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Severian 03.13.2016 01:22 PM

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice?
 
Anyone planning to see this next week? Anyone planning to avoid it at all costs?

I know there's a lot going on in the world right now, and that all of it is without exception more important than this film. But this thing's finally about to open, and I am a comic nerd so I feel the need to talk about it.

 


Took me a long time to warm to the idea of this film even existing. I think DC has an entirely different set of strengths than Marvel, and I think it would behoove them to carve out a cinematic universe that played more to those strengths (iconic individual characters, rather than iconic teams; villains that don't suck, etc.). So I would much rather see a sequel to Man of Steel followed if necessary by a new Batman reboot than something like this.

Also I'm just not a fan of Mr. Affleck, and I think Zach Snyder's impulses as a director are frightening, and need to be kept in line by someone who isn't an idiot. The idea of a more dark and tornented Superman (a la Man of Steel) is something I can totally get behind. But Superman should never NEVER be in an R-rated film, director's cut or not.

So I'm a little nervous about all of this. These are my two most beloved comic book characters of all time, but I feel no need to see them share a screen. However, I've been impressed by the trailers and I am prepared for it to be a either an explosive action film that's a lot of fun, or a Watchmen-esque insult to everything I love about comics. Either way, I'll be there on opening weekend.

I'm pretty sure everyone can safely assume that this is not going to be a great film, like the Dark Knight. Ok, it's definitely not going to be a great film, and of course it's not going to be as great as the Dark Knight. But it should be fun... I hope.

Severian 03.13.2016 01:38 PM

That's a goddamn deviantart poster. Ugh. Surprisingly difficult to find official posters for the film that are interesting. Anyway, I guess this is the "final" official poster. But who can be sure? Fuck it.

 

The Soup Nazi 03.13.2016 06:46 PM

I MUST see this film. Must! Christian Bale left the bar pretty high, I think; Affleck, I have no problems with on several of his movies, but in the trailers he seems to be much better at being Bruce Wayne than Batman — I look at the guy in the mask and I see Ben Affleck, not the Dark Knight. Then again, they were just damn trailers.

Now, "#WhoWillWin"? Dude, come on, we already know that a) in the end they unite to fight the common enemy (Doomsday) and b) Ms. Gadot is gonna be 2016's hottest piece of A. I don't think many Palestinians are gonna be too happy about that, though.

Severian 03.13.2016 07:32 PM

Agreed, agreed, yes.

I thought Christian Bale was an excellent pick for the role considering the tone of the Nolan films. It was kind of a "no bad acting allowed" situation. No risks could be taken (except .. y'know.. Katie Holmes. Ick.) Even though Christian Bale never really screamed "Batman!" at me in any way, he's such a committed actor, capable of so much, that even though the role wasn't very meaty compared to others in the series (Ledger, of course, and Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon was really excellent - should have earned him a supporting actor nod at least once), Bale still somehow made both Batman and Bruce Wayne work very well. I know Michael Keaton's the fan favorite, but his Bruce Wayne was shit. Bale wins.

About Affleck, he's at his best when he's playing straight roles, or absurd ones. He was lovable in Good Will Hunting, and fun in Dogma, but in Gone Girl he was just passable. I expect that kind of performance here.

And yeah, he looks super Affleck-y in the Batsuit. Especially in the straight-ahead shots. Borderline dumb. But whatever. Assuming he's not going to top Bale, and just letting that be what it is, I think it could work.

Gal Godot should be excellent. She is gorgeous and talented and badass.

I just really hope this doesn't kill off Superman, or ruin the chances of a proper Man of Steel II. I seem to be only of the only people alive who thought that was just an excellent modem day Superman story. It pisses me off that everyone complains about how it's "too dark" when the chief complaint about Superman films for so long was that they weren't dark or gritty or realistic enough! There was absolutely nothing wrong with that film. I was sure Zach Snyder was going to mutilate the character, but for me, it was as perfect a Superman film as Dark Knight was a Batman film. It just rock, and clung to the integrity and ideals of the character without being old fashioned.

Anyway, not sure how I feel about Aquaman, Flash, Cyborg and all that. Seems as though if that's all going to be thrown in there, they might as well just call this thing The Justice League, and have it be the "origin story" of the cinematic version of the group.

Buy I'm still so goddamn pumped for this. This will be the... Eighth Batman film I've seen on opening day, the tenth DC film I've seen on opening day. I love for this shit. Basically, my life is about work, family, music and batman and superman films.

Severian 03.13.2016 07:39 PM

Also I think it's a good sign for DC that the third Captain America movie has opted to take on this same basic formula. I know a Civil War film was always part of their plan, but it came together in the shadow of Dawn of Justice. And it really looks, despite all the shit they've taken for following Marvel (which is really ironic and backwards considering the history of the two imprints), as though Marvel is piggy backing off the fan reaction to the way this movie has developed over the last few years.

I mean Jesus, they made Civil War in a hot Fucking rush. Less than a year. They threw that shit together so fast, and it's coming out less than a month after BvS. It looks pretty cool itself, but still, I think the decision to make it a Cap v. Iron man film is a direct result of this.

I still have hope for DC. And it doesn't hurt that Batman is the most popular comic book character in the world. A lot of people are going to come just to see him.

LifeDistortion 03.13.2016 10:37 PM

More interested in this movie when it comes to DC if mostly because we haven't gotten Harley Quinn in a movie, and I remember even back during The Dark Knight some wondered if HQ would be in that.


 

Severian 03.13.2016 11:58 PM

Yeah, I'm gonna be all over Suicide Squad.

Although I have to say Jared Leto is my least favorite actor in the world. I'm not pumped to see him playing my favorite villain. I can think of SO many actors who would be better in the role. Specifically Andrew Scott (Sherlock, SPECTRE)

 


And Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, Partisan, Irreversible)

 


Cassel even has a bit of a Caesar Romaro look. Plus, he's great at playing truly unsettling, violent manipulative characters.

Jared Leto looks like a Marilyn Manson movie extra. Not looking forward to that shit.

Severian 03.14.2016 12:00 AM

Also, in a perfect world, I'd cast Ryan Gosling as Bruce Wayne/Batman. After seeing him in Drive, I believe he'd be absolutely perfect. Little hair dye and boom! You've got yourself a badass Batman who can act like a god and fight like an animal.

Rob Instigator 03.14.2016 08:38 AM

I fucking hated the new Superman film. Fucking bullshit vomited over everything Superman is thematically about. Fucking horrible what they did to it. May as well make a Robin Hood movie where he is a survivor of child abuse and attacks rich people for revenge instead of to steal from them and give to the poor. It was that antithetical to Superman...

As far as the recent Bale Batman? He fucking sucked. His lisp fucking sucked. His voice fucking sucked. "Batman" was the single worst shit in those Nolan films. Everything else was OK ,but Bale sucked. he is already being forgotten and thankfully so.


Fucking Ben Affleck? We shall see. That fucker sucked in Argo, he sucked in everything I have ever seen him in. he won an oscar by riding Matt Damon's writing coattails. He is a fucking hack shit actor and this movie is going to SUCK.

that is my prediction. (can you tell I was severely disappointed by Avengers Ultron? Fucking James Spader played Ultron like a sassy queen who is mad that his manicure came out sloppy.)

tesla69 03.14.2016 09:19 AM

In the comic version Superman is a totalitarian hack - he helps enslave The Flash in a giant generator to generate electricity - I found that really shocking.

Rob Instigator 03.14.2016 09:46 AM

that is not the "canon" comics. That is in Frank MIller's "what-if-esque" Dark Knight Returns which is just a potential future for Batman and Supes.

It is not considered actual DC storyline.

Superman is godlike in his powers, and because of this, he was taught by good parents that because of his powers he is responsible for using them to help others, and not to hurt people. He lost his entire planet/civilization/people when Krypton blew up and was cared for and loved by Earthlings and so he comes to treat Earth as his adopted home and protects it against all manner of evil.

the movie did NOT show that. That Man of Steel movie SUCKED

Severian 03.14.2016 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator
that is not the "canon" comics. That is in Frank MIller's "what-if-esque" Dark Knight Returns which is just a potential future for Batman and Supes.

It is not considered actual DC storyline.

Superman is godlike in his powers, and because of this, he was taught by good parents that because of his powers he is responsible for using them to help others, and not to hurt people. He lost his entire planet/civilization/people when Krypton blew up and was cared for and loved by Earthlings and so he comes to treat Earth as his adopted home and protects it against all manner of evil.

the movie did NOT show that. That Man of Steel movie SUCKED


Well, it's not really the point of the thread, but Man of Steel showed that very well. Case in point: saving the bully who was beating his ass when he was just a kid, pleading with Zod and constantly giving him chance after chance to not kill the people of his planet. In fact, he only finally resorted to killing Zod when Zod was about to obliterate that family in the museum. And it broke is heart to do so. He was totally torn, wanting Zod to see in the people of Earth what he saw. He Fucking SOBBED after snapping Zod's neck.

He also went to India and just let the world engine beat the hell out of him to stop it from killing people all over the world. Barely managed to summon the strength to destroy it.

He traveled among the people of Earth, which is exactly what Clark Kent has done in more recent comic storylines. They plucked a lot of that shit right out of the comics, man. And superman 2.

Maybe you didn't like the move, but that was Superman. You can just go ahead and trust me on this. Was it a slightly more "relevant" and modern take on Supes? Sure. Did it have a serious undertone to it? Yeah. But it's actually the only film to really explore the politics of Krypton (and indeed life on Krypton) and it was awesome. Lifelong superman fan right here. Stuck by him through it all. Even supported Superman Returns. But Man of Steel was the best Superman film ever. I don't even really know what you're going on about. He was very classic Superman.

And I disagree with you about Bale's Batman. Nobody loves the Batvoice, but other than that he rocked the part. And so many other great performances are in those films, from Neeson to Ledger to Hardy, Michael Cane, Morgan Freeman, and so on. The world of Batman is never, never going to get better than that.

Severian 03.14.2016 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tesla69
In the comic version Superman is a totalitarian hack - he helps enslave The Flash in a giant generator to generate electricity - I found that really shocking.


Well, that was the sequel to the book that is providing a lot of the inspiration for the BvS film. It wasn't Dark Knight Returns itself. But Supes was a hack in that too. Or rather, he was deeply confused and had kinda pulled an "iron man circa Civil War" and decided that superheroes should no longer be vigilantes.

But that's not the inspiration behind the entire film. Snyder and DC are simply taking elements of Dark Knight Returns because it was the most epic fight between the two of them.

Rob Instigator 03.14.2016 10:23 AM

I thought the Nolan Batman movies sucked shit as far as Batman goes because they were not about the dark knight detective. Batman solved no mysteries, solved no crimes, deduced absolutely nothing in those movies, and was basically a generic hero. Batman is my all time fave and the movies did not do it right in my eyes. Batman was never ever ever supposed to be an anti-hero. he is a human being with NO powers at all. He is a vigilante.

The Nolan movies made him into a version of Tony Stark with angst. I hated that shit. Christian Bale sucked. Bane is a stupid enemy with no wit or cleverness, unlike the standard batman enemies like the riddler, joker, penguin, etc. That Bane movie just plain sucked, and I have seen it 4 times. each time I hate it more and more.....

Rob Instigator 03.14.2016 10:24 AM

People forget how funny and how witty the Miller dark knight stuff was. The movies lacked all wit.

SuchFriendsAreDangerous 03.14.2016 10:24 AM

I never understand the appeal to all these comic book movies.. they always suck.. the production is always campy and over the top.. the acting is always subpar.. the CGI is always too much... I much prefer watching the animated versions of these..

The Miller era Dark Knight stuff was as BRILLIANT if not more so as the Wolverine solo series from that same era...

Severian 03.14.2016 10:25 AM

Nolan's Dark Knight Rises takes a few cues from Miller's series as well. The entire issue of Batman coming out of retirement is directly tied in with Miller.

That's one thing I really loved about the storyline of the Nolan and Bale films. For each film, they pulled from a different set of classic Batman stories. Batman Begins was largely based on Year One, and an older storyline called the Man Who Fell. Dark Knight pulled mostly from Jeph Lowb and Tim Sale's The Long Halloween, and a big from Killing Joke. But not directly from either. Dark Knigjt Rises was equal parts Dark Knight Returns, Knightfall and No Man's Land. That third film probably made the best use of high profile storylines, mixing them together to come up with a story that's better in many ways than much of the source material.

I'm really sad that Nolan's Batman is over. Really. I think there are virtually no directors who have the kind of expanse of vision or the right touch to really make the Batman world work on screen. Nolan probably sacrificed some street cred as a director to do the project, but he made it awesome and it gave him creative license to pursue big, reliably brilliant blockbuster level head trips like Inception and Interstellar.

Zach Snyder is not that kind of director. He seems to only want to do comic book movies. Which is fine, as long as he's not killing them as he almost did with Watchmen.

Severian 03.14.2016 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous
I never understand the appeal to all these comic book movies.. they always suck.. the production is always campy and over the top.. the acting is always subpar.. the CGI is always too much... I much prefer watching the animated versions of these..

The Miller era Dark Knight stuff was as BRILLIANT if not more so as the Wolverine solo series from that same era...


Old Man Logan? They're making that into a movie (another Fucking Hugh Jackman movie, hopefully the last), and it's going to be rated R. Working title is (get read!) Wolverine 3.

The appeal is different based on the character. For me, the appeal of the Marvel films I don't hate is pure fun. I love Captain America and a few other characters, but mostly I think the movies are just eye popping good old fashioned fun.

The appeal of Batman is entirely different. It's a constant wishing and waiting game to see if the beloved and decidedly non-campy characters are going to be done justice. Tim Burton did well with what was available to him at the time, and though he made acting secondary, he recruited good enough actors that it worked. Nolan did the impossible by making an entire trilogy that peaked with one of the best movies of the last decade. Every character was pulled off beautifully.

The appeal of Superman is different again. It's a tricky one, because it can't be all about action and it can't have not enough action. It has to concede a bit to the fact that the character was definitely a Christ analogue from the start without turning it into something corny. Superman is actually one of the most complex characters out there. And for me, he's the most personal. I'm so glad Tim Burton never got his hands on Superman. Ugh.

Didn't you read comics as a kid? I did, and still do. They were a huge part of my early development. How could you not understand the appeal of seeing characters you grew up with come to life in front of you? It's a tough thing really, because it's usually done WRONG. Those first three X-man films were just awful. As were the Spidey films, the Hulk films, Daredevil, Green Lantern. For every one that's GREAT (Dark Knight, Guardians of the Galaxy, Man of Steel) there are handfuls that are just ok (iron man, iron man 2, Thor, the recent X-men films) and countless absolute pieces of shit.

Rob Instigator 03.14.2016 10:49 AM

My friend and I watched XMen 3 at theater, and at one point I wondered aloud why Magneto didn't just fling Wolverine to the Moon and quip, "Let's see you regenerate some air." and we laughed and laughed and we were sushed by the audience.

The 2nd Xmen movie was decent, but the first and 3rd sucked.

I enjoyed days of future past a lot because it was more in the spirit of the OG stan lee xmen

I thought the last Wolverine movie was OK. The others were horrible.

My fave comics as a kid were Batman, The Hulk and the Hulk films have really really sucked shit.

That is why I thought Ant Man was a fun film. it was not about apocalypse of the world, and all that stupid hollywood shit. it seemed more in line with the ant man comic books.

guardian of the galaxy I thought was OK, but I never read that comic, and it was very basic in it's plot.

The whole point of Batman is that he mostly fights the fights that the superpowered poeple never bother fighting, where he actually captures criminals, fights for the underpriviledged, the forgotten, and deals constantly with issues of mental health and sanity in his enemies. He never really wins in the comics by just punching shit.

Severian 03.14.2016 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator
I thought the Nolan Batman movies sucked shit as far as Batman goes because they were not about the dark knight detective. Batman solved no mysteries, solved no crimes, deduced absolutely nothing in those movies, and was basically a generic hero. Batman is my all time fave and the movies did not do it right in my eyes. Batman was never ever ever supposed to be an anti-hero. he is a human being with NO powers at all. He is a vigilante.

The Nolan movies made him into a version of Tony Stark with angst. I hated that shit. Christian Bale sucked. Bane is a stupid enemy with no wit or cleverness, unlike the standard batman enemies like the riddler, joker, penguin, etc. That Bane movie just plain sucked, and I have seen it 4 times. each time I hate it more and more.....


There was more Detectice stuff than you're letting on man. He tears ballistics samples in TDK, and does a lot of sneaking around in Batman Begins. I agree that they didn't (and never have) truly done justice to the "world's greatest Detectice" thing. Batman is supposed to be a superior intellect... almost a genius... who knows when to stay out of a fight and when to start one. The movies (almost by necessity) emphasized his physical strength and technical Savvy over everything else. But I still think they did an excellent job.

He did a ton of digging in TDK to find the Joker's identity. But there was so much going on in all of those movies that there was no time for slow-burning detective work scenes. They were all 2+ hours and ran at a really fast pace. So they made a few compromises. But it was awesome.

And Bane is actually written as a pretty clever character. He's almost like Batman's equal opposite in the comics (or was before he started finding his way into so many other goddamn storylines). But I thought he was a shitty choice for a villain too until I saw Tom Hardy prepping for the role. Hardy should have had more screen time in TDKR. He really was frightening as Bane. Way better than the often hokey comic book version.

But I'd love to see big screen batman pitted against Dr. Strange or a (not ridiculously stupid) Riddler. That would make for a good detective story, if done right. Probably not gonna happen any time soon though.

Rob Instigator 03.14.2016 10:51 AM

BTW, I fucking LOVE the Gotham TV show, and cannot believe a network show has that much insanity and gore and viciousness while still being funny and detective-y like Batman. I wish they did a Batman movie like that. The bad guys on it are awesome, seeing Edward Nigma slowly become the Riddler, seeing Mr. Freeze, seeing how Oswald Cobblepot becomes the maniacal Penguin.. (penguin was always decades older than the Batman) plus all the hints of future baddies, like a young selina Kyle (who is funny and awesome) and a young Poison Ivy and hints at other of batman's rogue's gallery

Rob Instigator 03.14.2016 10:53 AM

I rag on Bale, but the Batman movies were far far better than these avengers films...

BUt Bane sucked. he sucked in the comics and he sucked in the film. I knew that one chick was ras al ghul's daughter 2 minutes into the film. that Bane part was boring.

SuchFriendsAreDangerous 03.14.2016 12:52 PM

The only comic i read as a kid was Wolverine and i loved it. I used to watch Batman the Animated Series (warner bros) but never read the comics. Indeed if you ask me that cartoon still remains the all time best rendition of Batman
Better than Burton.. better than Nolan.. better than any of the other animated versions..

It was film noir. It was classy. It was well drawn and well produced. It was acted superbly. It is in my opinion the best American anime or animation ever and yes, i watched it recently and it was even BETTER than i remember.

Rob Instigator 03.14.2016 01:04 PM

It is good.

I just get fed up with the focus on "origin stories" in the films. Those are unnecessary. There is no need to spend an hour showing us how the Fantastic Four got their powers.

Severian 03.14.2016 02:06 PM

Yeah, origin stories get old.

Apparently the Batman solo flicks are going to have more of a flashback storyline. Obviously Jason Todd is already dead in BvS, so they'll probably en exploring the Death in the Family story and the Red Hood thing in the next solo film.

I just loved how the Nolan moved focused on the villains. They didn't need to have 500 bad guys like that awful Amazing Spider Man, or Spider-Man 3. The villains loomed so large in those films, and that's the best part of the Batman mythos. His relationship with Joker, Ra's, etc. how they become such major threats to the world...

LifeDistortion 03.14.2016 03:14 PM

One thing I'm looking forward to is that Suicide Squad looks to be the antithesis of Batman V Superman, everything in BVS is super serious, as was MOS. Suicide Squad went the complete opposite direction and is colorful, and fun, and chaotic. Probably good that we are getting both styles, but that, "let's take everything so seriously" take that may have worked for those Nolan films and is continuing with BVS gets old too. Hopefully by the time they get to Justice League they take a page from Suicide Squad and insert a little silliness and color back into Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.

Severian 03.14.2016 03:28 PM

See, that's a double edged sword. Whenever things get corny band silly (which comic books often are, which is one of the reasons why the more serious/realistic thing is the go-to for so many cinematic adaptations), things get Fucking stupid really fast.

Nobody wants or needs a corny Batman. Or a silly Barman. Joel Shumacher gave us a corny, silly, ultra campy Batman and those movies (Batman Forevef, Batman and Robin) are te worst comic book films ever.

THE WORST.

So yeah everybody wants silly (or thinks they do) when things get too serious, but that's what leads to Toby Maguire disco dancing around like a Fucking asshole in Spider-Man 3.

Nonody every knows what they want. They always want what they're not getting. But Nolan's TDK trilogy was the most critically and commercially successful comic adaptation ever. No, it didn't make as much as the Avengers, but it also didn't have any entries that had terrible reviews like Age of Ultron. Captain Amerjca went dark for Winter Soldier because a lot of folks didn't even notice the first film, but now it's a huge franchise.

ALSO - did you happen to see he ORIGINAL trailer for Suicide Squad? It was like upsettingly melodramatic and dark. Really. It was originally branded as a "whoah, darkest of the dark!" thing, but the studio was worried about the responses so they put "Bohemian Rhapsody" in the next trailer and now people are into it.

It's all perspective. Man of Steel had a lot of funny moments actually. When he tied that trucker guys big rig up like a ribbon? That was as funny as Superman needs to be. That movie was just pulsating with energy and power. I didn't see it as dark, I saw it as exhilarating. Those scenes of Supes taking off in the Arctic? The grown cracking beneath his fists? It was really majestic! I just loved it!

You may think you want silly, but you don't. You DONT want Batman to have bat-nipples, or to be quibbling with Robin about who Poison Ivy was looking at. God damn that was AWFUL!

If you want silly, you've got Guardians of The Galaxy (which mixed silly and badass very well, actually) and Deadpool and Avengers bickering with eachother like spoiled kids. But that's not what anyone wants or needs from Batman.

LifeDistortion 03.14.2016 03:37 PM

Its a balance though. Take the characters seriously, but show the fun of it. Suicide Squad is full of fun characters, anti-heroes/villains sure, but fun. Nobody is saying they want Joker dancing to disco or Superman wearing a cod piece, they need to be true to the character the comic readers know, but at the same time there is a way to give us a fun, crowd-pleasing movie without going completely to one end of the spectrum or the other. I would argue the first Avengers struck that balance. Of course not everyone has the skill and talent of Joss Whedon, but they don't have to continue the trend of Nolan either, at least attempt that balance.

Rob Instigator 03.14.2016 03:40 PM

fuck "silly" I want FUN. Comic Book films should not be dystopian anti-hero nihilism! That shit is just the studios adding what they think works nowadays.

The Batman with the Joker (Nolan) was FUN, and not silly. It had scenes of humor that Batman always has, as his foes are inherently ridiculous. That is why I hated the Bane thing. That oaf was rife for ridicule and they treat him like he is a bigger enemy than Ras al ghul? sheeeiiiitt

SuchFriendsAreDangerous 03.14.2016 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob Instigator
fuck "silly" I want FUN. Comic Book films should not be dystopian anti-hero nihilism! That shit is just the studios adding what they think works nowadays.

The Batman with the Joker (Nolan) was FUN, and not silly. It had scenes of humor that Batman always has, as his foes are inherently ridiculous. That is why I hated the Bane thing. That oaf was rife for ridicule and they treat him like he is a bigger enemy than Ras al ghul? sheeeiiiitt

Exactly. This is why i much prefer Burton's Joker to Nolan's as i thought Nolan's was to psycho not enough fun. Nicholson hammed it up and made the joker menacing but sincerely funny (like haha funny and not that is fucked up shit funny)

SuchFriendsAreDangerous 03.14.2016 04:26 PM

I think the first Burton Batman is a masterpiece. It is beautiful and yet menacing to look at prpduction wise.. it is dark without necessarily taking itself too seriously. It has sincere fun and laughs and yet is never campy. It touches on social issues without being a morality play. Ot is a prototypical Burton film. Could it be better? Of course. However personally while i enjoyed the Nolan flicks i didn't honestly resonate with them as actually being Batman movies.. rather they seemed like extremely dark action flick with occasional Batmanesque shit. It went a bit too dark for me.. too action packed and explosions.. and yes a bit to over the top at many times.. its like the equal but opposite of the Schumaker Batmans equally outlandish and over the top to the point of hyperbole but in opposite ways

Severian 03.14.2016 10:16 PM

The Nolan films are the equal opposite of the Shumacher ones. Shumacher was terrible in every way, TDK was great in every way. Perfectly terrible vs. perfectly perfect.

And the Joker is really the key ingredient here. That was simply one of the best performances I've ever seen. Certainly one of the greatest cinematic villains ever, if not the greatest. Won a goddamn Oscar! And deserved it!

They weren't really realistic. They were perfect examples of hyper realism. It worked. It was great. The Tim Burton films, for all their style, had very little substance. The stories were barely there. Though they did blow me away when I was young, and I still think Penguin was terrifying if not the least bit rooted in the actual character.

But back to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice for a sec.. Maybe? Eh?

SuchFriendsAreDangerous 03.14.2016 10:42 PM

I disagree that Nolan versions were "terribly perfect".. i found them outlandish. Like Rob only the one with Joker is ok to me. I me let me explain, as a blockbuster flick? The nolan movies are definitely top shelf. But, as Batman? I just thought it went too outlandish in the blowing shit up and everything is dark and terrifying for Batman.. to me? Batman is dark but is more film noir less about horror. Batman is a bit classier then i think the Nolan flicks pulls off. As a movie Nolan films kick ass.. as specifically Batman movies? I don't particularly care for them.

Severian 03.15.2016 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous
I disagree that Nolan versions were "terribly perfect".. i found them outlandish. Like Rob only the one with Joker is ok to me. I me let me explain, as a blockbuster flick? The nolan movies are definitely top shelf. But, as Batman? I just thought it went too outlandish in the blowing shit up and everything is dark and terrifying for Batman.. to me? Batman is dark but is more film noir less about horror. Batman is a bit classier then i think the Nolan flicks pulls off. As a movie Nolan films kick ass.. as specifically Batman movies? I don't particularly care for them.


I guess I can see where you're coming from. I'm just a really big fan of Nolan's approach and method. Some folks think he's too Hollywood, but that wasn't always the case. I think he has excellent instincts, and yeah, I think he made an epic and hyper realistic (not truly realistic.... hyper realistic, as though you're having a panic attack while watching the films, and perceiving everything in crystalline detail, and feeling every overwhelming piece of perceptual stimulation) crime drama out of Batman, and that it was less about making a movie about Batman and more about making a story about the world Batman is supposed to (or would, if real) exist in.

Yeah, it leaves out a ton of the Batman character, and places all the focus on either the villains (Joker just ruled TDK, even the scenes he wasn't in) or the big (sometimes REALLY big) picture. In that sense, it could have been about anyone... Could have been a cop drama or a gangster drama... But I think that was kind of the point... To make a trilogy of Batman films that were NOT JUST FOR COMIC BOOK FANS.

So it probably wasn't the perfect film depiction of Batman. I still think it's the best one, but there was too much else going on for the actual personality of Batman to come through very well.

I actually think it was more of a Gotham City story. But whatever it did miss, I think it hit enough things pretty perfectly, and I think it's a success.

Really, Gordon is probably the main character of the series, if there is one. But yeah, it's not really "about" Batman. And there's a lot of the character that's left unexplored. But his vision was well rounded and direct and well executed and I think The Dark Knight is one of the best films ever. It's hard to even think about it as a "comic book" film. To me, it's more along the lines of The Godfather, or Heat, or the Departed. An ensemble piece. And an extraordinary film no matter how you slice it.

But I'll agree that as a "Batman film" it's a little light on Batman. Not just in screen time, but in general. Anyway I was still crying tears of joy when Batman Begins came out and I realized that I finally had a GOOD on screen adaptation of Batman again. Those Shumacher films were a real, REAL kick in the fucking balls.

SuchFriendsAreDangerous 03.15.2016 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Severian
I guess I can see where you're coming from. I'm just a really big fan of Nolan's approach and method. Some folks think he's too Hollywood, but that wasn't always the case. I think he has excellent instincts, and yeah, I think he made an epic and hyper realistic (not truly realistic.... hyper realistic, as though you're having a panic attack while watching the films, and perceiving everything in crystalline detail, and feeling every overwhelming piece of perceptual stimulation) crime drama out of Batman, and that it was less about making a movie about Batman and more about making a story about the world Batman is supposed to (or would, if real) exist in.

Yeah, it leaves out a ton of the Batman character, and places all the focus on either the villains (Joker just ruled TDK, even the scenes he wasn't in) or the big (sometimes REALLY big) picture. In that sense, it could have been about anyone... Could have been a cop drama or a gangster drama... But I think that was kind of the point... To make a trilogy of Batman films that were NOT JUST FOR COMIC BOOK FANS.

So it probably wasn't the perfect film depiction of Batman. I still think it's the best one, but there was too much else going on for the actual personality of Batman to come through very well.

I actually think it was more of a Gotham City story. But whatever it did miss, I think it hit enough things pretty perfectly, and I think it's a success.

Really, Gordon is probably the main character of the series, if there is one. But yeah, it's not really "about" Batman. And there's a lot of the character that's left unexplored. But his vision was well rounded and direct and well executed and I think The Dark Knight is one of the best films ever. It's hard to even think about it as a "comic book" film. To me, it's more along the lines of The Godfather, or Heat, or the Departed. An ensemble piece. And an extraordinary film no matter how you slice it.



It wasn't so much as it had to "be more about Batman" so much as I think it should have "felt more like a Batman story" (e.g. more film noir less action adventure blowing shit up)...

Again as a MOVIE i quite enjoy the Nolan flicks, they are well written, well acted, and well produced. A bit long but not overwhelming.. HOWEVER the same way you are very partial and biased towards liking the Nolan flicks, because to me the ideal Batman is the Warner Bros Batman Animated Series I think it wasn't classy enough, a bit too gratituous in the violence and action, not enough mystery. Too scary and horror, not enough dark and foreboding. Too much blowing shit up, not enough actual story and character development...

They are still great. And still superior to everything but the first Tim Burton Batman, and really in many ways superior even to that. However for ME, I think the first Burton flick more closely pulls off the "classy" and "film noir" Batman.

I agree with you completely that Nolan was revisiting Batman in a more "contemporary" perspective in the context of film making, but that is precisely what kind of turns me off. No, it wasn't anywhere near the terrible shit that is X-men or Ironman or Superman or any of these other bullshit hero movies which frankly I couldn't sit through more than ten minutes of meanwhile I can easily sit through all 3 hours of the Nolan flicks... BUT again, I just don't feel like its "Batman" like you said, if we blacked out the actual Batman scenes it was essentially Die Hard ;)

Severian 03.21.2016 12:34 PM

Good reviews of advanced screenings of BvS coming in on IMDB... Almost all 10/10's! Many saying it's better than The Dark Knight (it's not).

http://m.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/reviews

The Soup Nazi 03.22.2016 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Severian
Good reviews of advanced screenings of BvS coming in on IMDB... Almost all 10/10's! Many saying it's better than The Dark Knight (it's not).

http://m.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/reviews


Well here it's tanking:

http://www.metacritic.com/movie/batm...critic-reviews

The Soup Nazi 03.22.2016 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pepper_green
bores me to death and Nolan is a hack money grabber and most of his movies are pseudo sci fi at best.


Snyder directed this film, not Nolan.

pepper_green 03.22.2016 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Soup Nazi
Snyder directed this film, not Nolan.


so what. does it matter? who cares about who directed a comic book movie you geeks want to see.

im taking it slow and soft and seeing who gets offended.

Severian 03.22.2016 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pepper_green
have no interest in this at all. it's poison shallow Hollywood spitting it out. stop trying to live out yr prepubescent dreams. bores me to death and Nolan is a hack money grabber and most of his movies are pseudo sci fi at best.



You loved Interstellar if I remember correctly.

Pseudo sci-fi isn't really a value judgment, though, so you're largely correct. Most would categorize Inception as sci-fi, but it's really more of a psychological thriller. The Dark Knight movies would definitely fall (incorrectly) under the "sci-fi/fantasy" heading in most communities, but they're really not. They're crime films. Hyperrealism, action and adventure, cerebral crime drama.

Interstellar is most definitely science fiction though. Not pseudo, just sci-fi.

Sci-fi has produced a lot of great films though. Blade Runner? Saying something is "pseudo sci-fi" doesn't really even mean anything.


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