This year is overflowing with many upcoming comic movies, and DC is pulling out the big guns with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. One of the most beloved and hotly debated comic stories to grace our collections is finally going to be on the big screen, and you’d think we would be lining the streets already. But the announcement of the movie has brought both cheers and anger from the community, and it’s difficult to see why. I want to talk about why some are against the movie before we could even see what the fuss is about. I’ll go over some common criticisms that have graced the online forums and conversations between fellow comic fans as the release date looms closer. And just to cover the bases here, we may unknowingly venture into spoiler territory over some predictions to the plot.
6. Batfleck (sigh…)
This is the most common and frequent talking point so I’ll get it out the way early. Ben Affleck has had a “troubled” acting career to say the least, starring in both cult classics and near abominations of movies. Personally, I always see him as the guy that set back superhero movies several years with Daredevil. The less said on that trainwreck the better. That, and he has big cowls to fill after the huge success of the Dark Knight trilogy and Christian Bale‘s performance. But in recent years he has shown strong acting and directing skills, so I’m willing to give him the benefit of a doubt until I hear his first “I’M BATMAN!”.
5. The Curse of the Superman Cape
I really don’t see how, but Hollywood seems to struggle with giving Superman, the most powerful of heroes (let the debates begin), a movie that all fans can enjoy and live up to their expectations. I mean Man of Steel was… alright, but it seems to quickly follow the same reaction as all his other adventures; some people love it, some people hate it, and some people (myself included) thought it was “meh”. Perhaps he comes across as a bit one-dimensional in his portrayals ,or maybe he has too many powers for the writers to effectively utilise; it’s hard to narrow down, but one bad decision can ruin the character. But in this modern age and with a strong actor in Henry Cavill, could we finally break the curse that has plagued Superman in his live adaptations?
4. Wonder Woman
When it was announced that Wonder Woman was going to appear alongside the titular superheroes, many of us are concerned over how she is going to be woven into the story. The focus of the movie will be on Batman and Superman (as it should be), so how will she be implemented into the story? Her inclusion means the the big three DC supers are on the screen at the same time for the first time, so expectations are high. She is a popular and respected character of the DC universe so I really hope she isn’t just a sidelined character used only towards the grand finale. This is a great opportunity to establish her in the DC movie universe and introduce cinemagoers to her comics, so a brief intro or backstory should be interwoven into the plot, but they should save the best bits for her upcoming standalone movie. Don’t make her appearance feel like a cameo, or worse, a cash grab.
