There is no better community on the web than ComicBookMovie! With that being said, we would like to continue our new series of articles in which we discuss the movies and news that we love to cover!We look forward to bringing the community new perspectives and different ways to enjoy the news that comes out for comic book movies and allow the community to learn more about our editors. This month, Deadpool graced the big screen with humorous quips, violence and one hell of a "romance" story. We asked the editors five questions on the Deadpool movie, read on and find out what they have to say!
1. Why were the critics' reviews of Batman V Superman so poor?
Minal Herath, @MintyYeah: Because Disney paid them of course! If you genuinely think that's the case, you're a lost cause. There was no large-scale conspiracy, but I do get the impression a few critics were always going to dislike it. Not everyone is a fan of Zack Snyder's style, after all. In the end, it doesn't really matter. It dominated the box office - and those that like it, like it. You don't need validation from critics to like (or dislike) a movie.
Mark Cassidy, @RorMachine: Although I really enjoyed this movie, I'm not at all surprised that the majority of critics didn't. Though it's RT score is WAY too harsh, Batman V Superman is a bit of a mess from a film-making standpoint. It's disjointed and nonsensical at times, and that's the sort of thing that really takes you out of a film. For me though, there was enough good/great stuff to counterbalance that and ultimately I felt Snyder was able to cobble together a hell of an entertaining flick. I think many critics are focusing on the bad while ignoring the good, and that's why we're seeing such an overall negative reaction.
Mark Julian, @_MarkJulian:The film just doesn't make sense as a compelling narrative. Character motivations switch too easily and resolution comes in the form of very unlikely circumstances. Add to that the fact that the film requires you to have a very clear understanding of DC Comics lore to truly understand what's happening and what's being set up for the future. It reminds me of the first Avengers film, with the Thanos end-credits scene. Joss Whedon stated that he knew most of the audience wouldn't know who Thanos was, apart from the comic book fans. Marvel was relying on the comic book fans in attendance to explain who Thanos was and why people should be excited. That strategy works for an end-credits stinker, it doesn't work when that's the case for 75% of the film.
Rohan Patel, @KingPatel: I liked the film and can appreciate its ambitiousness, but at the end of the day, it's just poorly constructed. There are plenty of great moments, but those great moments get overshadowed by the abysmal editing and nonsensical plotholes that makes this one movie almost seem like 3-4 movies meshed together. The film's biggest flaw is unfortunately that it seems to have been specifically made for the diehard fan and almost functions better as one giant Easter egg than it does as a film. So, I can't blame the critics for tearing this movie apart, a vast majority of them are looking at the film as a film and not as a comic book come to life. By definition, I'm techincally an adult, so I don't mind a more mature tone, but it's kind of unsettling to see parents walk their super excited kids out of a movie that features two guys that fight in vividly colored tights. For the most part, I enjoyed the film, and can overlook the deficiencies, it was at times a spectacle to behold, but if I were back in college in one of my film theory or criticism classes, and looking at it from a filmmaker's point-of-view, I probably would've torn it limb-from-limb as well.
Nathan Best, @Nathan_Best:Because critics are called “critics” for a reason. They are intentionally looking for something to be wrong with every film. That coupled with the Hollywood hate for Zack Snyder was a bad combination. Was the movie perfect? No. Did the first half of the film edited poorly and felt rushed? Absolutely. Did it ruin the ENTIRE film for me? No. As a comic fan of 40 years, I really liked it. The second half of the film was mind-blowing. Being familiar with the comics and the stories they loosely based the film on probably helped being able to follow the story better than your average movie goer, but 12 of the 13 people I saw the film with (over three different viewings) all liked the film. There was only one person that was disappointed in the film, so I REALLY don’t get the poor reviews.
2. What do you think of Ben Afleck's Batman, Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman and Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor?
Minal Herath, @MintyYeah: Affleck was great, really carried the movie with a powerful lead turn that has hopefully shut his haters up for good. I wasn't convinced of Gadot early on in the movie. Her encounters with Affleck were a little stale. Then I saw her in action... Wow! I can see why people are calling her the highlight. As some of you may know, I was a big fan of Jesse's Lex (but more on him in a second).
Mark Cassidy, @RorMachine: Affleck was a superb Batman, and I'm glad he silenced his critics. Gadot also did a great job as Wonder Woman, though we really didn't get to see enough of her. Eisenberg was.... different as Luthor. Sometimes his take on the character worked (the rooftop convo with Supes, his final scene in the prison) but mostly he just annoyed me. He played Lex more like Jim Carey's Riddler than anything else and I felt he should have reigned it in a touch.
Mark Julian, @_MarkJulian: Eisenberg's Lex Luthor was the worst part of the movie. However, it wasn't Eisenberg's fault, the characterization was wrong. It was almost as if Lex Luthor hired the Riddler to develop a plan to get Superman and Batman to fight. Affleck's Batman was pretty good except that I did not like the fact that he used guns. With all the tech at Batman's disposal, it's pretty easy for him to incapacitate his opponents rather than kill him. Plus, if Batman has no qualms about killing, the Joker and the rest of the Suicide Squad should be dead, not in prison. Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman was really just a glorified cameo but she managed to steal every scene she was in. Batman is my favorite character but Gadot's Wonder Woman is the superhero I most want to see more of in the DCEU.
Rohan Patel, @KingPatel7: I said this the other day, but leave it to a Boston guy to get Batman right. Ben Affleck was phenomenal in the role and I think he'll be even better when he gets to direct himself in that long-rumored The Batman solo feature. Gal Gadot was good, but if we're being honest, she was barely in the movie, She had roughly seven minutes of screen time, only ever spoke to Batman, and had she not been heavily promoted, I don't think many people would've picked up on her being Wonder Woman until she actually showed up in costume to fight Doomsday since they didn't call her by name till the end. As Wonder Woman, I thought she shined a bit brighter, she was effective in the fight and her brief appearance definitely got me more excited for her film next year. Her entrance also was the only part of the film to get some applause, not Spider-Man at the end of the Civil War trailer level of applause, but people were definitely pumped to see her make her long-awaited debut. As for Eisenberg, this is probably an unpopular opinion, but I really liked his Lex Luthor. He was a deranged lunatic, with relatively unclear motives, but Eisenberg was 110% committed to the role and did the best with what he was given and I liked what I saw. I'd be very interested in seeing more of him squaring off with Superman in the future.
Nathan Best, @Nathan_Best:I thought Afleck was a GREAT Batman. I would rank him in the top 3 of all Batmen and I loved seeing an older version of Batman on screen. I would love to see a solo film that goes into his history with the Joker and Robin. I’m assuming the line from Alfred about “New Rules” relates to him being more violent and brutal after Robin’s death, but you know what they say about *ass*uming!
Wonder Woman was great, but Gal Gadot didn’t have many lines or chances to show what she can do. She has great screen presence and Batman v Superman got me VERY excited for her solo film.
Eisenburg’s Lex Luthor was the worst part of the film for me. He had some scenes where he was amazing… I loved him in the last scene in prison and the scene atop the Lex Corp building where he was talking to Lois before pushing her off the building and the subsequent conversation with Superman about his mom. The rest was really hit or miss. Overall I wasn’t a fan of this onscreen version of Lex. He was missing the cool and calculated genius that I know from the comics.
3. Who was your favorite character and why?
Minal Herath, @MintyYeah: I loved Jesse Eisenberg's Lex in much the same way I love Hackman's. Eccentric, cowardly and brilliant, this Lex also had the added benefit of not being obsessed with real estate! He's certainlynot for everyone, and I can see how he would come off as annoying to some. For me though, he really nailed his dialogue, flipping between class clown to straight-up sinister in a heartbeat. I wanted to punch him. That's a good thing. I think.
Mark Cassidy, @RorMachine: Batman... even with all the killing! Seriously though, I understand that this take on the character won't be for everyone, but any fan of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns will get what they were going for. I think Bruce Wayne's scenes with Alfred were probably some of the most effective in the movie, and got me hyped for a solo Batman adventure with these actors.
Mark Julian, @_MarkJulian:Gadot's Wonder Woman. Her appearance was brief yet epic enough to make me curious to see what they were holding back for her solo film. Can she fly? Does she have the invisible jet? How strong is she in relation to Superman? In the stories where Batman devises methods to take down the various members of the Justice League should they turn rogue, he never develops anything for Wonder Woman because she has no weaknesses. In that regard, I'm probably looking forward to see how the relationship between Wonder Woman and Batman develops in future films.
Rohan Patel, @KingPatel7: Superman. I really like Cavill in the role, and I think he has the potential to be the Superman we deserve, but his bright moments have been fairly few and far between unfortunately. Cavill does shine when he's given good material, but more often than not the script and director he's had to work with have let him down. I mean Cavill oozes charisma, yet most of the film, Superman's seen brooding, with that uncertain about his role in the world look on his face. Death Of Superman is such a powerful story, yet Snyder mainly shifts the focus to the epic battle with Doomsday and not the ramifications and aftermath. There's more to Superman than just punching, and I think Cavill has what it takes to bring that to life, but it's unclear whether we'll see him get a chance to play that Superman in Justice League or whether he'll be quickly resurrected to fight Darkseid.
Nathan Best, @Nathan_Best:As much as I liked Batman and Wonder Woman, Superman was my favorite. There’s something about him always trying to do what’s right and carrying that weight upon his shoulders that really makes the boy from Krypton human for me. He’s brave, selfless and naïve enough to believe the best of people, even when they continue to disappoint.
4. What was your favorite scene?
Minal Herath, @MintyYeah:Ding ding ding ding ding! The world-building in this film was hit-and-miss - some of it added to the movie, other moments detracted from it. This scene was excellent, setting up our first great confrontation between Bats & Luthor, while perfectly foreshadowing the arrival a certain New God. The look of fear on Luthor's face as he maniacally raved about Darkseid was both electrifying & terrifying to watch. The bell has been rung.
Mark Cassidy, @RorMachine: Probably the titular fight. Not everything worked, but overall it was everything I'd hopes for. I also loved the resolution and it struck a strong emotional chord with me. Many people are oversimplifying it as Batman not killing Superman because their mothers share they same name, but there's way more to it than that. Batman saw Clark as an actual person for the first time, and realized he wasn't just some alien destroyer but a son who had a mother - yes, with the same name as his own - that needed his help. He also realized what he was becoming in his quest for vengeance.
Mark Julian, @_MarkJulian:It's weird. The scene that made me the happiest was seeing Wonder Woman go through the LexCorp files and reveal Cyborg, Aquaman and Flash. As a whole, that scene was clearly shoehorned in to tease the Justice League film. You could take it out of the film and it wouldn't affect the movie's narrative one bit. However, the comic book fan in me can't help but be excited about seeing the characters I've been reading for over 20 years finally take flesh in a big budget blockbuster.
Rohan Patel, @KingPatel7: The scene where Superman confronts Luthor on the rooftop after rescuing Lois and learns that his mother's been kidnapped. Cavill conveyed Clark's pain really well and the whole exchange really resonated with me (partially because my mother's name is also Martha). It was probably Cavill's finest moment in the film, save for his final few moments with Doomsday, and it'd be really interesting to see what he could do if the script provided him with stronger material to work with. On a related note, my mother's name is not Martha.
Nathan Best, @Nathan_Best: The fight between Batman and Superman is at the top, followed by the fight with Doomsday, but those are easy answers. Aside from those two scenes, I really liked the scene in the warehouse when Batman saves Martha Kent. Will all of the fighting and gun fire, Batman manages to NOT kill anyone except the flamethrower-wielding bad guy at the end. The line at the end about being a “friend of your son’s” and her response of “I figured. The cape” was awesome.
I also liked the scene where Wonder Woman is introduced to the Meta Humans. They didn’t show enough to give much away, but boy did it get me excited for the upcoming slate of movies in the DCEU!
5. Did Batman V Superman live up to the hype surrounding it?
Minal Herath, @MintyYeah:Kind of? At this point I'm not sure I mind. I liked it, and that's easily the most important thing to me. It wasn't the masterpiece I'd hoped for when it was first announced, but it wasn't the trainwreck I'd been worried it would be after that second trailer. It was good.
Mark Cassidy, @RorMachine:In a word, no. There's no denying that BvS should and could have been better, but nor is it the disaster many critics and fans would have you believe. I got a lot out of it, however, and look forward to seeing how the DCEU can be improved and expanded upon.
Mark Julian, @_MarkJulian: No. The visuals and action sequences kept the film from being a total failure but a more coherent and compelling story was needed to do these characters justice. It was merely serviceable when it should have lit a new fire in the CBM genre.
Rohan Patel, @KingPatel7: No. I liked it, I enjoyed it in theaters, I look forward to the Ultimate Cut, but it did not live up to the three-year hype started when Harry Lennix announced the film back in 2013. It's an average film, and there's nothing wrong with that, but it could've, it should've been much much more.
Nathan Best, @Nathan_Best: For me, yes! The two big fights alone were worth the price of admission. The editing in the first half of the movie was rough, but I’m excited to see the upcoming extended cut and find out if that fills in the holes and fixes the pacing of the film.