Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was unquestionably a divisive film. Sitting at a mere 27% on Rotten Tomatoes, critics certainly didn’t care for it, and even fans seem to be split down the middle. Either you love it or you think it’s a bloated train wreck. Very few people seem to lie in the middle (though that’s where I find myself. It has some great moments, but could certainly improve in some areas).
Whether you love or hate Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor, agree or disagree with a brooding Superman, or were for or against Doomsday, almost all fans agree that Ben Affleck was a great Batman. Though fans might not agree with some of the actions that Affleck’s Batman took in the film, we agree that Affleck’s Batman looks, moves, and sounds like he stepped right out of a comic book page and into the real world. After all, we can’t fault his Batman’s actions. That’s on the writers. And it’s not like Batman has never killed on film before (I’m looking at you, Keaton).
One of the major complaints about BvS is how dark of a film it is, and in extension, how obsessed Batman was with killing Superman. One could even argue that Batman was the villain for most of this film. Blinded by rage and driven by the sole purpose of assassinating this alien that leveled Metropolis. According to Affleck, we will be getting a more humanized version of Batman in Justice League.
“Justice League is a big change tonally because you now have the personalities of all these characters coming together. It gives you a chance to infuse humor into the scenes.”
Batman v Superman definitely could’ve used some more humor. I understand that the film was supposed to represent a dark point in time for the characters, but it came off as a macabre, joyless film for a lot of people. Even Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, as dark and gritty as those films were, had a lot of humor in it.
One of the few bits of humor we did see in BvS was when Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman were all on screen for the first time and Batman and Superman had a nice back and forth. Of course, this was mere minutes after Batman almost impaled Superman with a Kryptonite spear, so it came off as a little forced, but still a nice moment to see on film.
Although Batman is typically a loner, especially the DC cinematic version, he understands the need to team up with these extraordinary heroes, which will lead to a slightly softer side of the Dark Knight than we saw in Batman v Superman.
“For Bruce, he’s having to open up and play well with others because he knows he needs them,” Affleck says. “So while he doesn’t lose sight of how serious the threat is, he’s humanized by the Flash’s earnestness, Diana’s warmth, even Aquaman’s needling.”
We’ve seen glimpses of some of these interactions in the trailers, but it’s good to see the mood of Justice League will be lighter and explore the different chemistries between the character’s personalities. Personally, the Bruce and Barry relationship is the one I’m looking forward to most.
Are you glad to see Bruce starting to see the lighter side of things? Who are you excited to see Batman/Bruce interact with most? Justice League is in theaters November 17th.