REVIEW -- Superman: Man of Tomorrow (2020)

Superman: Man of Tomorrow is an American animated direct-to-video superhero film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment. It is the first film set in the second incarnation of the DC Animated Movie Universe and the thirty-ninth film in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies and was released on Digital on August 23, 2020 and on Blu-ray, DVD and set to be released on 4K Ultra HD on September 8, 2020.

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Premise:

The film chronicles the early life of Clark Kent, before he became known as Superman.

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Voice Cast:

Voice actor	Character
Darren Criss	Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman
Alexandra Daddario	Lois Lane
Zachary Quinto	Lex Luthor
Ike Amadi	J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter
Ryan Hurst	Lobo
Brett Dalton	Rudy Jones / Parasite
Neil Flynn	Jonathan Kent
Bellamy Young	Martha Kent
Cristina Milizia	Maya, Petey and Kaylie
Eugene Byrd	Ron Troupe
April Stewart	Mrs. Ross
Piotr Michael	Perry White

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The Verdict:

Right off the bat, I have to say that I adore this new art style for these direct-to-video DC Comics animated films. At this point, I was growing sick of them rehashing the same animation style from Young Justice for roughly a dozen films at that point. In that regard, I found it refreshing to see a new art style being used here to kickstart this new animated continuity.

As for the narrative, they played things a little too safe for my taste and didn't change much from the traditional Superman origin story. That's fine for the most part, but on paper it comes off really boring at times.

Hear me out though. While I enjoyed the battles against Lobo and Martian Manhunter early on, I couldn't help but feel like everything in between was dragging along at a snail's pace. I wanted to get engaged with Lois Lane's budding career as a reporter while Clark Kent was coming up as the mere intern at the Daily Planet, but the film would have this stuff playing out as it normally should. Then things would be going on and on until I ultimately found myself not even caring for the majority of the plot until the third and final act.

Man of Tomorrow's Lois Lane.

It's a darn shame too as Ma and Pa Kent are very likable characters during Clark's tenure at home while he comes to grips of his Kryptonian origins. I wanted to like Lois Lane too, but she seemed to lose her hardened edge that she had when she debuts in the film to confront and expose Lex Luthor. She went from bad ass to borderline fangirling over Superman at one point. I get that she saw the guy naked after his battle with Lobo, but c'mon girl, get a grip. Call me biased to Dana Delany's Lois Lane from Superman: The Animated Series, but that Lois Lane, along with the one in the Justice League: WAR continuity (voiced by Rebecca Romijn), are tough acts to follow. Maybe she'll find her "voice" - even though I didn't have a problem with Alexandra Daddario's portrayal like most early reviews and reactions I saw online after the film streamed for free during DC Fandom - in time as this was her first canonical appearance in this new continuity. Lois Lane, much like Superman/Clark Kent, are younger and not as seasoned as their established counterparts. They still have time to grow into their iconic roles and personality traits that we know and love. I know that some people will find it being a knock against this film for portraying a less experienced Superman than we are used to, but after seeing the character broken down physically and mentally from the horrors done to him and the rest of the Justice League in Apokalips War, we deserved a more lighthearted narrative for the Man of Steel to remind us why we root for this character. Superman/Clark Kent, at his core, is just a good ol' Southern boy who wants to do good by his Ma and Pa. He wants to return the kindness and compassion that his parents instilled into him to those around the world, especially after coming to terms that he has the power to do so unlike anyone else.

If that was supposed to be Mercy Graves, then WTF is wrong with her goddamn face?

Zachary Quinto's Lex Luthor didn't get to shine until the film's last act, where Superman is forced to ask him for help in dealing with the threat of Parasite after he absorbed most of his powers. Luthor reveals that he has enlisted Lobo as an informant of sorts, who provides the information that Kryptonians like Kal-El are vulnerable to kryptonite. Naturally, Luthor uses this information to weaponize the kryptonite ring that Lobo used on Superman in their first encounter into a powerful energy rifle. Luthor's few scenes in this film were good, but much like a lot of characters in this film, left a lot to be desired. There was only a split second where I doubted that maybe Luthor would have a change of heart in this continuity and actually be Superman's ally, but that went out of the window the second that Lobo revealed what Superman's weakness was - firmly establishing him as the rat that Lois Lane exposed him as in the early moments of the film. I mean, damn, this film didn't give us any lee way to think otherwise about Lex Luthor. Even Rise of the Supermen and Justice League: Apokalips War gave Lex Luthor some semblance of humanity and had him opt to do the greater good for the sake of saving the planet rather than his own skin.

I could almost literally hear Superman shouting, "BIIIIIRRRRDDDDMANNN!!" when he would fly up to soak up the rays from the sun.

I couldn't help but laugh that this film acted like Superman instantly heals himself by standing in front of the sun's rays as if he's Birdman from the old Hanna-Barbara cartoons. Where the fuck did that come from? If that's a new age/modern take on his powers then that's news to me. I am familiar with the effect that solar radiation has onto his body and his unique Kryptonian cells and biology, but I didn't think the effect on his body was instantaneous like shown in this film.

Parasite sporting a design that I definitely wasn't used to seeing.

I'm sure someone will chime in but was Parasite always able to absorb energy as well in the comics and other mediums? That threw me for a goddamn loop for the first portion of their battle. I ended up reading up on the villain after this viewing and found out that he's always had that ability in the comics, just that it wasn't never exploited in Superman: The Animated Series or the rest of the DC Animated Universe to my knowledge. He didn't use that ability or the ability to transform into a more monstrous state after absorbing a wealth of life-energy. I know the biggest critique against the Justice League: WAR era of DC Animated films was the extreme violence, but we can't shy away without mentioning how gruesome Parasite's victims looked after he was done feeding off of their life-energy. Not a single one of his victims survived. Instead, they were rendered as lifeless husks. That was on the same vein of nightmare fuel as The Joker's toxin/laughing gas victims in Batman: The Animated Series. (Laughs) I'm just sayin'.

I doubt this is the first nor last time that we will see Lobo in this continuity.

I was surprised at the inclusion of Martian Manhunter and Lobo in this film, especially to say that this is the first film in this new movie universe. They aren't wasting any time whatsoever at establishing that everything is all connected and that's a GOOD thing. There's no reason to keep all of these heroes segregated to their own corners of the DC Universe when they are all moving pieces in it that can easily all operate at the same time. In that regard, I thought it was great idea to establish that Batman was already active and established while Superman was in the infancy of his heroism and exposing himself to humanity - in more ways than one. Lobo and Martian Manhunter's inclusion added to something I thought that the Supergirl TV series did well and portrayed the struggle of being an alien hiding on Earth well. Martian Manhunter dealt with the same thing Kal-El did but only saw the worst of humanity. He was fortunate to say hidden with his shape-shifting powers since he wasn't born with a similar appearance to humans like Kal-El. Lobo's arrival made humans perceive aliens as invaders seeking out nothing more to harm mankind, when there's good-natured aliens like Superman who wish to protect mankind against any and all threats to their well-being.

That contrasting opinion/public reception played into the film's climax, where Superman came face-to-face with the film's primary antagonist, Parasite - who was transformed into a Godzilla-sized monstrosity thanks to how much life-energy and raw energy as a whole that he has siphoned off his victims and throughout Metropolis. Despite all of the powers at Superman's disposal, brute strength couldn't defeat this foe. Instead, Superman allowed this creature to absorb his powers once more and appealed to his humanity, the man that he once was to see the error in his ways. Parasite absorbed Superman's sense of justice and righteousness along with the obligation he felt to do good for those around him. That was more than enough to force Parasite to sacrifice himself to save everyone from being wiped out from the potential overloading reactor by absorbing the raw energy into himself. The energy ended up being too much and reduced his body to dust to be scattered to the wind. I went into this thinking that Superman was going to have this back and forth slobber knocker with this foe after coming up with a means to prevent Parasite from stealing his powers, but instead, I found myself a little underwhelmed that this was a problem that wasn't solved by a Superman, but merely one resolved by a good man. I guess that's the lesson/moral of the story that this film is trying to teach its viewers. You don't need to be a Superman, you merely need to use the tools at your disposal to be a good man. That can save just as many lives, if not more.

Watch It or Don't Bother?

Everyone needs a helping hand every now and then.

For those anxious to see how this "reboot" of the DC Animated Movie universe is going to begin, it's a no-brainer to check this out. For everyone else, I honestly can't suggest going out of your way to check this out, especially when it was available FREE legally as part of DC Fandom last weekend. This isn't a very exciting movie, especially after the high stakes and action-heavy narrative of Apokalips War that preceded it, but to be honest, that's to be expected for anything that would follow-up that film to start this animated movie universe over anew. This film does plant the seeds for things to come as Batman already exists in this continuity and has been active for quite some time. Then Lobo left Superman and Martian Manhunter both with the information that they aren't the last of their kind. That was merely something he stated to sweeten his bounties on their alien races, so that leaves the door open for more Kryptonians (Supergirl, General Zod, etc.) and more Martians (Miss Martian?) to join this continuity down the road. Superman finds himself left with a twisted ally in the form of Lobo with his own brand of humor.

PREVIEW -- Superman: Man of Tomorrow | Official Trailer 2020

Daily Planet intern Clark Kent takes learning-on-the-job to new extremes when Lobo and Parasite set their sights on Metropolis in Superman: Man of Tomorrow, available later in summer 2020 on Digital, 4K, Blu-ray & DVD.

Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Superman: Man of Tomorrow is the 41st film in the popular series of DC Universe Movies.

Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Darren Criss (Glee, American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace) and Emmy nominee Zachary Quinto (Star Trek franchise, Heroes) lead a star-studded cast as the voices of Superman/Clark Kent and Lex Luthor, respectively. The cast also includes Alexandra Daddario (San Andreas, Baywatch, All My Children) as Lois Lane, Brett Dalton (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as Parasite/Rudy Jones, Ryan Hurst (The Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy, Remember the Titans) as Lobo, Ike Amadi (Mass Effect 3, Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion's Revenge) as Martian Manhunter, Neil Flynn (The Middle, Scrubs) as Jonathan Kent, Bellamy Young (Scandal, Prodigal Son) as Martha Kent, Cristina Milizia (DC Super Hero Girls) as Maya, Petey & Kaylie, Eugene Byrd (Bones, LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures) as Ron Troupe, April Stewart (South Park) as Mrs. Ross, and Piotr Michael (The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle) as Perry White, as well as Cissy Jones (Firewatch) and David Chen (Gotham).

Chris Palmer (Voltron: Legendary Defender) is the director of Superman: Man of Tomorrow, utilizing a script by Tim Sheridan (The Death of Superman). Supervising Producer is Butch Lukic.

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This is the first film to start the new continuity for completely rebooting the DC animated film continuity following Justice League Dark: Apokalips War. The biggest stand out for me is the complete shift in style in terms of animation for this film. If this is what they want to go with then that's completely fine with me. It definitely sticks out and distinguishes itself completely from everything before it from WB Animation, so it's appropriate to set the tone for this reboot. My biggest knock against the old animation style was that it looked too much like the style for Young Justice and made me think that those shows and the films were in the same continuity when they weren't in the least.

This seems like it's going to be a "proper" reintroduction to the Man of Steel that we need right now, despite the fact that I think that DC Comics should focus on their lesser known heroes right now over the Trinity. Then again, if you're going to restart your comics universe, you better start it off with Superman to get ball rolling properly.

QUICKIE -- Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice - Ultimate Edition

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a 2016 American superhero film featuring the DC Comics characters Batman andSuperman. Directed by Zack Snyder and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, the film is a follow-up to 2013's Man of Steel and is the second installment in the DC Extended Universe. It was written by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer, and features an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter and Gal Gadot. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is the first live-action film to feature Batman and Superman together, as well as the first live-action cinematic portrayal of Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg. In the film, criminal mastermind Lex Luthor manipulates Batman into a preemptive battle with Superman, whom Luthor is obsessed with defeating.

A director's cut, dubbed the Ultimate Edition with 30 minutes of additional footage, was released digitally on June 28, 2016, and on Blu-ray and DVDon July 19, 2016.

Plot:

Bruce Wayne arrives in Metropolis during the Battle of Metropolis. He tries to proceed to the Wayne Financial Building, giving the order via phone for the people inside to evacuate. As he drives his way to the building, he narrowly avoids the debris from the crashing Fortress of Solitude with Superman and Zod inside. He witnesses the Black Zero as Kal-El's Phantom Drive crashes into it and crushes the Black Zero into a singularity. As Superman and General Zod begin to fight, Zod throws Superman into the Wayne Financial Building and Zod's uncontrollable heat vision causes the building to collapse in ruin. Horrified, Bruce makes his way through the debris looking for survivors, finding Wallace Keefe trapped underneath some rubble. He helps rescue him then saves a little girl whose mother perished. While consoling her, he angrily watches Zod and Superman fly down from the sky.

18 months later, Lois Lane travels to war-torn Nairobi in Kenya, seeking an interview with the African warlord in a raging civil war. Lois was accompanied by Jimmy Olsen, a photographer who is revealed to be a CIAoperative. The camera he was carrying had a tracking device hidden inside as discovered by a bodyguard, Anatoli Knyazev. Before being shot, he states that Lois knew nothing of either the device or his identity. The warlord then takes Lois as a hostage, threatening to kill her. Superman soon arrives, saving Lois and returning her home.

A US Senate committee headed by Senator Finch hears evidence given about Superman saving the life of Lois Lane in Africa. Concerned at how Superman may be seen by the public, due to his constant acts of vigilantism, she sends a public announcement to Superman, inviting him to speak in a committee to defend his actions at the US Capitol in Washington D.C.

Lois recovered a bullet from the warlord's camp, and after researching, ascertains that it is not made by any known manufacturer. She proceeds to query this with General Calvin Swanwick. Reluctantly, he gives in to her requests to identify the bullet's manufacturer. He reveals that they are a special prototype round, made by LexCorp Industries. Senator Finch speaks with Lex Luthor, informing him that she is blocking an import warrant for him to bring a portion of Kryptonite found in the Indian Ocean into the United States. Luthor, warns her of the consequences and she then leaves his mansion.

While the rest of the world is busy debating whether Superman has been a positive or negative addition to planet Earth, Clark returns home to Smallville to visit Martha. There, she advises him that either way, he shouldn't be concerned with what others think of him.

Despite media speculation to the contrary, Superman arrives to speak and answer at Finch's committee. She points out to him a victim of Superman's actions, Wallace Keefe, who lost his legs in Superman's battle withGeneral Zod. After seeing a distasteful note left for her by Lex Luthor, she stops in mid-speech before a bomb (hidden inside Keefe's wheelchair by Lex Luthor) explodes, killing her and everyone else present, except Superman. Later that night, Lex discovers that Batman has stolen his kryptonite from LexCorp in Metropolis, leaving behind a batarang as a symbol. In Washington D.C., Superman meets Lois at her hotel suite and laments on his failures to stop the bombing and his role as Superman. Lois tries to convince him that he must remain a symbol of hope for the peoples of Earth before he flies away in exile. Using the fingerprints of Zod, Lex enters the Genesis Chamber of the Fortress of Solitude in Heroes Park and learns information on hundreds of thousands of recorded worlds.

Bruce Wayne begins physically training in the Batcave to prepare for his fight against Superman while also converting the kryptonite into three gas grenades and a kryptonite-tipped spear. While accessing Lex's data drive, he discovers folders on metahumans, one containing recent surveillance on Diana and a 1918 photograph of her as Wonder Woman in Belgium. Meanwhile, Lex brings the corpse of General Zod to the Genesis Chamber and Kelor warns him of the ban of genetic modification by the Kryptonian Law Council. However, Lex ignores this and combines his blood with Zod as the Genesis Chamber begins to transform the body of Zod.

Clark arrives at a snowy mountaintop and imagines his father, Jonathan Kent, building a tomb with stones. Kent recalls his childhood when he remembers one bad rainy season when he and his family spent all-night damming the water to save the farm. Kent remembers that his mother called him a hero and baked him a cake and, while he was eating, the neighbour's farm was wiped out and he could hear the neighbour's horses drowning. He continued that he used to have nightmares about the horses. Clark asks if the nightmares ever stopped, and Jonathan answers when he met Martha Kent, who gave him hope that there is good in the world. Bruce visits the ruins of the Wayne Manor as Alfred tries to dissuade him from combating Superman to no avail. Bruce recalls when his father sat him down next to the Wayne family shield and his father taught him of the first generation of the Wayne family that sold pelts and skins to French traders, citing that they were hunters.

In Smallville, Martha Kent is kidnapped by Anatoli Knyazev and his men and is brought to Metropolis. In Gotham, Batman prepares his weapons against Superman and shines the Bat Signal in the stormy sky, as Lex watches from the LexCorp tower from across the bay. Anatoli also kidnaps Lois Lane and delivers her to Lex, who then pushes her off the tower to lure Superman. Superman saves her and puts her down on the ground before flying up to confront Lex Luthor. He then shows Superman photographs of his kidnapped mother, and offers an ultimatum to him: if he does not kill Batman within 30 minutes, then Martha Kent will die by fire.

At Heroes Park, the Fortress of Solitude begins to emit electric discharges to the surrounding buildings. Elsewhere, Diana receives an email from Bruce, showing a photograph of her from 1918, questioning her identity and her origins. In the attachment, she uncovers surveillance footage of Barry Allen, Arthur Curry, and video diaries of Silas Stone using a Mother Box to resuscitate his son, Victor Stone. As Lois returns to the Daily Planet, she rides a helicopter straight for the Bat Signal in Gotham in hopes of stopping the fight.

In Gotham, Superman meets Batman in his Armored Batsuit and tries to explain the situation. However, Batman does not bother to listen as he activates sonar cannons and machine gun turrets against Superman to no visible effect. Superman and Batman then begin to fight, with Batman firing two kryptonite gas grenades at him during the fight and gaining the upper hand. Finally, Batman grabs the weakened Superman and drags him over to his kryptonite spear. However, as Batman is about to kill Superman, Superman mutters that they are going to kill Martha. Taken aback, Lois arrives and explains that Martha is his mother's name. Shocked, Batman comes to his senses, realizing that Superman is no threat to humanity. Superman and Lois explain the situation to Batman, and he promises to rescue Martha Kent while Superman investigates the electric discharges coming from the Fortress of Solitude and confronts Lex. Lois grabs the kryptonite spear and throws it into a pool of water nearby to dispose of it.

Alfred tracks Knyazev's phone to a warehouse in Metropolis, and Batman flies there via the Batwing. He infilitrates the warehouse, neutralizes all the criminals, kills Anatoli Knyazev and successfully rescues Martha. Meanwhile, Superman finds Lex Luthor at the Genesis Chamber and upon learning Superman has not killed Batman, calls Anatoli. He is surprised when Batman is on the other line instead and realizes Martha is safe. Lex then executes his backup plan: unleashing an ancient Kryptonian deformity known as Doomsday. As the monster awakens, it roars at Lex Luthor before reaching out to kill him. However, Superman stops his attack and Doomsday breaks out of the Fortress of Solitude into Heroes Park while Lex stays behind.

Superman promptly confronts Doomsday, and the two battle one another, destroying the Superman Statue in the process. Doomsday's strength surpasses that of Superman, but the the Man of Steel holds his own, managing to send the monster flying into a building. Doomsday is then shot at by military helicopters, but his body takes it all, adapting and only becoming more durable.

In desperation, Superman tackles Doomsday into space. The US President intends to shoot the alien monster down with a nuclear missile, and it is carried out, despite the protests of Swanwick. Superman defiantly holds Doomsday in place as he sees the missile approach, determined to have the monster destroyed. The resulting explosion is so gigantic, that Batman can clearly see it from Earth's surface.

Doomsday's body lands on the abandoned Stryker's Island, but he is far from dead, as the tremendous explosion seems to have only made the monster stronger, with its body once again regenerating. Batman then attacks it with his Batwing, unleashing an immense amount of firepower, but Doomsday is unscathed, and brings the plane down with his heat vision and breath. Before Batman can escape his crashed vehicle, Doomsday corners him, and fires a tremendous superheated torrent at him. Wonder Woman arrives, however, just in time to save Batman, deflecting the beams with her indestructible bracelets, which creates a massive wave of energy outwards.

In the meantime, Superman is floating in space, with him being extremely weakened by the nuclear missile, rendered thin and undead in appearance. Soon, however, he is exposed to radiation from the yellow sun, which reinvigorates Superman's cells, returning him to full power. He then proceeds to defiantly fly towards Doomsday again, sending the monster flying into a gas tank.

Wonder Woman and Superman then proceed to jointly attack Doomsday in tandem, while Batman tries to expose the monster to Kryptonite, which would exploit its only known vulnerability. Wonder Woman soon manages to cut off the monster's right hand, but that only results in a sharp bony protrusion growing back in its place.

In the meantime, Lois is in Gotham, unsuccessfully trying to retrieve the Kryptonite Spear from underwater. Superman is able to hear her drowning, and flies off to rescue her from drowning, helping her retrieve the spear in the process, while Wonder Woman has manages to temporarily restrain Doomsday with her indestructible lasso. Superman sees that the only way to stop Doomsday is to risk his own life. Hence, he says a tender goodbye to Lois with a kiss, before taking hold of the spear and flying back to the battle scene, exposed to the substance himself in the process.

He stabs Doomsday in the chest with the Kryptonite Spear, but since the weapon did not manage to fully pierce the monster, Doomsday is able to stab Superman in return, piercing the latter's chest with his arm bone protrusion. A desperate and mortally wounded Superman uses the leverage to further impale Doomsday with the spear, finally killing the creature, though dying himself in the process. A shocked and saddened Batman promptly arrives, and retrieves Superman's lifeless body, enveloping him in his own cape, shortly before the arrival of a devastated Lois.

Superman is given a symbolic funeral with an empty casket in Heroes Park in Metropolis, while the funeral of Clark Kent is held in Smallville, with Father Daniel Leone presiding over it, and with Pete Ross and Lana Lang also being in attendance. An after function is held at Martha's home. Lois is in Clark's bedroom when Martha enters. She gives Lois a letter, revealing to her that Clark had intended to propose to her.

Still at the cemetery, Bruce and Diana share a conversation about bringing the other metahumans together, in case a threat of that scale ever should arise, honoring Superman's heroic sacrifice. Diana questions the necessity and inquires why Bruce is proposing it. He replies that it is simply due to a feeling he has that things will inevitably get worse.

Clark's coffin is then shown, with the handful of dirt (scattered on it by Lois) beginning to rise into the air, implying that Superman might still be alive.

ULTIMATE EDITION

Additions:

- There is a brief shot of the gun being leveled at Martha’s face.

- During the Battle of Metropolis, Bruce Wayne witnessed a teacher leading a group of children through the streets.

- In Nairomi, the man who was shot in the original version is confirmed to be Jimmy Olsen.

- To clarify the accusation against Superman in Nairomi, it is revealed that before fleeing, Knyazev and his men murder the warlord's men and the villagers, before immolating their corpses and escaped before arriving moments later, and the Man of Steel was framed for the murder.

- The CIA launched a drone to bomb the compound, but the drone was destroyed by Superman when he arrived.

- Lois Lane comes to the MCPD where an analyst (played by Jena Malone) studies the bullet for her.

- In the original version, the newsman depicts that "a Bat brand in prison, essentially means death". Later, the man Santos who was branded by the Batman was murdered in the prison by other inmates, confirming that Batman was actually sending death sentences.

- Superman helps the Paramedics in aiding the survivors of the blast

- When Batman visits Luthor in prison, he told him that Luthor was to be sent to Arkham Asylum in Gotham

Cast:

Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman
Henry Cavill as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman
Amy Adams as Lois Lane
Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor
Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth
Diane Lane as Martha Kent
Laurence Fishburne as Perry White
Holly Hunter as Senator June Finch
Gal Gadot as Diana of Themyscira / Diana Prince / Wonder Woman
Scoot McNairy as Wallace Keefe
Tao Okamoto as Mercy Graves
Ezra Miller as Barry Allen / The Flash
Jason Momoa as Orin / Arthur Curry / Aquaman
Ray Fisher as Victor Stone / Cyborg
Joe Morton as Silas Stone
Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Thomas Wayne
Lauren Cohan as Martha Wayne
Brandon Spink as young Bruce Wayne
Robin Atkin Downes as Doomsday
Harry Lennix as General Swanwick
Christina Wren as Carrie Farris
Michael Cassidy as Jimmy Olsen
Michael Shannon as General Zod
Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent

Ultimate Edition

Jena Malone as Jenet Klyburn
Ahman Green as Inmate Thug
C.T. Fletcher as Inmate Thug

The Verdict: 

Here we go again...

I’m not going to rehash what I said about this film the first go-round as you can go revisit my review on the theatrical release here. Instead, I'm going to merely comment and analyze the additional content in this version of the film and how it weighs in to what we were given in the original theatrical release. Instead of retreading familiar territory, I’m just going to comment on the changes in this version since a friend kindly asked if I could review this DVD/Blu-Ray release with additional content.

To be honest, my opinion on the film doesn’t change at all. If anything the additional content makes the film come off even more convoluted than the original theatrical release did.

First of all, the film’s additional content starts off with “Jimmy Olsen” or the CIA agent who was undercover with Lois Lane at the start of the film being identified under the codename of “Talon” by his fellow operatives. Savvy DC Comics fans will be quick to point out that Talon was a member of the Court of Owls from the popular Batman storyline of the same name. If I’m honest, I don’t think Zack Snyder is that smart to tease that this early in this film for a future appearance in a solo Batman film. Instead, I think he’s just name dropping and teasing concepts just to make it appear that he’s “smart” and “edgy”. It’s the exact same opinion I have on the dream Batman/Bruce Wayne has later on where it’s almost spot on Insurgency versus the Regime from Injustice: Gods Among Us with Evil Superman.

I know what you're thinking... Zack Snyder put in a throwaway Court of Owls reference in this film? I guess that's why Gotham (TV series) is rushing to introduce this concept into their show before it's off limits when the Extended Universe gets around to it. It was bad enough that Snyder made Jimmy Olsen a throwaway character as a sick joke in this film, but a bigger slap to the face for Batman fans, especially given how of an impact that the Court of Owls have in Batman's mythology nowadays. It just adds more onto the pile of content in this movie that Warner Bros. and DC Comics have blown their loads on.

Even though I watched Man of Steel again this past holiday weekend, I honestly don’t remember Major Ferris being referenced in the US military. Yes, the same Ferris or rather Carol Ferris (credited as "Carrie" Ferris in the credits here) who eventually becomes on-again, off-again Green Lantern villain Star Sapphire – depending on the continuity.

There was a little more interaction between Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince before the film’s finale in this version but it still doesn’t justify nor warrant Wonder Woman’s borderline irrelevant role in this film. She’s still just here looking for a PHOTO – that’s it. Maybe I don't remember it in the theatrical release, but I don't remember Bruce and Diana having a lot of interaction before the ending of the film outside of their meeting in the museum. It still doesn't do much for the development of Diana's character, nor justify her being in this movie only just to "look cool" alongside Superman and Batman in the film's finale.

Even though I got ahead of myself a little, I want to mention Bruce Wayne’s other “dream” or rather a premonition. The Flash comes from the future with a warning for Bruce, but in this cut of the film, there’s more dialogue to help explain this. I don’t understand  why that was cut out of the theatrical release as it actually made more sense of this scene.

The Flash: “Am I too soon??? You have to find us, Bruce!! You were always right about him! Lois is the key!!”

This could be the one omission from the theatrical release that might cause DC/WB to kick themselves in the long haul as it honestly serves as a bit of great foreshadowing. The Flash mentioning that he that he came too soon (busts out laughing as I typed that…) is something that could be explored in the Justice League follow-up film as the League wants to warn themselves in the past of the pending threat on the horizon – in which would be more likely a revived “evil” Superman under the control of Steppenwolf or Darkseid’s forces. I was shocked that they threw out this ONE bit of vital dialogue. It seems like they are foreshadowing to sending The Flash back in time to warm Bruce of the pending doom of Evil Superman in the veins of Injustice: Gods Among Us. Alternatively, they could be teasing Flashpoint here and that could be another reason why The Flash TV series on The CW is rushing to get that out of the way now before it's off-limits.

Clark actually does reporter work in this cut. He actually goes to Gotham and does his own research on the Bat Brand and what it means to criminals who are marked. Luthor's henchmen set up Batman to take the fall by murdering one of the criminals who had been marked recently to play up the "mark of death" rumor befalling Batman's reputation. This was rather clever I have to admit. Luthor framed both heroes to make them antagonize each other by devaluing their own morals in the eye of the other. Batman's brand of justice - literally - is a mark of a murderer in more ways than one, while Superman's power is too much for one man to command without restraint. 

That being said though... Batman still comes across as a complete moron. All of Luthor's plotting is going on in his own city as well as Metropolis and he's pretty much oblivious to it along with his own employee becoming one of Luthor's pawns. With Batman actually killing people in this film even adds more fuel to the fire to add to the mistrust Superman has to the Batman character, so Bruce's own actions add to his own stupidity. In both cuts of this film, he thinks of no other option outside of killing Superman.

The African woman in opening testimonial confesses to Senator that she was bribed by Lex Luthor to frame Superman but silenced by hitman before the truth gets out. This adds to Luthor's masterful manipulation of framing both Batman and Superman in a less favorable light to the mass media and public eye.

Lois figures out that Lex has framed Superman on her own, thanks to some help from Jenet Klyburn of S.T.A.R. Labs, portrayed by Jena Malone. Jenet deduces that the foreign metal bullet in Lois' bag and the wheelchair bomb were made of the same mineral. They were lined with lead so Superman couldn't see it. This brings up another whopper of a question... How the HELL does Lex Luthor know this when the extent of Superman's powers and more importantly, his weaknesses were haven't been explored in this continuity yet!!?? If Lex Luthor was this damn smart, he shouldn't have needed Batman and Superman to kill each other. Instead, he could have beaten them himself after doing this much manipulating behind the scenes along with knowing their secret identities.

In this cut of the film, Superman actually saves the survivors after the explosion at the courthouse. This was what this film needed. More examples of Superman doing good things with his powers. The single montage in the theatrical cut wasn't good enough and it was in very bad taste to have Superman just leave after the courthouse blew up without doing a damn thing about it. At least in this cut, he stuck around to assist with getting the survivors in the explosion medical attention. This scene alone makes Batman look even stupider as he immediately jumps to the conclusion to kill Superman after he took the time to save the survivors.

Here's another question I have... Why didn't the Kryptonian ship defenses attack Lex like it did Lois in Man of Steel? That's one lingering plot hole that's so big that you could drive ten of the Yaegers from Pacific Rim through it all at once.


Quis Custodiet ipsos custodes - "Who will watch the watchmen? | Who guards the guardians?"

This is written on the wall of the church where Batman fights Superman and can be seen on several billboards throughout the film. It's common knowledge that director Zack Snyder worked on the Watchmen film but the Justice League have had similarities to that story for years now. It was a nice touch to echo that story's message here, especially during the clash between Superman and Batman.

Watch It or Don't Bother?

For those who haven't seen the theatrical cut, I say watch this one instead of the original version as this makes a little more sense than the final product. As for everyone else, I wouldn't bother as you can look up the few changes on YouTube by now and I wouldn't suggest anyone torture themselves for 3+ hours just to watch this in its entirety again if you didn't like it the first go-round.

REVIEW -- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a 2016 American superhero film featuring the DC Comics characters Batman and Superman, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is a follow-up to 2013's Man of Steel and the second installment in the DC Extended Universe. The film is directed by Zack Snyder, with a screenplay written by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer, and stars Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter and Gal Gadot. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is the first live-action film to feature both Batman and Superman, as well as the first theatrical film to feature live-action portrayals of Wonder Woman, Aquaman,Cyborg and the Flash.

Cast:

Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne / Batman
Henry Cavill as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman
Amy Adams as Lois Lane
Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor
Diane Lane as Martha Kent
Laurence Fishburne as Perry White
Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth
Holly Hunter as June Finch
Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman

Tao Okamoto portrays Mercy Graves

Scoot McNairy portrays Wallace Keefe

Callan Mulvey portrays Anatoli Knyazev

Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan portray Thomas and Martha Wayne

Robin Atkin Downes voices Doomsday

Reprising their roles from Man of Steel are Harry Lennix as Secretary Calvin Swanwick, Christina Wren as Major Carrie Farris,Michael Shannon as General Zod, Carla Gugino as the Kryptonian A.I. Kelor, and Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent.

Ray Fisher, Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller appear as Victor Stone / Cyborg, Arthur Curry / Aquaman and Barry Allen / The Flash respectively in cameo appearances, which will lead into their inclusion in the Justice League film.

Patrick Wilson voices the President of the United States, while Michael Cassidy plays Jimmy Olsen,  and Joe Morton plays Dr. Silas Stone. Brooke Baldwin, Dana Bash, Anderson Cooper, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Nancy Grace, Soledad O'Brien, Charlie Rose, and Senator Patrick Leahy make cameo appearances as themselves. Jena Malone was cast as Barbara Gordon, but her scenes were cut from the theatrical release. They will appear in the Ultimate Edition home media release.

Great to see the "trinity" finally share the silver screen...

Plot:

Eighteen months after the destructive battle of Metropolis, Superman has become a controversial figure, incurring the wrath of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne, who secretly protects Gotham City as Batman, and blames Superman for the mass casualties and widespread collateral damage resulted from his fight with General Zod. Superman, in his public identity as Daily Planet journalist Clark Kent, views Batman as a dangerous vigilante and seeks to expose him. Tech mogul Lex Luthor also views Superman as a threat to the human race and convinces Senator June Finch, one of Superman's fiercest critics, to help him bring Kryponite recovered from the failed Kryptonian terraforming attempt in the Indian Ocean into the United States, although Finch later stonewalls his efforts to use Zod's DNA and the Kryptonian scout ship recovered from the battle to create a biological weapon.

Wayne infiltrates a fundraiser promoted by Luthor to retrieve data from LexCorp's mainframe, but his drive is stolen by mysterious antiques dealer Diana Prince, although he later retrieves it, uncovering not only Luthor's experiments with Kryptonite but also his ongoing investigation about meta-humans including Barry Allen, Arthur Curry, Victor Stone and Prince herself, whom he learns is an immortal warrior. Driven by nightmarish visions of a future where Superman has reduced Earth to a post-apocalyptic wasteland, Batman attempts to retrieve the Kryptonite, but is intercepted by Superman, who orders him to cease his activities, furthering their rivalry. Meanwhile, Finch summons Superman to a Congress hearing to debate the validity of his actions, where Luthor masterminds a bombing that both eliminates Finch and further damages Superman's reputation, sending him on a self-imposed exile.

Batman retrieves the kryptonite and prepares to launch a preemptive strike against Superman, while Luthor activates the Genesis Chamber aboard the scout ship and splices his own DNA and Zod's before endangering Superman's girlfriend Lois Lane to lure him to LexCorp Tower, where he blackmails Superman into confronting Batman by holding Superman's mother, Martha Kent, hostage at an undisclosed location. Superman is unable to reason with Batman, leading to a vicious fight in which Batman nearly kills Superman with a Kryptonite spear before a mention of the name "Martha" causes him to regain his senses. Upon learning of Luthor's plan, Batman leaves to rescue Martha, who is held at an abandoned warehouse nearby, while Superman confronts Luthor, who unleashes his weapon, a monstrous creature known as Doomsday. Superman and Batman join forces to fight him, aided by an arriving Prince, but are outmatched due to Doomsday's ability to absorb and redirect energy. Realizing that, due to his Kryptonian DNA, they'd share the same vulnerabilities, Superman retrieves the kryptonite spear and sacrifices himself to impale Doomsday with it, while Doomsday fatally stabs Superman with his bone protusions.

Luthor is then arrested after Lane exposes his numerous crimes, and visited by Batman in prison, where he rambles about Superman's death leaving Earth vulnerable to new threats. A memorial is held for Superman in Metropolis, while Wayne, Lane, Martha and Prince attend a private ceremony in his hometown of Smallville, Kansas. After the funeral, Wayne voices his plans to assemble a team of superheroes to protect the world in Superman's absence. Later, a faint heartbeat begins echoing from Superman's grave, and the dirt around it begins to levitate.

The Verdict:

(Whistles) It's been a while hasn't it? I'm currently backed up on playing catch up on reviews for stuff lately, but I felt that this review had to take priority over everything else right now since my friends on Facebook demanded this one ASAP.

Batman vs. Superman (or rather BvS for the sake of this review) serves as the formal induction for DC Comics and Warner Bros.' DC Extended Universe in the same vein of Marvel Studios' Marvel Cinematic Universe. We have a LOT to talk about here and I don't want to wait any longer before putting my opinions out there for you guys can enjoy my personal feedback.

Batman

The film opens with this universe's recreation of the incident where Thomas and Martha Wayne were gunned down in that fateful alley by a burglar in front of Bruce Wayne as a child. Fast forward to roughly 20 years later, Bruce is racing throughout Metropolis as Superman fights General Zod during the finale of Man of Steel, trying to save his employees working at Wayne Financial. He witnesses the horror of the building coming down all around them throughout the chaos of Superman and Zod's titanic encounter, only to be able to save one of his employees and comfort the child whose mother was killed among the wreckage.

Eighteen months pass and Bruce Wayne is more determined that ever to make Gotham City safe. The news details him brutalizing criminals and even branding them for the police and everyone else to know that he was the one who brought them to justice. This Batman accomplishes his goals by ANY means necessary.

It's here where I started to have issues with this depiction of Batman in this film. I don't have a thing against Ben Affleck's portrayal of the character. He did fine with what he was given. In almost every action sequence that Batman is showcased in there's a pattern. I thought it was only going to be limited to the dream sequence in the nightmarish, apocalyptic (near) future, but I noticed it continued throughout the course of the film. Batman was actually KILLING people. Not crippling them, not maiming, nor handicapping his adversaries. This is a Batman who was actually killing people.

Before people try to prove me wrong, I'm going to cite three instances from the film. First, during the dream sequence where he was CLEARLY using firearms against the soldiers serving Superman and managing to kill several of those troops before being captured. I'm guessing that sequence was a clever nod towards Injustice: Gods Among Us. This sequence could be omitted since it's a dream, but I can ask this question as well. Why is this Batman dreaming himself taking down soldiers with GUNS, when the thought of using firearms traditionally is against Batman's nature in most mediums' continuity? That fact alone should have been able to snap Bruce out of his dream, but instead it seems like the norm for him and doesn't snap out of his dream until Superman seems to kill him. Second, we have the Batmobile chase sequence with Batman trying to thwart the mercenaries' delivery of kryptonite to Lex Luthor. You could pitch that the Batmobile was possibly using rubber bullets (as suggested in the Batman: Arkham Knight video game) but those explosives were killing those men without remorse. Batman dragged that one car for at least a block or two before cutting it loose to smash onto the others' in pursuit. Then don't forget about the gasoline truck that he carelessly allowed to take out a block, along with those criminals in that car upon impact. I would love to see the dead toll from that stunt. Superman did those guys a favor stopping the Batmobile mid-slaughter to spare any more blood to be spilled. Last but not least, we have the rescue of Martha Kent. Throughout this sequence, Batman allows a grenade to kill a pair of guards, he stabs other guard with his own knife, and manages to disarm most of the criminals in one fell swoop upon arrival. Throughout this sequence, I'm going, "Cool, so he's NOT killing these guys here..." then boom, my expectations get shot down again. Batman arms himself with one of the guards' shotguns and shoots the canister to detonate the flamethrower on the back of Martha Kent's kidnapper, killing him right here and there. What the hell, man? Am I supposed to think that twenty years of being Batman just turned Bruce Wayne into an old, cranky dude who just doesn't give a fuck anymore or what?

People are going to read this and argue with me all day in the comments about maybe Batman didn't intend to kill but the film implies otherwise. Batman faced off against Superman with the intent to kill without any hesitation. The Batman I know, from roughly three decades of reading comic books and watching films and cartoons on that said character, would have put on his own personal investigation upon the explosion in the courthouse and proved that something foul at play there. Nope, this Batman fell for Lex Luthor's plot, hook, line, and sinker without a batting an eye - no pun intended. So much for being the World's Greatest Detective...  It baffles me that he fell for all of this to say that he hacked LexCorp's servers and knew what they were up to, so why did he even fall for the plan in the first place? It's not like he was coerced into it like Superman was.

Batman faces Superman solely on the idea that he is a false god that should be removed from existence for a single crime - that happens to look shady in the first place. I understand that this Batman is 20 years in the game, but I didn't expect him to be this stupid when deducing that evil was afoot. I'm not going to lie; I busted out laughing in the movie theater at Alfred's sarcastic remarks, along with Bruce's one day training montage prior to fighting Superman. It's going to take more than one evening of that Brock Lesnar workout tape if you're going to beat Superman, homie.

Before people get it confused, the flaws of this Batman is NOT on Ben Affleck's behalf. He is merely the actor doing what he was told and playing the part that he was getting paid for. That being said, I don't have a problem with him continuing to play the character. He proved me, along with a lot of the critics wrong in terms of his portrayal of the character. Much like Ryan Reynolds with Deadpool, 2016 is the year of redemption for Ben Affleck playing another comic book character. The flaws in this Batman's character is entirely on Zack Snyder and whoever else among DC Comics and Warner Bros.' payroll that let this shit fly. It wouldn't have hurt them to cut out the numerous dreams and hallucinations to shed some light on why this Batman is the way he is. Showing viewers the same shit that we've seen for roughly 30+ years of cinema with Batman in films isn't doing him any favors, nor adding any new layers of depth that were shed upon the character in the past, especially in Nolan's trilogy. It's odd, especially to say that Christopher Nolan is listed on the credits and seems like he didn't offer any input on Batman's depiction here.

People are going to ask me why am I so hard on this continuity's Batman in this film and it's because everyone assured me that after the initial trailers that this Batman isn't going to be aimlessly killing criminals. Here we are, opening night, and it's exactly what I feared the most about his introduction to this universe.

Superman

Superman's journey in this film was more about dealing with mankind's interpretation of his arrival to their planet more than him as a superhero. Superman's path in this film was ironically what was ideal for Batman in Christopher Nolan's last Batman-related film, The Dark Knight Rises. The bulk of the first half of the film pitches the idea, or rather shoves it down viewers' throats, that Superman is more than a hero, he is a gift of God, sent down from the heavens to be our savior from all of the evils of the world. Some people take this as far as taking it to a religious perspective, but I felt that the film didn't take enough time to hit this point home outside of a short montage of his heroic deeds. In the end, Superman becomes a martyr and it has far less impact than what it would have been in Rises if Batman died because we know there's more to come in this universe.

Gotta love Snyder with his use of symbolism... Superman is surrounded and worshiped
by death.

Sure, Man of Steel did that enough if you ask most people, but time should have been spent showing what Superman has been doing for Metropolis following the attack of General Zod's forces in the previous film if everyone was willing to overlook all of the widespread destruction and chaos and see him as their savior.

Superman is literally the same character that he was from Man of Steel. He is relatively unchanged and retreads the same waters. He is still new to his role of what it means to be a hero. Like his mother said, he doesn't owe this world anything but he wants to do something to continue to protect those that he love. I found it touching that he found Lois to be "his world" as that was the thing that humanized him in the Injustice: Gods Among Us universe. When Lois died in that continuity, Superman lost everything that tied him to relate and empathize with humanity. Here, Lois is his other anchor to humanity, outside of his own mother.

The only character growth he showed this time around was taking the Kryptonian bad guy AWAY from the civilians instead of laying another city to waste, but still had to end up saving Lois when it was all said and done. Sadly, that wasn't even foolproof because Doomsday still sent him flying through one of the building in Metropolis during the course of their battle.

And in all seriousness, Superman didn't have to die if he just handed the kryptonite spear to the immortal amazon with centuries of combat experience... I guess his macho dignity couldn't allow seeing a woman take the glory for being another villain from his own alien race....

Lex Luthor and Doomsday

I'm 210% convinced that Jesse Eisenberg made his portrayal of Lex Luthor to be like Max Landis as some sort of a sick tribute or insider joke. I don't want my Lex Luthor to be crazy, I want him to be calm and collected, yet methodical evil genius. Call me crazy, but it seems like Lex was stealing The Joker's thunder in terms of crazy and we're supposed to be saving that for Suicide Squad later this year.

I read that Eisenberg was supposed to be Alexander Luthor, aka Lex Luthor's son, but that still doesn't give me any reason to cut Snyder any slack. Eisenberg was literally ripping off Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight move for move at a point, so they both lose points in the originality department.

I thought it was a nice touch that Mercy Graves was included in this continuity but she wasn't provided anything to go with in terms with her character, outside of being Lex's easily forgettable personal assistant. I wasn't expecting much with this character when it took a few seasons before even the cartoon she was introduced in decided to give her some character depth. I guess we won't be getting anything with her in future films since she died right out of the bat here. Then again, she could be made into a cyborg like in Young Justice, so who knows...

I don't know who comes out as this film's biggest moron. Batman for falling for Luthor's plot to begin with or Lex Luthor for not even having the thought cross his mind to have a krypton weapon of his own crafted for his inevitable confrontation with Superman in case Doomsday wasn't ready in due time. I don't know, maybe a fucking kryptonite BULLET?

At the end of the day, remember that Lex Luthor's greatest highlight as a villain in this film involves pee in a jar. Just let that thought sink in for a moment...

Who was the genius who thought it was a good idea to do BOTH Death & Return of Superman
and The Dark Knight Returns in the same movie?

Doomsday ended up being exactly what most people figured out after he was teased in the early trailers for this film. Too bad he looks like the offspring of Doomsday if he had sex with one of those trolls from Lord of the Rings. There were a few subtle nods from the comics during this fight, such as Superman taking the foe into space to try to deal with him there away from the masses and the fact that Superman actually dies during the conclusion of this battle between the two.

Lois Lane

Let's be serious here. Amy Adams' Lois Lane had no importance in this film outside of being a damsel in distress. She offers nothing else to the narrative, even when she tries to contribute to Superman's growth as a character.

Simply put, if she wasn't always in danger, she would have no importance in this film at all. At least in Man of Steel, she had some character development. Here she's just a plot device.

Batman's "Dreams"

There's at least three noteworthy dream sequences in this film, but I'm only going to discuss two of them - namely for the fact that's what people are going to be talking about for next few weeks.

I'm not going to dwell onto how absurd it is that Batman, of all people, has precognitive/foreshadowing powers here, but just these dreams in general.

In one of these "dreams", Batman envisions a apocalyptic future where soldiers are loyal to Superman who rules as a tyrant. As mentioned previously, this screams shadows of the Evil Superman portrayed in the Injustice: Gods Among Us universe. I have seen people referring to the demons attacking Batman and the soldiers in the background as Darkseid's own parademons, but after seeing them close up, they look more like the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz if you ask me. If they are going to attempt to do a mock Injustice storyline with Justice League Part One and Two by somehow "killing" Lois Lane to drive Superman over the edge to become evil, then whatever. DC/WB already blew their load by killing Superman in this movie so pretty much anything that happens to him from here on out is going to have a dramatically less of an impact.

The other dream, Batman is visited by a man appearing to him from the future with a warning to resolve his differences with Superman. This is clearly a future iteration of The Flash who has mastered time travel. A lot of people are theorizing that this could lead to Flashpoint in this continuity and I wouldn't go that far - yet. It just seems to be very odd to me that they would tease and jump the gun on so many things in ONE film.

DC and Warner Bros. need to understand that they've had a 30+ years in terms of a head-start on Marvel Studios in terms of films. There is NO reason to rush through this stuff to compete with their established universe.

Closing Thoughts

I still think it was a disservice to the character that she was portraying that Gal Gadot didn't bother to bulk up or look more athletic for the part of Wonder Woman. Everything awesome she did while in costume was "prettied up" with fancy computer graphics, just like the bulk of the last 20-30 minutes of the film, so I'm not really giving her any props for literally standing there in a cosplay costume and doing what she does in roughly every film she's in and just look pretty.

You knew Snyder was going to get a couple of 300-style shots into Wonder Woman's fighting style. That being said, you know he was wetting himself at the thought of doing 300-style fight sequences with DC's resident amazon. I'm anxious to see what he would do with her action sequences in a solo movie based on her.

I still don't see what was the point of even cramming her into the finale. She's barely in the movie for the most part, but by this film's logic, Batman should have sent an email to all of those meta-humans to help them out in the final battle. (Facepalms) Out of all the things they could have cooked up to explain why she's here, she's looking for a picture of all things? Couldn't she have hacked Luthor's

I want to give Hans Zimmer a high-five for how awesome Wonder Woman's fight music sounds...

This image pretty much sums up this movie in a nutshell though. Wonder Woman is just there to demand attention away from Batman and Superman, despite being completely irrelevant to their conflict. Batman is holding a fucking gun - hitting the point home that this Batman is a stranger to everything that we have come to know about this character. Then Superman is just there, because his name happens to be in the title for this movie and somehow he's not really important compared to everyone else who is guest-starring and riding off his coat tails of the success of his previous film.

Speaking of this moment where the Trinity (Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman) were all on screen at the same time in costume, I want to slap Zack Snyder for that moment. Remember when we finally got that highly anticipated moment in the first Marvel's Avengers where we got that iconic shot of all of the Avengers standing together before the final climatic battle? Marvel Studios gave viewers a moment to let it sink in that this was a big deal with all of these heroes united and standing together. Do we get that here? Nope, you get this shot (which isn't even a still shot to allow fans to soak it in) for maybe 5-10 seconds tops and it's off into the final battle that's really hard to follow unless you're watching it in 3D or in an IMAX theater.

Is it too much to ask to get like a solid minute of the Trinity standing together in costume to give viewers the opportunity to let that monumental moment where Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman stand together in the SAME damn movie for the first time?

When Batman decrypted Luthor's files and I saw the symbols on the Batcomputer, I instantly knew that they were referencing Wonder Woman, Cyborg, The Flash, and Aquaman. It seemed like overkill to even include footage of their origins and/or first appearances in this film (despite how awesome some of these looked, especially Aquaman and Cyborg) that should primarily be focused on Batman and Superman. It brings up the issue with the number one problem with this film - it's a lack of focus.

From start to finish, the film has had a divided attention span without entirely focusing upon nor bringing a resolution to anything outside of the conflict between Batman and Superman. I could go on for hours about the plot holes here. For example, the general public never found out that Superman was innocent of the bombing at the court hearing, but sang a completely different tune when he gave his life for Lois' safety to defeat Doomsday and becomes a martyr to inspire other powered people to unite for the common good. Why didn't Batman just don that armor that he was fighting Superman in again (the helmet was the only thing damaged) for the final battle against Doomsday? He seemed pretty useless just standing around watching Wonder Woman and Superman get their asses kicked from the sidelines.

After roughly three hours of this film, I have come to the conclusion that this really isn't a DC Comics movie, if at all. BvS is merely using these characters in name only, allowing Warner Bros. to interpret them as they see fit. We might like what they do with these characters from here on out or we may not. The ball is in their court in terms of whether or not to keep these characters true to what we have come to expect from them or open the door to new understandings.

I defended Zack Snyder's vision when it came to Watchmen and Sucker Punch when everyone buried those films with negativity. This time around, I just can't. He did some good here, but the bad FAR outweighs whatever good intentions that he, DC Comics, and Warner Bros. may have in mind for the future.

That moment where Batman was proud that his discount Ironman armor finally paid off...

Watch it, Rent it, or Don't Bother?

(Sighs) It's hard to judge a movie like this. For the most part, I highly suggest watching it, mainly as a firm example of do's and don't's in terms of doing a proper superhero movie.

I really want to like this movie and writing this review was hard for one thing. It feels like there's more negatives than positives, but it's one of those things that is going to be deconstructed by hardcore fans and critics for a long time.

I personally feel like that this is going to be the comic book fans' version of the excitement of Star Wars Episode VII. Everyone will rave and sing praises about it the first month, but after the hype dies down, we will all sink our teeth into this film with appropriate criticism without favoritism blinding our judgment. Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed this film for what it was worth, but much like Man of Steel, there's a lot left to be desired. I'm willing to overlook the flaws of this film (there's a lot of them along with a few plotholes big enough to let Doomsday do a cartwheel in...) if what follows in it's wake to set the stage for Justice League ends up paying off in the long haul.

People are going to love things about it, such as Ben Affleck's newer take on the Dark Knight, Henry Cavill continuing where he left off with Superman from Man of Steel, or Gal Gadot kicking ass in Wonder Woman's theatrical debut. There's going to be people who flat out hate it. One thing is certain though is that the DC Extended Universe can only get better from here. You can bet your sweet ass that this film is going to be topic of conversations of many until Captain America: Civil War and Suicide Squad hit theaters later this year.