18th May 2016, 1:09 PM
But it gives it a unique feeling, when batman can't save someone we know he did his best. But Superman has to save everyone. Every person, that's what we expect. Seeing him fail at that is like seeing your favorite team lose, you're disappointed but hopeful for the next game. As for the "rooting" you can't stress enough the human characteristics at play which is Superman's identity crises and Batman's shoulders. Bruce doesn't trust Superman at all and that makes sense in this universe, he's a very destructive god, even *vengeful* at times which Bruce understands (the branding) but he feels like only he can be te judge and jury, only he can be right. His character grew when he realized he was wrong and fully accepted Superman. He apologized to him and chose to trust him. That was a big moment, choosing to trust Superman. This narrative feels flimsy with the sudden appearance of a character that I actually love more than Aquaman, Flash, etc. The acceptance of her was that 'she's pretty and in control' but it felt flat. They should have treated her like they treated each other, her only proof of being trustworthy was that joined in a fight.
But with Superman's identity crises trying to balance his human desire to just do whatever he wants vs. being this special image of a protector was great. I loved the talk with his dad. "I ate cake while horses drowned", Superman accepted himself that he'll make mistakes and he saw Batman as a guy in a costume, a meaningless trouble maker. Up to this point he had felt entirely alone, that his whole identity was just the dream of his father from the farm because he didn't understand the super human unbreakable mind of Bruce that makes them brothers from other mothers. This empowered Superman, seeing her also could have made him feel less alone in the world but i feel like it wasn't handled correctly. Superman's battle with his own role in the world felt amazing when he just ripped the roof off the Batmobile and told Bruce to go home. This isn't Superman, this is a man with super powers. "Wielding it like a kid that found his dad's gun". So his growth in to finding his identity is a great pay off for future films, we get to see him become Superman, not an origin story but the actual human character going through massive changes so he can become the man who saves everyone, fixes everything and smiles the entire time. So doesn't it make sense that the film is poising an idea to you that you should root for him (and Bruce) even though he fails, or is condescending to his own beliefs? it's an aspect of reality rarely put in to characters on screen, as you can tell most people don't like it. But this specialized narrative method is perfect to experiment with in the role of Superman. We always expect our heroes to constantly do right, be what we want at all times but really that's not his character at all. He's a God (Jewish immigrant raised on a farm lol) learning how to be a man and it's great story telling. He's the spirit of America, the leadership we seek from a president and the face of salvation in that he has incredible power and has no idea what to do with it, he showed up in the middle ea.. I mean Africa just to protect his assets with no regard for what his actions will do to the region. Sound familiar?
As for Bruce, what a fucking depressed asshole. i love him so much, he trusts no one, hates everything and just wants to be alone. Even Alfred (new take on Alfred is great too) is a snippy little backhanded compliment spewing snarky prick. They're both depressed, they run a business they both hate (the business of Batman) while also both being highly intelligent and highly trained people. They encompass the military aspect of America perfectly: Incredible planning, infinite money dumped in to tech, everyone and everything is a possible threat and ulcers galore. His arc came together beautifully when he realized that he can't trust himself, he's just as emotionally charged as he fears Superman to be. he feared Superman would be a threat because of his power and inability to control it and suddenly there he is in that scene holding that spear and all engines burning rage because of a planted idea that attempted to beat him down with guilt. You can't fix those kinds of character flaws by just switching to decaff, Bruce has real emotional issues and all the training in the world wont fix it. He needs people he respects to keep in check, he needs to learn how to trust because he has literally never trusted anyone in his life. So this is a major growth for his character too, not an identity issue like Superman but a realization of the person he's become and that he must change. I think this was made clear when he chose not to brand people for death in the prisons.
The "Superman V. Batman" is really talking about their internal struggles and how it projects on to each other. They aren't opposites like Joker and Batman, they're the same person with different perspectives and upbringing making the whole movie take on a larger scope. The "Dawn of Justice" I think is an attempt to explain that this is an awakening for them both, like the first real steps in to becoming super heroes and the characters that we know them as, when their reverie and percipience were taken for granted and never really thought about how the world's greatest detective was made or how the symbol of truth and justice came to be. Of course i'm going to root for heroes who are learning how to be heroes, and I don't mean just figuring out super powers.
But with Superman's identity crises trying to balance his human desire to just do whatever he wants vs. being this special image of a protector was great. I loved the talk with his dad. "I ate cake while horses drowned", Superman accepted himself that he'll make mistakes and he saw Batman as a guy in a costume, a meaningless trouble maker. Up to this point he had felt entirely alone, that his whole identity was just the dream of his father from the farm because he didn't understand the super human unbreakable mind of Bruce that makes them brothers from other mothers. This empowered Superman, seeing her also could have made him feel less alone in the world but i feel like it wasn't handled correctly. Superman's battle with his own role in the world felt amazing when he just ripped the roof off the Batmobile and told Bruce to go home. This isn't Superman, this is a man with super powers. "Wielding it like a kid that found his dad's gun". So his growth in to finding his identity is a great pay off for future films, we get to see him become Superman, not an origin story but the actual human character going through massive changes so he can become the man who saves everyone, fixes everything and smiles the entire time. So doesn't it make sense that the film is poising an idea to you that you should root for him (and Bruce) even though he fails, or is condescending to his own beliefs? it's an aspect of reality rarely put in to characters on screen, as you can tell most people don't like it. But this specialized narrative method is perfect to experiment with in the role of Superman. We always expect our heroes to constantly do right, be what we want at all times but really that's not his character at all. He's a God (Jewish immigrant raised on a farm lol) learning how to be a man and it's great story telling. He's the spirit of America, the leadership we seek from a president and the face of salvation in that he has incredible power and has no idea what to do with it, he showed up in the middle ea.. I mean Africa just to protect his assets with no regard for what his actions will do to the region. Sound familiar?
As for Bruce, what a fucking depressed asshole. i love him so much, he trusts no one, hates everything and just wants to be alone. Even Alfred (new take on Alfred is great too) is a snippy little backhanded compliment spewing snarky prick. They're both depressed, they run a business they both hate (the business of Batman) while also both being highly intelligent and highly trained people. They encompass the military aspect of America perfectly: Incredible planning, infinite money dumped in to tech, everyone and everything is a possible threat and ulcers galore. His arc came together beautifully when he realized that he can't trust himself, he's just as emotionally charged as he fears Superman to be. he feared Superman would be a threat because of his power and inability to control it and suddenly there he is in that scene holding that spear and all engines burning rage because of a planted idea that attempted to beat him down with guilt. You can't fix those kinds of character flaws by just switching to decaff, Bruce has real emotional issues and all the training in the world wont fix it. He needs people he respects to keep in check, he needs to learn how to trust because he has literally never trusted anyone in his life. So this is a major growth for his character too, not an identity issue like Superman but a realization of the person he's become and that he must change. I think this was made clear when he chose not to brand people for death in the prisons.
The "Superman V. Batman" is really talking about their internal struggles and how it projects on to each other. They aren't opposites like Joker and Batman, they're the same person with different perspectives and upbringing making the whole movie take on a larger scope. The "Dawn of Justice" I think is an attempt to explain that this is an awakening for them both, like the first real steps in to becoming super heroes and the characters that we know them as, when their reverie and percipience were taken for granted and never really thought about how the world's greatest detective was made or how the symbol of truth and justice came to be. Of course i'm going to root for heroes who are learning how to be heroes, and I don't mean just figuring out super powers.