ReasonForOurHope

Thursday, December 3, 2015

Trailer Time: Batman v. Superman Trailer #2


Okay, I've watched this trailer several times already and here are some of my thoughts.

1.  Writing
I know this is only a small snippet, but I love the wit of that opening scene.  The verbal joust between Clark and Bruce is sharp and pointed with lots of subtext.  You can see the ideological rift between the two characters.  They aren't just talking about super-heroics, but things like civil liberties and safety, but not in a preachy or pandering way.   And it's fun.  I especially love the "clown" line.  That hit home.  I also love the incorporation of classic comic lines like "Time to learn to be a man!"  Now this could be a case where they use up their best lines in the trailer, but I am excited for it.

2.  Humor.
The DC movies have often been criticized in comparison to the Marvel movies because they lack humor.  I have never found this criticism to be particularly fair.  I happen to love the Dark Knight movies and Man of Steel.  But the end of this trailer does show a little bit of a fun side.  I'll be curious if the internet reaction is positive or negative, but I enjoyed it.

3.  Luthor.
I think I understand what they are going for with Luthor now.  He is a nihilistic millennial.  His line about "If man won't kill God, then the devil will," gives me an idea about who he is.  He sees Superman as a god-like person whose power dwarfs his own.  And like the nihilist philosopher Nietzsche, he cannot stand the idea of a supreme or superior being.  So he does everything he can to bring him down.  I think this taps into the nihilism that is soaking into our modern culture, particularly among millennials.  Notice how closely Jessica Jones flirts with a nihilistic world-view in the central hero.  I am glad that this philosophy is appearing the form of the villain of Batman v. Superman.

4.  Plot
I'm afraid it looks like they have given out too much of the plot.  Based on what I saw, I can see most of the story's trajectory.  This may not be a bad thing, but it gets me thinking about the Star Wars Episode VII trailers and how I still have no idea what is going to happen and how that excites me.

5.  Doomsday.
I like the idea of Doomsday in the story, but I'm not a fan of the CG depiction.  Maybe it will look better in the final version.

6.  Dawn of Justice
The end of the trailer really does make the movie feel like a Justice League Prequel.  And I am digging it.

7.  WHEN CAN I GET MY TICKETS?

Thoughts?


1 comment:

  1. I'm not a fan of Man of Steel (though I wouldn't have said that when it was first released in theaters); the characters are bland and the destruction is overbearing. However, I'm liking where this is going, especially the much-needed glimpses of humor. Lex Luthor's the standout to me; he's annoying in a somehow intriguing way.

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