Why I Loved Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice And What I Hated About It

Why I loved it!

Some people (read most people) hated Batman V Superman but I loved it. I loved it because it was a daring movie, from a brave director, Zack Snyder.

Zack Snyder dared to deconstruct two most iconic superheroes and threw them into the complex reality.

Here are the things that I loved about Batman v Superman:

1. The Conflict between a Democratic and a Republican

In the movie, Batman is the democratic one, and Superman is the republic hero.

Superman is the representation of an uninhibited representative of natural and absolute power.

On the other hand, Batman represented a check on that natural and absolute power.

There was a scene where a black man was scratching a card and says he (Batman) is angry. Then it was revealed that the man made the bat-sign and related himself to Batman.

That’s the connection between Batman and the oppressed kind.

Then again, Superman says to Batman (the ultimate showdown) that if he wanted, he could have killed Batman already. That scene proved that Superman was still confident that he is stronger and more powerful than Batman.

2. A Politically Correct Movie

Andrew Sullivan says in BvS that on this Earth – every act is political.

For those who don’t know, Andrew Sullivan is a political commentator and an author.

The existence of Superman was politicized. Maybe it’s because his presence threatened powerful people on Earth in a way.

Read – Can Superheroes be Political?

Moreover, we see Superman was treated differently by different people; some were scared of him, and some treated him like a God.

I found that natural. A slight change in government’s policies creates unrest among its citizens. Imagine how people may feel when they realize a God-like being is living among them!?!

With a superior being (Superman), challenged the existence and purpose of every other human. Neil DeGrasse Tyson also added that they were talking about someone whose existence challenged everybody’s sense of priority.

3. The Main Antagonist

I believe the main antagonist of Batman v Superman isn’t Lex Luthor, Batman is.

Batman was shown disturbed, seasoned, and angry.

Batman in the movie erased the line between justice and revenge.

In the opening scene of the movie, we see young Bruce Wayne with his parents. When Joe Chill appears with a gun, Thomas Wayne tries to do something.

Then both Thomas and Martha were killed, and then the sequence continues to young Bruce falling into a well and ultimately being levitated by bats.

We see later that it was all a dream and Bruce calls it a beautiful lie.

He calls it a beautiful lie because the bats were taking him to light, but actually, the opposite happened. He was dragged to darkness.

Later it was also revealed that he lost a Robin and now don’t bother killing thugs because he became the judge and the executioner. Maybe he no longer trusted the law and thought himself above it.

Now, when he learned about Superman’s existence, he felt threatened and wanted him down.

The ruthless version of Batman was obsessed and unreasonable. He declared Superman to be the villain of humanity and wanted to kill him.

Batman was the antagonist who was determined to kill Superman because he saw him as a threat.

The References

4. The number 1108

In the opening scene of Batman v Superman, just before Thomas and Martha Wayne were shot they walk past a glass door and there was a number written. The number was 1108.

Soon after that, they were killed and were lying dead on the streets.

The number represented the Revelation 11:8.

Revelation 11:8 said, “And their bodies shall lie in the street of the great city” Just like Thomas and Martha Wayne’s dead bodies were lying on the streets of Gotham.

5.  A Balance of Terror

There was a scene where Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne meet in Lex Luther’s party.

When both of them confront each other, Clark Kent asked Bruce Wayne about his take on Batman. He also adds that he thinks that it’s a one man’s reign of terror. He meant Batman.

Behind Clark Kent, there’s a painting called “A balance of terror,” which again is related to the conversation between them.

6.  Batman and the Spear

Batman, having so many cool gadgets, went for a spear to kill Superman!

He could have created a gun or any shooting device, but why spear?

Read – 5 Things That Many People Get Wrong About Batman

It was another Biblical reference to the spear used to stab Jesus, by a Roman soldier.

Here, Superman is the God and Batman is the soldier.

Further, it is also believed in some stories that the soldier was told that if he kills God with the spear, he’ll get to see again.

Similarly, after the big showdown, Batman coming back to his senses was similar to him getting his eyes back.

He could see the truth, and we see a much hopeful version of Batman in Justice League (movie).

So, there you have it: Things I loved about Batman v Superman.

However, I was disappointed with a few things too.

Here are the things I hated about Batman v Superman

1. Jimmy Olsen

I was seriously let down by the way Zack Snyder treated Jimmy Olsen.

Jimmy Olsen is supposed to be fun, witty, adorable, and is Superman’s best pal.

Instead, he gets shot in the face in Batman v Superman.

That was unfair!

2. Lex Luthor

Lex Luthor is the smartest man in the DC universe.

He is a scientist with the mind of a politician. He’s mature, reserve, and has a strong personality.

But, the Lex Luthor in Batman v Superman was just the opposite. He was talkative, over smart, and had a very bright personality in my opinion).

So another letdown.

3. Doomsday

It has to be my biggest disappointment.

I love Doomsday. He’s the killing machine that can go on and on without eating and sleeping. Actually, he doesn’t eat and sleep.

But Zack Snyder made Doomsday look like a cross between Abomination and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!

It looked nothing like the doomsday we know from comics.

In fact, the series Krypton got Doomsday right. Zack Snyder is a master of visuals could have done better and treated this iconic villain better.

4. The Martha Scene

I’m sure you saw that coming.

Honestly, I am okay with the name shaking Batman to senses, but not like this.

A man with probably 20-30 years of pure rage and hatred won’t be so easily shaken and that too with his mother’s name.

I think he should’ve been angrier hearing that name and should have stabbed Superman in the eye.

So, that took away all the fun.

Finally

Finally, I’ll conclude that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a good movie and don’t deserve such ill-treatment.

I loved the movie and I re-watched it many times, and I still don’t mind watching it again.

Batman v Superman is a beautiful movie that doesn’t deserve the hate it got or is still getting.

Also Read – Blade Runner: The Question That The Movie Raised