS killed Superman.

  10. If ever there was a time for Bananaman, it is now.

  11. Portillo
    0

    This was the least surprising fiasco in the movie history. The moment it was announced that Ben Affleck was casted to play Batman, the toddlers all over the world thought This movie will suck more than anything that ever sucked before.

  12. Soledad Place
    0

    The thing most wrong with it: it exists.

  13. Hands down the worst film I’ve ever watched at the Cinema. They managed to stretch out 30 minutes of actual content into 2 and a half hours of pointless scenes, contrived dialogue and boring predictable action scenes.

    • I can’t believe this movie was so long, since there were so many pointless parts of it. Decent editing might have made this fantastic, if dark. Seriously, stuffing in the Batman origin AGAIN and Darkseid foreshadowing was just getting silly. And Snyder made a directors cut “that will add in more footage” to explain all the things he already cluttered up!

    • No. It’s a great movie.

  14. Also the problem I see with BvS is that it didn’t do a good job with the Batman and Superman rivalry since Bruce was simply too begrudging, Superman didn’t even really want to fight him, and their reconciliation wasn’t too satisfying. I liked seeing them team up at the end, of course, but such ending felt too certain which is why I couldn’t buy the entire Batman vs Superman plot. Surprisingly I found the film bearable to watch, I guess mostly because of Wonder Woman stealing the spotlight.

  15. I haven’t even watched it yet.

  16. I agree that Snyder’s iteration of the Batman universe only made me nostalgic for Nolan’s. BVS barely has a toe in reality, whilst I’d argue that ‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy’s appropriation of our erratic world was one of its strongest qualities.

    Furthermore, Affleck’s Batman suit was all but laughable. How’s a superhero expected to function when he can barely rotate his head?! Not to mention his oversized, bloated physique…

  17. Nice Article. I really like how you emphasize the importance (historically speaking) of each hero. I saw the movie just after it was released. Though I wouldn’t agree with the average critic (I thought the film was better than the general consensus was saying) there was something about the story and the pace that seemed so undeserving of the characters. Superman is one of my favorite heroes. I was really excited after Man of Steel, hoping that there was finally a blockbuster iteration that could bring the character justice. Instead, I got the feeling that BvS was a missed opportunity to do Superman right. He’s seems very broody – but I personally see the character as a messiah figure, a personality of hope and goodness.

  18. I thought Lex was good – very dark.

  19. I don’t understand the point of this movie? Aren’t Batman and Superman supposed to be good guys? Are Hollywood and the comicbook men just running out of story lines?

    • The comic have always been about power and how it corrupts, and the consequences of doing what you think is good. This film marries the Batman as vigilante idea with Superman as America taking sometimes ill advised action. The film – as with most superhero stories – is about America trying to come to terms with itself.

      As well as being about flying men and women beating each other up.

    • It doesn’t matter. It’s a great movie.

  20. Just another cheap Hollywood movie to cash in on brand name, but no story.

  21. Emily Deibler

    Great work here! Snyder has a mixed record with me. To his credit, he is excellent with visuals, and in cinematic media, I definitely appreciate that sort of form. Here’s hoping future installments of the DC expanded universe improve upon the characters and take advantage of the rich and diverse source material.

  22. It definitely felt like there was a good movie somewhere in the mess that was BvS, and there were good aspects to it. Even though I am a fan of Batman and such, I really don’t think movies should be beholden to the source material, as long as they honour their source material in the end (so you don’t end up with something like Catwoman).
    I think the biggest problem with the movie is the editing and pacing of the film. Batflek and Wonder Woman were really good in the film but the odd pacing of it was off putting. Adding to that, it definitely felt like a movie that was afraid to embrace optimism, at least until the end.

  23. I found BVS to be absurd because of the lack of storyline. I felt there was not enough back story for Batman and Superman to be fighting. Clearly Batman and Superman know of each other’s exploits in this film, but the premise as to why Batman and Superman are fighting is non-existent. I cannot think of a time when the movie established any back story as to why this fight was happening.

  24. It was better than Man of Steel and on a level with the 2nd Avengers film. Best thing I can say. Although, no where near as bad as people are making it out to be. Just fashionable to trash DC and Marvel films recently.

    • Del Crittenden
      0

      They’re getting trashed because they’re all the goddamn same and there are way too many of them.

      Protagonists are cool but don’t get on. An intelligent sidekick of a woman is thrown in for good measure. Bad guy shows up and for a while looks unbeatable. Heroes have to struggle with internal conflict. Once that’s resolved they’re suddenly a match for the bad guy, who has all the best lines. CGI good guys and bad guys then smack each other for 20 minutes. Five minutes at the end to wrap it up, it’s sunny, good guys are suddenly great mates and high-five each other. They then go their separate ways. Credits roll with about three teaser scenes in that mean Jack shit to anything we’ve just seen.

      The first Avengers was enjoyable. First Iron Man / Thor films were okay. Guardians of the Galaxy was funny and generally didn’t give a shit. All the others are the same film with different characters. That’s why they’re getting trashed – because there are about 47 such films a year, the market is saturated and they’re all the fucking same.

  25. A well thought-out review of BvS. I would be interested in the author’s take on comparing how Marvel’s movies have differed in positive or negative ways from what DC is currently doing.

  26. While many movies based on comics or books are inspired by comics or books they aren’t ever going to be the same as the original. BVS for me was a great movie as a fan for Superman and the Justice League. You have to go into the movie as if it’s a new different movie. However, how can any of us critique because of what we didn’t expect the movie to be, or expect the characters to be like? I find it very sentimental when Batman realized his mother’s name was the same as Superman’s earth mother, there’s almost a polyseme to how these characters are similar and yet very different. While it was compiling three different major back stories into one movie I think the fact that they actually did and found a way to do it is incredible on there part.

  27. Nayr1230

    Great work on this article, though I think you could also analyze Snyder’s characters of Batman and Superman breaking their established moral code in the comics–Superman and Batman never kill if they can help it, but in both Man of Steel and BvS, Batman tortures and maims criminals, and Superman ends a life in Man of Steel. I think that is also worth mentioning here.

  28. I figured if Superman really wanted Batman dead, he would just fling him into space. Batman could never survive that! All this tossing him into buildings nonsense, they must be flirting. Totally unbelievable premise this movie.

  29. I totally agree with everything you are saying. The movie itself was very long, and some scenes were completely unnecessary. Am I the obly one who absolutely cringed at the fact that Batman stopped fighting Superman cause he said the name “Martha”. It wasn’t properly executed, and I’m sure other people thought that Clark calling his mother Martha was weird and not in tune with his character. It was such a stretch that I was embarrassed for Zack Synder. I had such high expectations for the movie and my hopes were dashed. Back to writing fanfiction I guess…

  30. A Zach Snyder movie. A pointless waste of everyone’s time and effort. See Sucker Punch for details.

  31. I’ve not been able to see the film yet, but this seems to have confirmed some of my suspicions about how well the film was made. Nice concise article btw.

  32. My expectations were lowered to an all time low and I still consider this movie to be one of the worst comic book movies’ out there. I would definitely put it in a top 10 list for the worst.

  33. A huge reason why this movie didn’t meet our understandably high expectations is the same reason why Captain America: Civil War is experiencing glowing reviews: there was no clear ‘side’ to take when watching the movie. This worked marvels (pun very much intended) for Civil War since the reason why it became so difficult to choose a side was because neither side was inherently wrong, but neither side was completely right either. While Captain America was clearly doing his best to protect the innocent (Bucky) throughout the film, Iron Man had valid points for registration, which Cap adamantly fought against. By the climax of the film, the viewer is emotionally torn apart on the inside, begging for these characters to stop fighting and restore their relationship.
    In contrast, the reason why it became so difficult to choose between Batman and Superman was because both sides were wrong and neither side was right. Both characters were cold and cruel versions of their comic book counterparts that were increasingly difficult to sympathize with. Batman brands and kills, while Superman refuses to smile. By the climax of this film, the viewer is rolling his eyes and hoping these characters stop fighting soon, since it’s clear that both parties are just wasting time that could be better spent stopping Lex Luthor and “Doomsday.”

  34. Another issue that comes with adapting the fight between Batman and Superman in “The Dark Knight Returns” to screen in the context robs the fight of any pathos. The conflict is treated as a tragedy, not a gladiator match. Bruce and CLark have been friends for years in the comics, but the film universe automatically has them at eachother’s throats. As such, it’s just a dust up between two overly-aggressive strangers and lacks any real emotional depth.

  35. This movie was awesome. Like a comic right out of the pages.

  36. They were trying to play catch-up with Marvel. They were trying to make a shared universe like Marvel. However, they were so determined to not make a superhero movie like Marvel that they made something that is so painfully trying not to be a superhero movie stylistically, that it ends up being everything that people hate about superhero movies, if that makes sense. In trying to bleak in order to distance themselves from the fun of Iron Man (the modern-day quintessential superhero movie) they made something incredibly depressing. In trying not to be colourful, they made something too black. In trying to make something so “down-to-earth” (as in that need to eliminate the heroes “outside underwear”) they made it virtually inaccessible. While there were some interesting themes introduced in the film (which Snyder lifted from Watchmen), the film is unintelligent and unintelligible. The failure of this movie is nailed in even further with the success of Marvel’s ‘Captain America: Civil War’: a movie undeniably similar in its themes, and undeniably better executed than BvS.

  37. I think you have strong evidence to support your viewpoint and I agree with your views 100%.

  38. I enjoyed the article, it bring to movie into new light by addressing subjects that concern comic book fans. When I watched the movie I though that one of the main problems was the plot. For example Batman and the use of prolepses through his dreams. I felt that it was both time consuming and underdeveloped. Yes, it might set the pace for the rest of the franchise, but it still felt lacking.
    Also, the “friendship” between Batman and Superman feels extremely superficial. Specially the part when Batman saves Martha Kent and introduces himself as a friend of her son. That felt like awkward story telling to me. First this characters hadn’t officially met until their big fight; then they fought for about 10 minutes and “bonded” over their mother’s names; and then suddenly they are besties?
    Unfortunately the movie is filled with moments like that, underdeveloped and lacking in plot and storytelling.

  39. JLaurenceCohen

    Critics have super hero movie fatigue and they also have Zack Snyder fatigue. I really enjoyed Dawn of Justice.

  40. I’ve yet to see this flick and appreciate this criticism. But i know i will enjoy some of it and am already pretty clear on some of my disappointments. But what i will be looking at closely is how this film is understanding just what a superhero is. I don’t think film has really figured that out yet. I’ve always seen the DC universe as drawing its inspiration (and models) from the gods of so-called classic civilization. Superman and Batman are better understood as avatars of gods than as humans with powers (and of course the former isn’t even human). Marvel’s superheroes stem from a more democratic impulse perhaps well-captured in the term metahumans. So we’ve got DC giving us quasi-religious gods-incarnate contrasted with Marvel’s proletarian meta-humans. I think it is in this struggle to figure out just what kind of stories to tell of these complicated figures that most superhero films go awry. There’s lots of good examples of good storytelling in comics that has this figured out. But film, bound by the exigencies of telling stories that will bring in the big bucks is not nearly as successful nor flexible. I thought the first half of Man of Steel was one of the most successful so far. I thought it a beautiful, well-paced, and poignant depiction of this being trying to come to terms with his human incarnation and his god-like powers. Then, of course, it just becomes a punch-fest. And Netflix’s Daredevil and Jessica Jones is doing a fantastic job of depicting very human scale stories of people who had the bad luck to acquire (be cursed with?) metahuman capacities. But film, overall, is still wrestling with what to do with the superhero. WHat i can tell already with BVS is the foolishness of using Miller’s Dark Knight Returns plot elements. DKR is a diabolical satire of the superhero genre. It extrapolates well just what Batman and Superman would be in our neo-liberal capitalist geo-political hegemon. Of course Batman would be a half-crazed, virtual aynrandian, vigilante while it only makes sense that Superman would be an aparatchik of the Washington Consensus. Why not have two such clowns duke it out? And a pox on both their houses. Like i said: satire. How could that do anything but fail when lifted from that context and parachuted into the ongoing attempt to write the cinematic history of these creatures? But, nerd that i am, i watch ’em all, and hope.

  41. I’ve always been more of a Marvel junkie than a DC junkie and, as such, I haven’t seen the movie yet. That being said, from what I have heard and read of the movie, I agree with a lot of what you said! One of my major reservations about the movie and one of the reasons I decided against seeing it was that they were trying to introduce several new major characters – Batman, Wonder Woman, Lex Luther, etc – at once. Even in a two hour film, while doable, in my mind, it’s like Spiderman 3 all over again. Something has to suffer in order to introduce all these major characters, be it plot or characterization. In this case, I suspect it was both that suffered. Your analysis of the film definitely has given me some food for thought and will be in the back of my mind as I watch the film!

  42. 1. Needed more setup; Superman’s “death” can’t have a meaningful impact in-universe at this point without him being at-least almost universally loved by the public and being a longtime protector of Earth. Would’ve been way better to set up Batman and the other heroes with their own films before going into World’s Finest territory.

    2. This is our introduction to this incarnation of Batman, and we all know that this is him in a bad emotional/mental state. DOJ’s ending moves towards him being being his “proper” self but it would’ve been better to have been introduced to him like that.

    3. Batman was way too much like Classic Lex Luthor in this. “If there’s a 1% chance he could be our enemy we need to take that as an absolute certainty.” That kind of paranoid/extremist line of thinking would be perfect for Lex Luthor, but not Batman, as much as a paranoid jerk he can be in comics and other media.

    4. Eisenberg’s Luthor sucked. Nuff said.

    5. Sets a bad precedent for the Bats/Supes relationship in the future installments (realistically). It’d be one thing if it was like in the DCAU/comics where they simply start off disagreeing with one-another’s methods, but here, I cannot seriously see a strong partnership/friendship growing after Batman tried to MURDER Superman out of his own paranoia. Realistically, even when working together in later DCEU movies, the partnership/relationship should remain tense from Superman’s side and he should not really ever trust Batfleck.

    I could say more but that’s all I have right now. Of course, I will be seeing future DCEU films in theaters.

  43. I agree with this article Snyder was trying to beat Nolan’s Dark knight trilogy by trying to stay true to the originality of the comic book.

  44. In all honesty, I think Snyder bit off more than he could chew. The movie was way to packed and actually felt more like a Batman movie than a Superman movie. In the first hour of the film it seemed like any inclusion of Clark Kent/Superman was an afterthought. Like “Oh let’s throw in a random scene with Cavill so people don’t forget who this movie is about, while we show how sad and angry Batman is”.

    • b8153b

      I agree. This movie definitely felt more like a Batman movie that happened to involve Superman. I can’t say that it upset me, though. I have always enjoyed Batman a bit more.

      Though, following Batman’s “investigation” (so to speak) may have been what kept the movie from being tossed all over the place; as you said, the movie was rather “packed.” I suppose one coherent story is better than multiple bits of other stories.

  45. danielle577

    I was so excited about this film after reading more about the premise. After the negative reviews I did not choose to see it in the theater. I finally got to watching the film a few weeks ago and I was immensely disappointed. One-by-one, members of my family left the room, saying the movie was horrible; yet, I stuck with it. Just when I thought it was over…it continued!! I loved the Batman from the Dark Knight Trilogy, but I did not like this Batman. I get he’s broken, etc., etc., but it was too much. Then, when they decide to join forces when realizing their mother’s share the same name–this could’ve been well done, but it wasn’t. It just made me shake my head and feel as though that was such an unconvincing scene. After tearing up the city, that’s what has both superheroes finally seeing eye-to-eye. For me, the best part was Wonderwoman, and I am looking forward to that upcoming film, as well as the next installment of this saga. This film, I guess, was supposed to be a bridge to these upcoming films, but you cannot do that with what you have promised to be a blockbuster film; it was really just a fill in. Disappointing.

  46. I know for a lot of comic book readers the film felt okay, but as I am not one of those I have to say it was hard to get through. Despite both of the heroes’ legacies and hard-to-live-up-to standards, I think Snyder could have made something great and he just didn’t deliver. It’s not even just his fault. The writers cannot go without blame. Personally, the only good thing I saw with the movie was Ben Affleck as Batman. He played the part well, despite the sub-par story line.

  47. Not just because of the reasons you listed, but the production of the film wasn’t up to par either. It was so unnecessarily long, the slow-motion pieces of the movie were just useless, and the plot-line was obviously not very thought out, because Batman changes sides as soon as he finds out Superman’s mother’s name is Martha too. Two great superheroes whose battle is ruined by a poorly franchised movie.

  48. As I’ve heard it, the extended director’s cut helps clear up some of the movie’s plot holes such as Superman and Batman’s hostility towards one another.
    BvS is DC’s way of throwing paint at the wall and hoping it makes a self portrait. Yes, the fighting is fun and dramatic, but Luthor seemingly losing his mind, “Martha” being Batman’s safe-word, and Lois seemingly understanding all that is the universe and knowing that she needed to grab the Kryptonite spear Batman has made from the pool she’d thrown it into without anyone telling her to retrieve it absolutely blow the movie into the gutter.
    There are redeeming moments, such as the helplessness of a god in the courtroom scene, but overall, DC is trying much too hard and rushing things too soon.
    Hopefully they’ll figure that out before it’s too late.

  49. I think a problem this movie experienced was that it tried to tell too many stories at once. Without focusing on one adaptation, they took many pieces from many beloved comic book story lines and mashed them together. I hope this will change for DC films and they can begin to give us good adaptations of their characters and their universe on screen.

  50. Elpis1988

    I think you are right with the lack of human connection. The community outside of the close family and the office of The Daily Planet doesn’t seem well connected with what is going on. This makes the action seem forced rather than grounded, along with the fact that Superman doesn’t really get a chance to be Superman as portrayed in “The Man of Steel”.

  51. Nothing went wrong. It’s a great movie.

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