A Look Back at “Batman v Superman” For It’s 10th Anniversary

This year marks the 10th anniversary of what was one of the most anticipated movies of 2016 - “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” When this movie first came out, I thought it was a fun watch and didn’t understand why this entry of the then-DCEU got a heavily mixed reception. Now, after watching it for the first time in a while, I can start to see why.

It’s been nearly two years since Superman’s colossal battle with Zod devastated the city of Metropolis. The loss of life and collateral damage left many feeling angry and helpless, including crime-fighting billionaire Bruce Wayne.

Batman embarks on a personal vendetta to end Superman’s reign on Earth, while the conniving Lex Luthor launches his own crusade against the Man of Steel.

When “Batman v Superman” came out a decade ago, initial audiences were deeply divided. While many praised its visuals, scale and action, others heavily criticized its grim tone, pacing and character changes. After revisiting the 2016 blockbuster, I can see why audiences were really divided and I think it’s still an OK watch - yet a really flawed one for sure.

Even though the darker tone is one of the most criticized elements, I really didn’t mind it. One thing that the movie does is that it delivers us a mature exploration of superheroes and the realistic consequences  of superhero collateral damage. This darker tone allows for a grounded, almost mythological take on these iconic characters, emphasizing themes of fear, power, and how trauma can corrupt even the noblest of heroes.

The movie also provides a deeper, psychological look at the Caped Crusader, who at this point, is a traumatized version of Batman that’s rarely seen on the big screen and has been fighting crime as the masked vigilante for a couple decades now. This version of Batman was heavily influenced by the Frank Miller highly acclaimed graphic novel “The Dark Knight Returns.”

Love it or hate it, “Batman v Superman” is packed with some visually stunning sequences. The opening of the film is actually one of my favorites as we see the destructive finale of “Man of Steel,” but shifts the perspective to Bruce Wayne on the ground. Watching a helpless Bruce spring directly into a collapsing dust cloud to try to get to his employees brilliantly established his intense motivation to destroy Superman.

There’s plenty of other moments that are awesome to watch, such as the intense Knightmare sequence (that has also received divisive reactions), the warehouse fight where Batman rescues Martha Kent and Wonder Woman’s arrival, finally joining the

heroine with Batman and Superman.

Even though “Batman v Superman” can be an OK, action packed watch, this 2016 movie is also majorly overstuffed as it simultaneously tried to be a “Man of Steel” sequel, an introduction to a new Batman and an early start of the Justice League in a not so exciting way - the remainder of the Justice League members are introduced for a few seconds through email files. The pacing is also all over the place and the theatrical cut left out key plot points that would help make this movie make even more sense.

The Ultimate Edition of “Batman v Superman” is actually a half hour longer than the theatrical cut which is said to have more scenes that were cut that would explain more of the plot. I initially wanted to compare both versions for this review but didn’t get a chance to check out the Ultimate Edition, but will likely put together my take of the Ultimate Edition for my reviews Facebook page sometime soon!

Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Lex Luthor has also been widely panned and for a good reason. Instead of a cold, calculating, and imposing billionaire, we got a very annoying, twitchy and eccentric version of the infamous Superman villain. And, I still laugh at the infamous “Martha” moment.

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is easily one of the most polarizing superhero movies ever made. It divided audiences and critics upon release, drawing criticism for its grim tone and overstuffed plot, while earning praise from devoted fans for its ambitious themes, striking visuals and the highly regarded Ultimate Edition.

MPA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action throughout, and some sensuality (runtime 151 minutes)

Initial release date: March, 25, 2016

Streaming: HBO Max/various PVOD services

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwfUnkBfdZ4

• In an interview on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (2009), Ben Affleck said he was warned by Warner Bros. about the possible negative reaction to his casting, and was advised to remain off the Internet after the casting announcement. He also said, to assuage his concerns, the studio showed him negative comments that fans had initially made to previous superhero castings. Affleck said in spite of the studio warnings, he still checked out an online message board. The first comment he read was, "Affleck as Batman? NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!" After seeing that, he immediately went offline.

• In this film, Batman wears a voice modulator in his suit to electronically alter his voice. After the casting of Ben Affleck in the role, this was an idea that had been suggested by his friend, director Kevin Smith, as he felt Affleck's natural speaking voice was too high-pitched for Batman. He also felt it wouldn't sound like Christian Bale's voice in Sir Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.

• When discussing the film, Henry Cavill said that it would address a major issue that fans and critics had with Man of Steel (2013), involving the huge amount of collateral damage caused in the film's climax during Superman's battle with General Zod in Metropolis. Cavill said that future battle scenes in movies featuring Superman would involve him making sure to not harm civilians himself and to protect them from evil villains.

• The armor that Ben Affleck wears is based on Batman's armor in the comic book "The Dark Knight Returns," written by Frank Miller, and published in 1986. His regular costume is entirely different than the graphic novel. In the novel the suit was made of traditional blue and gray fabric, and with a bullet-proof plate behind the traditional yellow oval bat logo.

• Jeffrey Dean Morgan was considered for the role of Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman. He was subsequently given the role of Thomas Wayne, Bruce's father.

• It is the first live-action film production to feature Batman (but not Robin), Superman, Lois Lane, and Wonder Woman onscreen together. All of their previous appearances together were in animated television programs and direct-to-DVD films.

• Before Jesse Eisenberg was cast as Lex Luthor, Matt Damon, Bradley Cooper, Joaquin Phoenix, Adam Driver and Jean Dujardin were on the list by Warner Bros. to play the part.

• The film's Ultimate Edition is 31 minutes longer than the theatrical cut. There are 60 extended scenes, 18 additional scenes, 11 scenes with alternate footage, 8 extended scenes with alternate footage, 1 scene with uncensored audio and 1 scene with alternate dialogue.