Zack Snyder’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” a movie that has the power to send comic book intellectuals either to a state of pure detestation or a state of pure Fangasm. A movie I see constantly being debated on the internet by so-called “Facebook film critics”.

There arises many questions after seeing this debate which seemingly changes to an all-out war with hate speech. This article is not an attempt to ridicule the ones who hate the movie or offend them but an attempt to look back at what Zack Snyder has done with this movie and what I appreciate in it.

So, this article is strictly a personal view of why I appreciate Batman v Superman.

In Defense of Zack Synder

Zack Snyder is a director who is famous for movies like “Watchmen” and “300”. Zack has worked with many WB on many occasions and his films mostly have a cultish fanbase. The criticism Zack got for making Batman v Superman was not constructive but every movie will receive harsh criticism regardless of how good it is.

What bothers me is the unreal hate he got on the internet. The people of the internet have gone to the extent and spent time and energy making Anti-Zack Synder groups. Zack is a director with a bold directorial style, his movies have a lot of action, violence, and sometimes other explicit content but at its core, it is always philosophical and has Zack’s passion.

To be honest Batman v Superman was a movie that didn’t meet my expectations, I went into the theatre to see a superhero movie which would be “fun” and “entertaining” like most superhero films at the time.

After seeing “Batman v Superman” I was disappointed but the film grew on me and I have since developed an acceptance of what it is rather than trying to see it for what it should have been.

Batman V Superman- Plot Analysis and Character Motivation

The plot of Batman v Superman is not as complex as people think it is. A lot of things have been left to interpretation which is the beauty of it and I totally deny the opinion of people who say it was rushed because back in the franchise movies they were mostly a trilogy.

The movie begins with the death of Bruce Wayne’s parents and the “diamond absolutes” monologue. This scene establishes the birth of Batman who is very different from the Batman from The Dark Knight trilogy. He is shown falling down into a pit that’s worse than death and being lifted up by bats. He fears the bats at first but he slowly embraces them and goes into light which he describes as a “beautiful lie”.

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Abhijith Justin

Then we see the whole introduction scene of Superman to humanity and its consequences. Bruce Wayne is a witness to this event and he is very much frightened not of Superman but of what he could do. At this point in his career as Batman, he is slipping into nihilism. He is at the edge of his breaking point and is asking himself what is the point of all this. This man has to take it upon himself to save the world now, he is very much obsessed with the idea that Superman can turn evil and destroy the world.

Batman is often shown having visions of the future in “Nightmare sequences “ where superman has turned evil and is a dictator. Batman has lost Gotham, he has lost his Robin and he isn’t gonna lose this world and it drives him into a killing machine which is criticized because “Batman doesn’t kill. He has a moral code!” which is very much a wrong statement because batman has killed in comics and movies.

People don’t seem to get the message that batman killing is in no way romanticized in the movie in fact the whole movie is about why batman should not kill. This batman is mostly inspired from The Dark Knight Returns so yes he is brutal and “Dark Knight Returns” is a comic that is left for viewers point of view or interpretation and batman does some questionable things in that comic and also Frank Miller was often accused of making Batman a “facist” in the comic by some readers which I’m not gonna go further into.

The other titan in the story is of course the “Big Blue Boyscout” Superman who everyone loves but as a matter of fact he isn’t the “Big Blue Boyscout” everyone loves. Superman is very much conflicted and beaten down by the world. Every decision he makes to help humanity is backfired unlike Christopher Reeve’s Superman, he can’t smile into the camera.

He is either completely rejected for being a super-powered alien or is seen as a “Messiah”. This movie brings Superman down to earth as a relatable character, Superman is as conflicted as every human in this movie, he has these incredible powers and he wants to help people but the rejection of humanity brings him despair.

One of the best moments in the movie is when Superman goes to ask Martha for help because every child looks up to their mother as their guiding light. Martha tells him “Be their hero, Clark. Be their monument, be their angel, be anything they need you to be. Or be none of it. You don’t owe this world a thing. You never did”. This moment is quite special as his mother is telling him that he isn’t burdened with the purpose to save humanity, he owes humanity nothing and he can just be Clark Kent, her son, rather than be Superman and she won’t be disappointed in him as a mother.

The next big character on screen would be Jesse Isenberg as Lex Luthor. Lex is a pretty complex character in the comics and to adopt him into a movie is a big task and it’s done very nicely in this movie. 

Considering all live-action Lex, I like this version the best. Lex Luthor has many interpretations ( many weird ones ) in comics and this one I believe is comically accurate. Jesse was often accused of being a psychopath rather than Lex which honestly is true because Lex is a psychopath in the comics and no he isn’t a real estate dealer or a drama queen (CW shows).

Lex is a guy who is willing to do whatever he wants to get what he wants. He wants to show everyone that Superman isn’t a Messiah, he wants to take everything away from Superman and he knows how. Lex Luthor is a genius manipulator who wants to make these two titans fight and he succeeds in it. Lex has made Superman suffer without using Kryptonite isn’t that “Lex Luthor” enough.

Luthor is also often compared to the CEO of Facebook at times by fans who believe he is a reinterpretation of the average comic book Lex Luthor which I believe is true. Lex on screen isn’t as calm and composed as Lex in comics? another overstatement because Lex uses a suit to fight Superman in comics which is quite frankly not calm and composed, Lex is an expressive character, he wants everyone to know he is smart, rich, and much better than anyone in the room.

The movie turns into your average “CGI Cape” movie in its last stage. The two titans clash and Batman are left standing. Now comes the most controversial part of the movie ‘Martha moment’ which is not very complex as people say it is. Bruce sees what he has become when he was going to stab Superman in the heart, he realizes he is not a killer and Superman makes him realize that he is a beacon of hope overflowing with positivity.

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Ask yourself Superman has made this broken man see the light, he has helped Batman realize what he always stood for, isn’t that the whole point of being a symbol of hope? Batman makes Superman a promise that Martha won’t die today and Superman has to go help fight doomsday which Lex unleashed.

Batman goes to “save Martha” and there is that awesome “warehouse scene” where he takes down those mercenaries and saves Martha from them but the significance of this moment people always fail to understand. This is his redemption years ago he couldn’t save his parents now saving Superman/Clark Kent’s mom is equal to saving his own.

Superman flies back to Lex where Lex is about to unleash doomsday. Doomsday is a being capable of destroying worlds and is fueled with nothing but rage. The one Lex created is a prototype doomsday and is not the real one.

This doomsday’s first act after coming to life is to kill Lex but superman stops it and they both engage in an epic CG fight sequence when superman decides to take him out of the earth and fight it. As soon as Superman and Doomsday are in space the humans fire a nuclear bomb at them. This scene is quite unexpected in a superman movie where America is always the good guys but keep in mind this is not an attack on politics or conveying a political idea but just showing human nature.

The movie ends with Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman team up and Superman fighting doomsday to the death. Superman after being completely rejected by humanity still came to save humanity. Superman ends up sacrificing himself to save humanity. The death of Superman makes Bruce rethink his code and he is transformed into a completely new person who takes it upon himself to find the other metahumans and save humanity from the coming invasion.

His choice in not branding Lex shows how much he has changed as a person. The movie which began with a funeral ends also with a funeral and both these funerals are very much significant as the first one is the “birth of Batman” and there is an unseen death in the movie which is the death of Robin which makes batman the self-destructive beast he used to be, the death at the end of the movie, the death of superman is where “Batman is reborn”.

He makes saving the world from the incoming invasion his purpose rather than his burden and goes to find the others to defend the world. He is open to working with people again.

Theme’ of Batman V Superman

Batman v Superman is a movie with a world and philosophy of its own. The movie comments on many things including politics, power, religion, nature of humanity, hate, struggle, sacrifice, loss, violence, redemption and heroism.

Politics in Batman v Superman is very bold. Every act of Superman is discussed in new channels, criticized often twisted and misinterpreted. The comment on religion is quite tricky as sometimes superman is shown visually allegorical to Jesus yet there is the question of “Isn’t he just a guy trying to do the right thing?”

Power is abused throughout the movie by Lex and Bruce. Lex is using his resources to frame superman and batman and using his power to inflict terror upon Gotham. The nature of humanity and how Superman is more human than most humans is recurring as Superman does many selfless acts and humans are shown as either corrupt (Lex), selfish (Superman gets nuked by America while trying to save humanity) or flawed yet they are willing to make themselves better (Bruce). 

Sacrifice, struggle, and loss are depicted mostly through Bruce Wayne and how his sacrifices and trauma are constantly haunting him while on the other hand, Clark has made his peace with it. Violence is a topic explored through Batman who has gone against his morals and started to kill.

Redemption and Heroism is the best message conveyed by the movie. Batman learns to make himself a better person and Wonder Woman who hid from humanity and it’s terrors comes out from the shadows to fight against evil.

Zack Synder’s ‘Justice League’

Following the announcement of the much-awaited Snyder Cut, fans have been very excited for it. The purpose of this article is not to go against anyone but to bring the loving DC fans community together and support Zack Snyder through it. Sending our love and respect from The Tech Vamps to Zack Snyder who is a beacon of inspiration to us always.