Matt Warrilow says there’s no denying that Batfleck looks great. Really great.
The influence of ‘The Dark Knight Returns’, whilst modernising its look in line with Christopher Nolan’s vision, has made it what it is. The idea of a slightly (in Affleck’s case) older Bruce Wayne with a heavier build, whilst sticking to the newer, sleeker armoured design is something that will undoubtedly excite fans, new and old.
That’s certainly not where the influence of Frank Millar’s seminal run writing for the Dark Knight stops. In fact on announcing the film at San Diego Comic Con last year, Zack quoted his book:
‘I want you to remember, Clark…in all the years to come…in your most private moments…I want you to remember…my hand…at your throat…I want…you to remember…the one man who beat you.’
It’s easy to get excited about the film because of this, and other factors just add to this. The working title ‘Batman vs Superman’, again, gives us the potential of a fight to rival that at the end of ‘The Dark Knight Returns’. The casting, although initially seen as controversial, should arguably start to be seen as inspired. Affleck as a slightly older, even wiser Bruce Wayne, could be cast perfectly if pitched as his performance in Argo with addded grit. Whilst Jesse Eisenberg, cast as Lex Luthor, is an interesting departure to how he has been portrayed previously. And anybody doubting Eisenberg’s ability to play a corrupt, narcissistic hellbent individual just needs to re-watch the scenes from ‘The Social Network’ where he ‘defends himself’ from lawsuits against the Winklevoss twins and in particular, Eduardo Saverin.
On top of that, where the hammy script for ‘Man of Steel’ was its ultimate downfall, Chris Terrio, writer of ‘Argo’, is now in charge of the screenplay. This will surely result in a tighter treatment giving the characters the depth that they deserve, whilst potentially providing us with set pieces akin to the beautifully written, and ultimately incredibly tense, scenes leading upto the end of ‘Argo’. Combine that with the obvious visual and special effects quality that Snyder does possess (come on, the Superman vs Zod fight scene was stunning), and let us not forget he did an impressive job with ‘Watchmen’, we could well be onto a winner.
But the issue isn’t with this film, it’s how they treat the ‘Justice League’ follow-up.
The ‘Batman vs Superman’ element that we seem to have been promised may be a slight exaggeration. Where we all think of the fight at the end of ‘The Dark Knight Returns’, how can we expect them to fight one another, for them then to join together as part of ‘Justice League’? Although they (SPOILERS, but if you haven’t read it, shame on you!) do touch upon Superman’s ‘relief’ that Bruce Wayne doesn’t die, Wayne and Clark are obvious rivals. Batman standing up against a morally absent Superman, one who is fighting on the side of a corrupt government. How will they handle this element of it? Fight each other, then sort out their differences to fight a greater foe (potentially one that could run into ‘Justice League?’) doesn’t seem as tight, or appealing, as a fight against foes.
On top of that, I, and I imagine others, struggle to have that same emotional bond with Superman than I have with Batman. Sure, Wayne’s story includes being a multi-billionaire, but the idea of his parents being murdered, and the trauma this has caused, is something that can easily be related to. His appeal is that where most people would struggle to continue, Batman promises to his parents that he will do anything he can to ensure what he has been through doesn’t happen to anybody else. It’s a huge commitment, one that we can take faith from, and hope that in even dire situations, positives can arise. Superman on the other-hand comes from a faraway planet, with superpowers already within him, which at a young age he had to withhold, before using them to save the world. It’s difficult to have that emotional connection with someone like this.
But most importantly, on the back of the success of ‘The Avengers’, it’s obvious why DC Entertainment has greenlit its own assemble film. The difference however is the approach. Marvel have constructed a long-term , well-formed and detailed plan, introducing the majority of the team in their own stand-alone film (sometimes two of them) giving them at least 2 hours each for their characters to develop, as well as giving film goers who aren’t familiar with them the chance to understand their back story, their driving forces etc. From there, Joss Wheddon could be given free reign to focus on producing a hugely entertaining film without the need of developing multiple characters, and as a result extending the running time, impacting on the rhythm and ultimately becoming a mess.
DC on the other hand don’t have this luxury. Sure there have been Superman and Batman films recently, but what of the other members of the Justice League? At the moment it’s unclear which ones will be in the film, but if we take the key ones, they certainly haven’t been given the space that their Marvel counterparts have. Wonder Woman has a role to play in ‘Batman vs Superman’, but surely the focus will be away from her, whilst any attempt to show her backstory will surely remove us from the main focus of the film. Green Lantern had…well…the less side about his film the better, whilst Aquaman, Martian Manhunter and potentially Green Arrow (despite the TV show) and Hawkman will also need to be introduced. It’s quite a list, one where all their origins stories are extremely diverse, and how they could explain it all in the space of one film, whilst introducing a peril for them to fight against, seems to be an extremely complicated, and difficult, task for any screenwriter, let alone for someone like David S.Goyer, whose script for ‘Man of Steel’ was hammy at best, and will return to write ‘Justice League’.
But this is all theories that can easily be quashed by individuals who are far talented and more equipped at writing a huge blockbuster than you or I. So in the meantime, let’s just look at how wonderfully done the new Batsuit is, wait for the new film and again, revel in the fact that us comic book fans have never had it so good.
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