Warning: Major Spoilers Ahead!
Now that "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" (or, "BvS" for short), has been out for about two weeks now, nearly everyone has been able to see it and give their best or worst opinions on the movie. On release though, "BvS" had many negative reviews from critics, but this did not stop most moviegoers, as the movie made over $700,000,000 globally.
With all these numbers and too many review sites giving this movie terrible to modest reviews, what is the true verdict? Was this the movie we, as comic book fans, deserved? The answer is yes. So despite what you thought of the movie, there were many key moments that set up something much larger for DC Comics.
"BvS" acts as its own origin story. It details the history of "Batman," who at this point is at an older age and doesn't really put up with much anymore. But, it also sets up more than just "Batman" and "Superman's" stories.
The scene where Wonder Woman is on her laptop, she goes through a series of videos that introduces the other members of the Justice League. Videos of the Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman were all shown to set up a bigger picture for the universe. This allows for the DC Extended Universe (or, DCEU), to expand itself within one movie, rather then filling up forums with teasers of whats to come. Also during the nightmare sequence, Bruce begins dreaming about a future where he is in a post-apocalyptic desert and then finds himself fending off against soldiers bearing the Superman "S" and the "Omega" symbols. So, at this point it is safe to assume that DC's biggest threat will be coming to the big screen eventually.
If that wasn't enough to convince you, the hordes of Parademons flying down from the sky will help with that. This image is later brought back when Lex's painting in his house at the end of the film is reversed where the demons are on the top coming down to the earth while the angels are left there to fight. This use of foreshadowing gave "BvS" a deeper meaning rather than Batman and Superman fighting against each other and eventually fighting together against Doomsday.
While the villains are lacking in "BvS," the heroes are given their chance to shine. Both Batman and Superman are given very dynamic stories that drive their character arcs in good directions that will set the tone for future films. Having Superman's identity crisis and Batman's fear of Meta-Humans act as a driving force for the film will eventually flow into future films. We can expect to see this same story driven force in the origin stories of all of the Justice League members. All of these character dynamics will eventually come together to make one even bigger film.
"BvS" also set itself apart from the typical comic book genre. It is redefining itself in a different way, giving a more mature tone to the series allows for DCEU to have its own identity. Watching this movie, I felt it was more story driven - which built up a lot of what is to come, but it also gave an insight to the character's pasts, especially Batman's. Having this darker tone, which resembles Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight" comic series is somewhat of a refresher to the childish gimmicks other comic book adaptations put us through. Having a more mature audience allows for the DCEU to tell more of a story rather than having to fill every other scene with a useless fight. Characters with story and meaning behind every punch are more impactful in the long run rather than having one big hero beating up a bunch of useless bad guys.
Speaking of fight scenes, the fight between the main protagonists, Batman and Superman, was emotionally filled from start to finish. We got to see a darker side of our heroes as they threw devastating blows to one another. What really sets the story is Batman's change of heart. Moments before Batman is going to kill Superman, a sense of humanity is brought to his character, allowing audiences to feel a sense of the torment Batman is going through. This development of Batman and sense of emotion will play largely into what's to come for the future of the DCEU, as we were able to see a different side of Batman.
So as the movie does contain a lot of information for viewers, it does a good job of offering so much more outside of the film, but within the universe. "BvS" gives more food for thought than most other post credit scenes can do and creates a large scope for the DCEU. It drives a lot of story for the audience to think about making it a great film to build a foundation for the future of the DCEU. Future installments in these series will hopefully bring the film justice that DC needs. With titles like "Suicide Squad" in the works, DC is working its way into the cinema world and it has "BvS" to thank for it.
