"It's time you learn what it means to be a man."
The third trailer for 2016's most anticipated comic book film,
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, aired on Jimmy Kimmel this week before being officially released on a little place called the internet. Although the third trailer didn't quite reach the number of viewers that the first trailer for
Captain America: Civil War did (see my review for that
here), the
Dawn of Justice trailer received much attention upon release, as it confirmed a few things that some fans have been suspecting for a while.
The trailer opens with a scene at a press conference in which reporter Clark Kent comes face to face with billionaire Bruce Wayne. Let me start off by saying that I have a hard time believing that Kent has never heard of Wayne, especially considering his profession. I feel that either Kent is putting on an act, or he has been living under a rock. Regardless, I liked the banter between Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne as each character attempts to top the other, though I'm not so sure about Ben Affleck's hoarse accent (it kind of gives his Batman voice away). I have to point out that Henry Cavill looks perfect as Clark Kent. Everything from the glasses to the trench coat just shows that the costume designers know their material well.
I am not so enthusiastic when it comes to Lex Luthor, as portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg. I can definitely see what the film is going for, with the character's eccentricity and the call back to Luthor's early days as a mad scientist in the comics, but at the end of the day, Eisenberg's character just isn't Lex Luthor. I know that everyone probably has their own unique idea of what Luthor should be, but Eisenberg doesn't seem like the Luthor I am familiar with, at least not at the moment. Inevitably, someone is going to try and tell me that Eisenberg is playing Luthor's son but that just isn't the case. Eisenberg is portraying
the Lex Luthor. The only thing that his full name in the film, Alexander Luthor, Jr., indicates is that his father was also named Lex Luthor. Don't expect Luthor's father to show up in an after credits scene as a tease for the
Man of Steel sequel.
Something that I want to address that has set the internet on fire is that, in the trailer, there is a scene in which Batman is seen carrying a gun of some sort. Many fans have began arguing that this goes against Batman's strict 'no guns' role. This is due to a sweeping misconception caused by people that take the phrase 'no guns' too literally. Batman has a problem carrying real lethal guns, with bullets, explosives, ETC. Batman has no problem carrying gun-like gadgets (such as an EMP) and, in many circumstances, has no problem using non-lethal guns.
Of all the surprises packed in the
Batman v Superman trailer, two of them in particular stood out from the others. The biggest of the two involves Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman standing together, about to head into battle. We're finally going to see DC's Trinity on the big screen. I'll let that sink in for a moment...
The second of the two big reveals is that Doomsday will be an antagonist in the film. I don't know what to think of this at the moment. What appears to be happening is that Lex Luthor is experimenting on General Zod's corpse, which results in the creation of Doomsday. This aligns with previous rumours that I was convinced were fake. In a
Man of Steel viral video, Doomsday was mentioned in Kryptonian text, implying that Doomsday already existed on Krypton. Unless the trailer is misleading us, then Zod becoming Doomsday is a definite inconsistency.
Over all, the third trailer for
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is an exciting one, despite very clear flaws. Although I am more hyped for this film than any other that 2016 has to offer, I can't help but feel a little nervous. Considering that the fate of the DC Extended Universe rests on this film's shoulders, let's hope that Zack Snyder delivers.