An epic battle only comes along once in a while and in the case of Batman v Superman the epicness of said battle has been very divisive to say the least. Here at COGconnected we had two passionate writers, one on each side of the fence for BvS, and rather than have them violently rip each other to shreds we settled it with words. Stephan loved BvS, so much so that he daringly called out the entire superhero movie genre in a recent editorial. Doug, on the other hand, violently hated the flick. He’d rather gouge his eyeballs out with a spoon than ever watch it again.
So now we have the two go head-to-head in a series of questions. It’s a battle of wits and a strong disagreement of opinion, with rare moments of amiable agreement thrown in for good measure. Which side of the battle will you support?
1 – What were the best/worst aspects of BvS?
Stephan:
The best aspect of BVS was its plot. I was totally engrossed by the story and loved how many things were happening. The film explored its themes really well, most prominently how the world would react and change with the presence of a Superman, and how devastating the impact of that being could be.
The worst aspect of BVS was probably the dream sequence involving Batman in the Middle East. It looked cool, and sets up the plot of the Justice League movies a bit, but it felt very out of place and disconnected from the rest of the film. I’m hoping the 30 minute longer cut will join this scene a bit better.
Doug:
While I found the film to be almost wholly disagreeable, there were some highlights. The best of these was very easily when Batman went to rescue Martha Kent. That fight sequence was simply incredible! It was gritty, violent and showcased the Bats many skills. It certainly is Snyder’s forte and the high point of the movie for sure.
As for the worst part, since I feel like it’s a cheat to say ‘the first 90 minutes’, I’ll go with the resolution to the Bats/Supes fight. ‘Why did you say that word?!’ The word we were saying was ‘Stop’. We were embarrassed for everyone involved.
2 – What did you think of the third act?
Stephan:
I loved it! Lex Luthor’s whole scheme and character arc completely fascinated me. I had no idea that the Death Of Superman was going to be a part of the film. My thought process was as follows:
“Doomsday looks like a Lord Of The Rings cavetroll.”
“Sweet! Now he looks like Doomsday!”
“You know, what makes Doomsday special is that he kills Superman.”
“Holy crap! They killed Superman.”
“I hope Batman leads the formation of the Justice League in Superman’s absence and then Superman comes back to join the Justice League as the ultimate symbol of superheroism.”
“Holy crap! That’s totally what they’re doing!”
Doug:
While the first two thirds of the movie was a slow burn of 10 minutes worth of plot stretched to its maximum, the third act was a jumble of confusion and lacked cohesion. I’m accustomed to big, noisy set pieces to bring us into the third act but usually, even if they aren’t very inventive, they are at least entertaining. The fight with Doomsday was boring. Explosions blocked most of your view, Doomsday was dumb and the only thing Batman did in the entire fight was that one shot of him being scared. There was also absolutely zero emotional ties to Superman’s actions. Nor any real logic or reason for them either.
The real third act wasn’t much better but was a microcosm of the lengthy film. What could have been done in two minutes took nearly 10 and any and all life was dragged out of every scene by boring us with slow motion shots of empty cannon shells falling to the ground.
The battle continues on page two…