batman

What The World of DC Films could have been

My pitch for the perfect balance between what the studio would have liked and what Zack Snyder was good at. And we’re gonna assume that only Man of Steel exists as it is in our analysis.

The idea for Ben Affleck to love Batman was to play a more fucked up older version, who’s intent on going to any level (even brand them) in order to stop crime. He has had a torrid 20 years in Gotham. “How many good guys are left and how many stayed that way?” — Bruce Wayne line in Batman V Superman 2016.

And now he doesn’t even care about his own life. So the opening sequence in the actual film; Bruce runs towards a falling building while everyone else runs away from it does what the opening car crash scene, in the DC animated film The Dark Knight Returns Part-1, does in its opening. Bruce doesn’t care about his life anymore.

Gordon is about to retire. He reveals, just like in the animated film, that Commissioner Gordon knows Bruce Wayne is Batman. We’ve never done it in the films! And imagine the dynamic between Ben Affleck and J.K.Simmons as fine actors throughout the series. Now obviously everyone is losing their shit that an alien with god-like superpowers now lives on earth. Imagine how such a discussion would manifest itself in the real world with the political climate today? The moral question of the world of the film is one line from that news world montage featuring real thought leaders of the modern world, “Must there be a Superman?”

But this thread goes from here into things being slightly different from the movie that was released. Let’s completely get done with the Africa – Lex Luthor bullet subplot. Stay with me here.

One ex-military person who has lost both his legs during the battle in Man of Steel starts to become a force in the media that questions his free will and might. While the senator is under a lot of pressure to impose some restrictions on Superman. Or try to find out who he is. She requests him on LIVE TV to make an appearance at a public hearing and answer some questions from the people. Clark Kent meanwhile contemplates this with Martha Kent and Lois Lane.

Lex Luthor’s thugs are smuggling Kryptonite into Metropolis. It’s revealed that Lex has been trying to get a license for months but now he doesn’t care to do it legally anymore. Some Bat figure shows up in the lightning (First reveal of this Batman) and steals the Kryptonite. #BecauseIamBatman #BadAssActionSequenceWithJunkieXLScore.

Bruce Wayne meets Clark Kent at the Lex Luthor Gala. Where we’re introduced to them all, a mysterious woman steals a sword at Luthor’s exhibition. In this scene, we make it absolutely clear that Bruce Wayne finds out he is Superman. A shot of Clark cleaning his glasses as he puts them back on while nobody except Bruce Wayne was watching. Clarke suspects him knowing about his identity but can’t read his mind (even though he is Superman).

Batman: “So the question is, who wants to eliminate me?”

Alfred: “That line is forming around the block, sir.”―Batman and Alfred discussing an attempt on his life from Batman, the animated series.

Batman then threatens a criminal for information on who is branding everyone else by branding him. Then Superman shows up, asks him to control his outings as a masked vigilante and Bruce Wayne realises that he has figured it out. Superman on the other hand now having seen Bruce’s face fears that he might reveal his identity.

He asks him with a smirk, “Do you bleed?”

Superman says consider this mercy and flies away.

Bruce Wayne starts to get a lot of emails from an unknown source. They show a series of photos of people he hasn’t even branded. Petty criminals Batman would normally not even care to get involved with. Small time thugs. And he gets a picture of his mother’s pearls and the old story of the Wayne Murder. Whoever sent these pictures to him knows about his identity. He suspects that these are threats from Superman asking him to stop branding criminals or he will eliminate this vigilante who everyone is terrorized by. Bruce discusses this with Gordon. Gordon reluctantly says he will look into this.

Clark Kent goes to a public hearing, the senator asks some really tough questions on the god-like will he imposes on people. Superman doesn’t seem to have any answers and just then he notices a man without legs in the front row of the people. His chair is made out of the lead, which Superman cannot X-Ray like he normally does. We make it clear visually what happens and then it all blows up! Superman is blamed even more by the people.

Batman decides he must stop him. Even if it takes his life that’s fine. He says his father would have been proud to have died for something like this. He prepares to fight Superman with the armoured suit and Kryptonite on his side.

Lex Luthor gets crazy on his company’s rooftop on a rainy night and calls out to GOD. Superman shows up. He blames Superman for all the chaos in the world and mentions the world is right in blaming him. If he has the power of a god then he cannot be all good. That’s why he lets Batman operate and terrorize people. He shows them the pictures of the people Batman hasn’t branded in real. The audience gets it clearly now that it’s Lex who’s sending Bruce these photos. Under pressure from Luthor’s allegations and unable to give any answers about the operations of the Batman, he goes to reason with him and probably take him down. They fight. For a much much longer time as the fans get exactly the visuals, they need to wet their pants.

Superman doesn’t want to show his full power. Batman resists capture by the use of the Kryptonite and starts hurting Superman. Superman wants to now use all his power and stop Batman. Just as he is about to pierce Batman with his Kryptonite armour, Woman Woman shows up and stops him. She reveals what Lex did to make you too go against each other and then reveals about the mother boxes and the Doomsday plot. Gordon confirms Lex Luthor’s hand in this.

Batman realizing his mistake tears through Luthor’s science facility (practical effects action sequence) in an anger/rage to catch him. Luthor releases Doomsday as he is about to be caught. The Trinity fight Doomsday. Superman dies because he sacrifices himself. Aliens are coming. We must make the Justice League says Bruce by revealing other metahumans exist based on information stolen from the Lex Luthor facility.

Wonder Woman the film stays the same more or less. Maybe even Suicide Squad with the exception of the Joker being the villain and the Harley-Joker relationship being the main thread. Wonder Woman could have transcended the genre by establishing that Ares was something inside mankind rather than being David Thewlis with a real moustache but with CGI smoke in the background. Wonder Woman would have grown up with the realisation that the enemy is perennial. It’s inside mankind and it could manifest in many forms so she must fight and protect the innocent.

We enter Justice League and establish a more determined Batman. Wanting to right his wrongs in BvS by assembling the league.

Why Justice League became a bad Marvel movie

When the opening scene of the film happens to be something that wasn’t in the original vision for the film, the patchy nature of the film really begins to show (Upper Lip). I’ve been a big fan of Man of Steel but since then have been consistently disappointed by where Zack Snyder and company took the story. He chose a niche for these super beloved characters, He was going for a very specific and niche tone. But then something happened that really messed with that original vision. MOS, BvS and Justice League were supposed to be a part of a trilogy which Zack Snyder wanted to tell. Each bigger in ambition than the last.

The ‘something’ that I refer to is the involvement of Chris Terrio. He was brought into re-write parts of BvS. I don’t know why critics or general people don’t consider that as one of those bad hires that really spoiled the films. As far as I know he isn’t a comic book nerd and he took the steering away from Zack to redirect it into that god awful Martha Scene who everyone makes fun of now. Sure, he won Best Screenplay for Argo with Ben Affleck but this these films won’t ever be remembered as his best work.

Let’s get into Justice League. It’s a mess. Structure wise, Joss Whedon had an impossible task especially with the mandate by Warner Bros CEO to bring the film to under 2 hours to enable more theatrical screenings. They wanted money to be made from the most expensive super-hero film ever made. With a 93 Million dollar opening being the lowest ever for any DC film we all know how that turned out. It feels like vignette after vignette and skims over the origins of each of the new characters. You’re left wondering where do these people come from exactly? What do they feel about being who they are? And how do they reconcile with the fact that they happens to be gods now with these invulnerable super powers? The flash, Aquaman and Cyborg just happen to walk into scenes fully costumed and ready to fight. Another problem is the fact that most of the good moments were included in the trailers but that happens with most of these films now. Why do these films feel like extended trailers nowadays?

Danny Elfman was brought in to score the film after Junkie XL was fired from the project. He chooses to go backwards and not forwards with the choices he makes. Only Wonder Woman’s super popular theme is retained (in a weak fashion) and everything Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL did was all thrown out of the window. This score is mediocre at best. I think the score for Man of Steel is so nuanced and emotional and it still resonates with me. Anyone who has ‘an eye’ could see the reshoots and the change in the way scenes injected witty lines and characters started making self aware jokes. Maybe Zack wasn’t at his best when we was conceiving this epic plan but his vision was tampered with from the start. He needed a cohesive screenplay to support his grand visual storytelling instincts.

It was meant to be an epic on paper with a wasted cast like JK Simmons, Diane Lane, Amy Adams and Jesse Eisenberg who barely make it past two short scenes or less. Steppenwolf was always planned to be a part of a two part epic perhaps where the real baddie Darkseid tests the League to their limits. Everyone online has mentioned about the weak fully CG villain and I won’t get into it again. The death of superman is perhaps his motivation to return to the world again. A couple of scenes between Diana Prince and Bruce Wayne work and one with Jason Momoa when you look at them in isolation. A couple of scenes do make you smile with The Flash and Superman as well. But the razor thin plot, I don’t think, will make them stick. Now let me examine the crux of my feelings here. The twin director problem.

WB took a massive critical hit after BvS so they looked for what makes other films in the genre work. Everybody knows they looked at Marvel. Everybody knows they hired Joss Whedon to rewrite scenes. And Everybody knows he injects these godlike beings down to earth with humour to make them relatable. That’s fine but that was the foundation he built for the Marvel Cinematic Universe with the first two phases of films and culminating in the Avengers films. He was asked to do that again here. But what makes DC films different is the grit and realism with which it treats its worlds. That’s what made TDK movies and Man of Steel work for me. Both those films involve a story treatment by Christopher Nolan. That’s what these films don’t get now. A unique voice which has the confidence of what story it’s trying to tell and then going ahead with conviction. Unfortunately DC are trying to be like Marvel now for the approval of the general public and its moving towards mediocrity to say the least. That’s not what I’ve come to expect from these films.

Everybody knows that the dice are loaded… And everybody knows that they’re in trouble.

Batman V Superman (Ultimate Edition) — A Retrospective

Warner Bros received heavy slack after the release of the theatrical version after having made fantastic initial trailers and then messing it up with the 3rd act reveals in the final trailer, which was in many people’s opinion (and mine too) a poorly made film.

Removing or adding little bits and pieces here and there makes so much of a difference, doesn’t it? Well that’s exactly what happened with me as I saw this version. As I am a film student, I try to delve for the issues of rhythm and time when one is watching nay experiencing a film. First of all this version starts to move in a more comprehensible way. That I think was lacking in the theatrical version. There were so many abrupt cuts and the sense of who’s coming from where and who’s going where was very weak. In a broader sense, this version gets to see more of the Africa Sequence, more of the bullet investigation, more of Clarke Kent being Clarke Kent, a journalist (thank god!).

Problems even after the extended Cut

Jesse Eisenbergs character has weak motivations. What does he know of The Batman? Why does he want to kill Superman? When was the inception of his idiosyncrasies?
I think there definitely could have been a better way to introduce elements from the Justice League than an email from Bruce Wayne.
I accepted the mystery surrounding the play with Wonder Woman but her character doesn’t have a well defined self sustained arc in this film. Yeah all entertainment these days is serialized I know but I’m sure we’ll love at least a subplot ending within a movie. Wonder Woman came back for the picture of hers that Luthor Had. Did she wipe that data out within the course of the movie? No.
The weight of importance of events still feel shifted a bit too much towards Lois Lane and lesser towards Alexander Luthor. I think if the narrative curves would have been more of a triangle between Batman, Superman and Luthor it would have been a more engaging battle.

Problem but not really a problem

I now trust the tone that these two movies have had. This cut made me put aside my notions of Batman (Christopher Nolan/Christian Bale/Animated Series) and let me think, Hey! Show me what story you’re telling. Let’s see how it goes with this Batman. Man of Steel wasn’t linear (I enjoy that movie a lot) and this is a complicated series of events too. We haven’t seen the past of this branding, murdering and fucked up Batman. Which is fine! He has a solo movie coming. I know! So there’s a story for that perhaps.

Problems solved after the Ultimate Cut

The Martha moment somehow for the first time felt less cheesy to me. It felt a little more weighted but not enough. I guess the point was to introduce the idea to Bruce Wayne that Superman also has a mother (He is human) and he sees himself as the criminal who killed his own mother which makes him piece it all together (because he is “the” detective).
Clarke Kent is developed a little more as a journalist which was seriously lacking before so I cared more for his sacrifice.
A couple of very “comic book brought to life” moments are added like the opening of bottles in the Africa sequence, cops watching a Metropolis vs Gotham football game, new introductions/shots to many such scenes.
Superman wants to care about people (He is shown coming back down after the bomb blast at the senate hearing to help people which is crucial information) but he’s been in a sort of a depression (forever it seems cause he doesn’t smile!) except for the bits in Man of Steel when he first flew.
The warehouse fight involving Batman and Doomsday fight involving the trinity has more intense shots (Rated R) are more cohesive/flow better. More Fun.
The funeral sequence has beautiful slow motion shots of empty roads and the Daily Planet and a lot of Man of Steel recall. I think this is a nice end for the non smiling/Self Serious Superman and we’ll see him smile more in Justice League I’m sure.

When I look back at this (edited post) I do feel the film tried to do too much in one movie. It felt like little bit of a setup for Justice League and Wonder Woman and The Batman while trying to a Man of Steel sequel. Visually its brilliant but plot wise convoluted.

Overall the film feels like an operatic epic with huge ambitions but maybe some of us still won’t like that very thing.

Wonder Woman – Savior of the DCEU

If you don’t know (or feel) the cultural significance of Wonder Woman right now let me just put it in your conscious once again. Wonder Woman is a 75 year old character who’s ‘never’ had a large screen adaptation ever till now. She considered a part of the trinity of the most popular comic book characters ever. Yet she’s never had a movie because people believed it will never make as much money as Batman and Superman. Recent reports show Wonder Woman has grossed more than BvS in the US Box Office. Could any sane person say this even 5 years ago? Think of all those people who are getting represented for the first time ever on screen. If you’re a white or brown dude, like myself, we’ll never in its full capacity, grasp the meaning
of seeing someone relatable do the things we want to do. But if you’re a 14 year old girl who sees this powerful and strong willed woman fighting for peace and not obeying the words of a war general who sits comfortably while giving orders to soldiers to shed blood instead of doing it himself, you are being brought up just fine.

Now as a film it’s no secret that Wonder Woman is heavily influenced from Richard Donner’s Superman. In tone (a couple of scenes taken directly from it to pay homage) and with the pacing, yes but Wonder Woman is essentially a god unlike Superman. She’s a myth and she’s all powerful and righteous. What they (DC) do manage to do is tell a comprehensible and complete story. In the modern world of flashy trailer like editing or meaningless Bayhem, we do get a human story from an idolized god figure. A story where not everything went well. They did not live happily ever after, Diana has her delusions of mankind busted and yet she chooses to trust the imperfections of man. She makes a conscious decision to love inspire of the prevalent hate of a World War. That’s whats resonant and unique. The fact that Patty Jenkins (The Director) was given the creative license to portray a singular vision is great. There are some special moments in the film which will stand the test of (and grow with) time. This version will be the quintessential wonder woman origin for this generation. And that is huge. Chris Pine will forever be Steve Trevor and Gal Gadot will always be wonder woman for some no matter how many remakes they make. That’s the power of this film.

Now it’s not perfect but no film is. Our own subjective desires entail us to nitpick but there is little petty minds like myself can do anything about the fact that I felt the pacing in the second half could’ve been improved. But that’s probably the YouTube attention span of my mind talking. If this was 1975, people wouldn’t mind it being longer. Gal Gadot is, I don’t know, one day I’d say she’s the perfect casting choice because of the charm in her smile and the physicality but on another day, I would prefer someone who’s accent didn’t take me out of it. Again I am just a dumbfuck sitting and judging. The movie was great. It made me emotional at times. The chemistry between Chris Pine and Gal Gadot was infectious and the writing was smart and deliberate. Patty Jenkins made this movie with heart and passion because of what this film needed to do. The fact that she did empower the character of Wonder Woman without having to downgrade or diminish the male counterpart, Chris Pine, is truly admirable and respect worthy. Their love wasn’t cynical at any stage and it was framed with a romance of a time gone by. I was a fucking mess when she leaps off from a platform in the comtemporary world (was it london?) and her intensly powerful theme song plays which fades into black and the credits roll.

Now Wonder Woman means a lot more in the DCEU going forward than ever before.