For the past eight years, I have been a huge and dedicated fan of the DC Comics Industry, from comic books and graphic novels to video games, animated shows, and live-action films. While it certainly has had its priceless moments, it has also had its difficulties—one of them being the future DCEU films. While I enjoyed Director Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel" (2013) and "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" (2016), I did have problems with the films as they both set the stage for the upcoming "Justice League" films and stand-alone features. Within "Batman v. Superman," I couldn't help but cringe during certain moments of the film. There was a large amount that could have been better that hopefully is improved upon in the upcoming films. While I thoroughly understand that the DC Comics franchise is very different from Marvel's, I believe that the DC Comics films can be thoroughly enjoyable let alone great if they improve in certain areas.
1. Dialogue
One of the difficulties I had with "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" was the lack of confrontation between DC's greatest icons. While we do get the confrontation between Bruce and Clark, we hardly do when they are Batman and Superman. As seen in the photo above, Superman prevents Batman's car chase in Gotham City and then confronts him as he tears the doors off of the Batmobile. One would expect a great dialogue scene that circled around the different viewpoints of being a hero. Instead, we get a short exchange of one-liners that really did not fit the scene at all. "Next time you shine your light in the sky, don't go to it. The Bat is dead. Bury it. Consider this mercy."
This really did not fit who Superman was. I understand that it is a different take on the Man of Steel, but Superman threatening Batman did not make any sense due to the fact that he later refuses to fight until he was threatened to by Lex Luthor. If Batman were in Metropolis, it would have made sense as to why Superman would confront him since it would be his territory. Batman's response was even worse as he says, "Tell me, do you bleed? You will!" It worked well in the teaser trailer back in 2015, but in this scene in particular, it was just pathetic. Throughout the film, Batman constantly has one-liners. "Breathe it in. That's fear" or "You're not brave, men are brave" or even "You're not a god. You're not even a man." While these lines are indeed cool and interesting, to have Batman primarily say quick one-liners rather than have meaningful dialogue was very disappointing, especially to someone that is a huge Batman fan, A.K.A., me.
2. Consistent Plot
The cast of the "Batman v. Superman" film is a fairly large cast, specifically for the main characters. A large cast can bring difficulty with the amount of screen time each member receives on screen. Within the movie, we have five specific characters: Batman/Bruce Wayne, Superman/Clark Kent, Wonder Woman/Diana Prince, Lex Luthor, and Lois Lane. One of the difficulties I had with the film was the script changing from one character's perspective to another. This happened throughout the entire film so much that it became difficult to understand the motives a character let alone connect with them. I get it, each character has a certain viewpoint, but make it consistent and improve on scene changes from one character to another.
3. Subplots
One of the largest difficulties that I had with the film along with 2013's "Man of Steel" were the unnecessary and poorly connected subplots. As fans are aware, Lex Luther is known to be a schemer, one who has a plan as every detail connects to one another. It became difficult to connect some of the subplots to the main plot, such as the bullet that Lois Lane found in Africa, which connected back to Lex Corp. Whenever the bullet was brought up, I really had trouble making the connections as to why it significantly mattered. While I have appreciated Director Zack Snyder's films to an extent, he is known for having subplots with little purpose of being in the film or no purpose at all. This wasted screen time could be used for other parts of the film to expanded on.
4. Character Motivations
If one is going to have a film that focused significantly on a conflict between the main characters, one has to thoroughly give reasons as to why the characters are against one another. We do see Batman's motivations in the beginning of the film and when he is confronted by Alfred, however, there could have been more, especially when he is confronted by Superman for the first time and when he acknowledges the retired Robin uniform. Speaking of Superman, we hardly get any detailed reason for his motivations to hating Batman other than the fact that he simply does not like vigilantism. Surprisingly, Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor gives a solid reason as to why he hates Superman, let alone superheroes in general. This can be greatly seen in the first 30 minutes of the film when he gives his spiel to the Governor about why the Kryptonite is important to keep Superman in check and when he gives his rich and detailed monologue to Superman on top of the Lexcorp building as he compares him to God. It gave a solid foundation to really understand Lex's hatred for Superman let alone the idea of superheroes in general and it would have been great to see that among Batman and Superman.
What separates DC from Marvel is their tackling the idea of actually having vigilantes and godlike figures living among mankind. It deals highly with the cost of being a superhero as civilian lives are lost, the idea of society hating masked heroes, and what it means to sacrifice everything for the sake of mankind. That being said, Marvel has a thorough understanding of having consistent plots and reasons behind character motivations. I believe that DC has the ability to improve in these areas, considering the franchise is still young. One can only hope and pray for the best of the DCEU film slate.
