Haters gonna hate, I'm gonna love. What do you have to say now Batfleck disbelievers? But I'll get to that in a bit.
I've always been one to hold true to the theory of forming one's own opinion on something rather than believing everything you hear, from a critic or otherwise. Much like everyone, I'd heard the rumors. The preliminary critiques coming through regarding DC's newest superhero movie. Critics were not pleased with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Did they enjoy it? Were these critics fans of the genre? I didn't bother looking into any of the critiques about the movie, even if I don't always listen to critics, I still didn't want my viewing of the movie to be influenced in the slightest.
I went into BvS:DoJ with even hopes for a decent movie that I would enjoy. It did not disappoint, in fact, it went beyond that. I don't recall having similar reactions to the Nolan movies, which I liked a great deal. I had so many different emotions in this one movie, rather than spread out between three. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins at a few occasions especially after the moment I nearly jumped out of my seat. I wasn't alone, the couple seated next to me jumped as well. We shared quiet embarrassed laughter. But the scene had been completely unexpected--it served the shock it was meant to. The very same scene inspired the title to this post.
If you know even the basic things about Batman, you know that he was orphaned as a child when his parents were murdered in front of him. Numerous versions of this particular factoid in the Batman mythos have been presented to fans of the dark knight--be it in movies, animations, or comics. Not being a Batman origin story, I didn't think we would see as much of young Bruce Wayne in this film as we did. At first I thought, oh here we go again...the ol' Wayne murder and little Bruce-y falling down a well scenario. But while the scenes may have started out very similar to past movies, they were also quite unique unto themselves. I was reminded of the fact that Jeffrey Dean Morgan(Supernatural, Watchman) was cast as Thomas Wayne and Lauren Cohan(The Walking Dead, The Boy) as his wife Martha.
The pearl necklace that Martha wore on that fateful evening, has been a focus of movies and TV shows past and present. But this movie took the breaking of said necklace down a different path. A well used zoom takes a scene with a gun and a necklace and makes it different. The same can be said for the scene of young Bruce Wayne running away from the funeral procession and stumbling across the cave. He runs through the forest and falls through a hole as the ground gives way beneath him. He drops into a cave and sees bats, sparking the idea of Batman in little Bruce-y's brain. But there is where the similarity ended. At first I thought to myself, really this again? I nearly frowned until the bats flew forth, surrounded Bruce and did a surprising thing.
It was things like that which made this movie great for me. Along with the subtle humor when needed and the holy crap hand over mouth shockers you didn't know you needed. I laughed, I was startled, I was shocked and in awe.
It was the cast that fit into their roles with ease. Well done, Ben Affleck. You're a terrible husband, but you make an excellent Bruce Wayne/Batman. He was believable as the caped crusader and convince-able with how in shape he was. Those "workout" scenes, yowzah! An expected great performance by Jeremy Irons(Lion King, Die Hard With A Vengeance) as Alfred and equally impressive performances by Jesse Eisenberg(Zombieland, The Social Network) and Gal Gadot(Fast & Furious Franchise, Date Night)--Lex Luther and Wonder Woman. The cast did not disappoint. How could they with Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, and Lawrence Fishburne reprising their roles from Man of Steel. There was even a cameo by Neil Degrasse Tyson!
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| Top Row: Holly Hunter, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Zack Snyder Middle: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Amy Adams, Lawrence Fishburne Front: Henry Cavill |
Then of course there was the actual story line of the movie. I've heard from sources that the movie is not entirely beholden to the comics, just based on them. But that did not deter me. I've not read a lot of Superman or Batman comics, so I was not able to compare and contrast so easily as some. Regardless, the story had a good pace and there was always something to pay attention to--even during the scenes when there was no fighting. The musical score was fantastic and gripping, not surprising when you consider the composer, Hans Zimmer(The Dark Knight, Inception). The music brought out the emotion in the scenes and heightened the tension. As a good score should.Overall, I have very little complaints about this film. It wasn't flawless but it was a top notch superhero movie. I enjoyed it a lot and most certainly plan to add this one to my collection.
Whether you are a Superman fan, a Batman fan, or just looking for an exciting movie to watch. I recommend this one.
