What I would have done with Batman v Superman (spoilers)

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

First off is Batman. He is good, but there is something missing that is missing from all other theatrical versions (not counting the animated Mask of the Phantasm). Batman is supposed to be the world'a greatest detective in the DC comics, but so far only DC animation has really showcased this. The live action has focused for more on the darker, grittier, psychological Batman. This is fine, but this was an opportunity to add another version of Batman we all know & love (and it could still be dark & gritty).

To take this further, this should have truly been a Batman vs Superman movie in which it's Batman's wits vs Superman's powers due to their similar yet differing convictions. Superman should have been at a point where he realizes all the death and destruction he contributed to and learn to be a better man. To decide to be a symbol of hope. To have all this power and show the world what they should strive to be. On the other side, you have the man who is always prepared and has great deductive reasoning who has justifiable fears regarding this alien's capabilities. Imagine if Bruce through his connections found out about the kryptonite & stole it himself. He decides to confront Superman with a small sample to test it. Sometime during or following that confrontation, they learn one another'a identities. Now it's both an issue of conviction and making sure the one doesn't reveal the other's identity. For whatever reason, they realize the world needs both of them. Superman the symbol of hope, and Batman, the dark knight willing to get into the grime of the criminal underworld. In an ultimate show of trust, Superman lets Batman keep the kryptonite should Bruce's fears ever be realized.

Other things:

-Get an older Lex and put him on an early political career, running for Senator on an anti-Superman platform

-Save Doomsday for Justice League &kill superman then

-Save Darkseid for Justice League 2 or MoS 2. Actually, this would be a great way to go. To revive Superman for MoS 2 only to have him turn against humanity at the end of his solo movie with JL 2 being about what can be done about their greatest hero turning on them. You want dark & gritty. Here is your *beep* dark & gritty.

-Keep Diana Prince but save Wonder Woman for her solo movie or JL. Use e-mail scene as an end credits to further showcase Batman's detective work & reveal he knows who she is.

[CashRules]

Batman should shoot Superman with kryptonite bullets, chop his head off with a kryptonite ax and bury his head and his body in two separate kryptonite-laced coffins buried on opposite sides of the planet. We don't need super-powered aliens on earth, ever. Then he should look at Wonder Woman and say "Bitch, you've got weaknesses of your own so don't fuck with me."

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

Batman should shoot Superman with kryptonite bullets, chop his head off with a kryptonite ax and bury his head and his body in two separate kryptonite-laced coffins buried on opposite sides of the planet. We don't need super-powered aliens on earth, ever. Then he should look at Wonder Woman and say "Bitch, you've got weaknesses of your own so don't fuck with me."

And then Darkseid comes down & reins terror upon all of earth.

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

Batman should shoot Superman with kryptonite bullets, chop his head off with a kryptonite ax and bury his head and his body in two separate kryptonite-laced coffins buried on opposite sides of the planet. We don't need super-powered aliens on earth, ever. Then he should look at Wonder Woman and say "Bitch, you've got weaknesses of your own so don't fuck with me."

[Boomer]

Just saw BvS, and I thought it was... fine.

I'm relatively easy to please when it comes to movies in general, and as a comic book nerd I'll always appreciate a movie putting the characters I love on screen and interacting with one another... but man, as Apollo was saying, there's just so much more that could have been done with this movie, and in general I just don't like how they're setting up the DC cinematic universe. This movie feels like it should have been the 4th or 5th movie in a shared universe as opposed to the second, and as a result for me the whole thing just felt off.

I'll try and get into further analysis tomorrow.

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

Just saw BvS, and I thought it was... fine.

I'm relatively easy to please when it comes to movies in general, and as a comic book nerd I'll always appreciate a movie putting the characters I love on screen and interacting with one another... but man, as Apollo was saying, there's just so much more that could have been done with this movie, and in general I just don't like how they're setting up the DC cinematic universe. This movie feels like it should have been the 4th or 5th movie in a shared universe as opposed to the second, and as a result for me the whole thing just felt off.

I'll try and get into further analysis tomorrow.

I think the main issue is they made it for people who only care about geeking out over iconic characters being on screen. The opening scene of yet another batman origin started the movie off on the wrong foot for me. It would have won me back with the ModS ending from Bruce's POV, but I had already seen it in the trailers.

I thought Bruce & Diana had good chemistry though, so if they contunue I hope they do have a "will they won't they" in the same vein as they did in the JL cartoon. Another man vs god but in a different way.

Homestly I just want to see this played straight:
"You're a princess from a society of immortal warriors. I'm a rich kid with issues... lots of issues."

[Boomer]

I think the main issue is they made it for people who only care about geeking out over iconic characters being on screen.

I'd agree with that, and there were some nice geeky moments (parademons). Still, even from my perspective of being a fan of the comic books it felt jarring trying to accept the leap from MoS that had zero tie-in to a shared universe outside of very small easter eggs, to a movie incorporating elements from huge DC storylines like The Dark Knight Returns, Death of Superman, and Crisis on Infinite Earths, all while having to care about new characters being introduced in this movie with no prior setup.

Some specifics on the movie itself:

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

Batman: I thought overall Affleck gave a good portrayal, with what he had to work with. I'm not a huge fan of how the character was written and how they chose to portray him. TDKR is one of my favorite graphic novels, but having Batman in his mid-late forties already is not how I would be going about starting a shared cinematic universe. Building off what Apollo said, I didn't really like the lack of emphasis on his detective skills. It specifically bothered me how Luthor had a dossier in the data Batman stole on all the Meta-humans, and Batman had no idea who anyone was. We're supposed to believe Luthor is a better sleuth and info-gatherer than the greatest detective on Earth? Plus, while getting the data, Bruce was discovered by multiple people in his attempts to steal it. Dude is supposed to be a ninja, last I checked. Lastly, I found it off-putting that Batman killed, like, a LOT of people (yes, I know, Cash, Batman used to do this all the time; I'm getting off your lawn ).

Superman: There was a lot of emphasis on Superman having an existential crisis in this movie, and there were moments where I thought Cavill did well, but overall I thought it was a vanilla performance, which from my perspective is fine as I feel Superman is somewhat of a vanilla character. One problem I have with Cavill's performance that is carried over from Man of Steel, and this could be due to the writing in both movies, is that Clark Kent isn't Clark Kent; he's superman wearing glasses and chic yuppie clothes. No change in demeanor, mannerisms, etc., though I suppose the point is moot now considering they had a funeral for both of them to close the movie; Superman coming back won't need to be explained away nearly as much as Clark.

Wonder Woman: was in the movie for about 8 minutes so can't really get a read. Gadot looked the part, at least.

Lex Luthor: I like Eisenberg as an actor, I thought he was miscast in this. For perspective, I grew up watching the Superman animated series and Justice League animated series on Saturday mornings as a kid, and ironically I think this movie version of Luthor was more cartoonish. When I think of Lex Luthor I think of a suave politician making deals behind the scenes to have others do his dirty work for him, not a young, manic, neo-silicon valley mogul wearing loafers and playing basketball at his place of business. I think Eisenberg would have a made a great Riddler, fwiw.

Doomsday: Looked dumb.

Aquaman/Flash/Cyborg: cool nods

Supporting cast: All fine. Amy Adams is good but her side story making the Luthor/bullet connections felt drawn out considering she just ended up getting captured at the end anyways. Jeremy Irons was fine, he wasn't asked to be anything more than a cheeky butler, and that's exactly what he was. Fishburne seemed shoehorned into nothing more than an angry-boss trope. No one else notable comes to mind.

Overall: 6.5/10