COULD IT BE BETTER: BATMAN V. SUPERMAN
The release of the BvS ultimate cut is upon us and I figured now is as good of a time as any to share some of the ways I think BvS could've been improved. I won't be touching on casting or anything like that. Rather, I will focus solely on plot elements. I know this site has been flooded with reviews and editorials about this first entry of the DCEU, but RealDC got to write up an editorial refuting twenty-one "arguments" against Superman's trunks. TWENTY ONE! Anyway, on with the editorial.
1) Batman vs Superman
For a movie named Batman v. Superman, there sure isn't a whole lot of fighting. The two titular heroes only come to blows once and it is both very brief and paper thin. The movie did an excellent job, with regards to providing Batman with a motive, but it didn't seem to know what to do with it.
The argument can be made and has been made that the "v." makes this confrontation more of a legal battle than anything. But no one wants to see that. If they wanted to pay homage to the legal side of things, maybe Bruce Wayne and should've Lex attended the senate hearing.
For instance, I feel Batman should've gone after Superman or to Metropolis very early on in the film. Maybe not to fight him, but to learn about him, like the animated series. Since he is a bit older than we are used to, maybe he is out of practice. Sloppy. When spying on or trying to get to Superman, the Man of Steel nabs Batman and tries to bring him in to the authorities. Like in one of their first encounters, the Dark Knight would be on the back foot, totally unprepared.
Additionally, Superman should have a really good reason to fight Batman as he would any of his other oppenents. While I can appreciate wanting to save your mother from a twitchy megalomaniac, I just don't think it holds up. It should've been more personal. Batman should've been framed for kidnapping Martha or maybe there was an attack on Clark and Lois' appartment. On the note of framing...
2) The Puppet Master:
Though the fight we got was orchestrated by Lex to a degree, he could've done a little more. Perhaps instead of intimidating a senator with Jolly Ranchers, Lex could've met with Bruce Wayne (kind of like he did in Lex Luthor: Man of Steel) and subtly hinted that he knew about Bruce's secret while egging him on. Maybe he could even hint further at a pet project of his, but more on that later.
He also could've orchestrated Batman's theft of the Kryptonite -though I think he did in BvS, honestly, I can't remember- and used it as an opportunity to hack into the Batcave via the Batmobile or plane. Using this hack, he could use the tech in the cave to egg on Superman and incriminate Batman, as I previously mentioned.
Well, that's Batman covered. But what about Superman? What could Lex do to manipulate him? Well, remember when Superman totally plowed that Terrorist through the wall and killed him? What if that was not Superman...
3) Bizzaro
While there is a time and a place for Doomsday, it was not in this film. He was not used nearly as effectively as he could've been. If WB was looking for a villain to bring the heroes together while also being a physical match for the heavy hitters, they should've looked no further than Bizzaro.
Lex, having aqcuired the Kryptonian wreckage, could've experimented on one of the birthing pods. Trying to forcibly age one of the Kyrptonian and accidentally creating the mutant Bizzaro. Never one to let things go to waste, he could've trained the mutant to hate Superman and obey his every word.
Bizzaro could've been used to really damage Superman's image. Instead of sending Mercs to go and kill the terrorists, Bizzaro could've leveled the compound with heat-breath, making it seem as though Superman had actually done it. There are plenty of other things he could've done to ruin Superman's public image throughout the film.
Maybe he tries to kill Batman or maybe he wrecks D.C. I dunno.
4) Batman is raped--
GET OUT OF HERE SNYDER. Batman doesn't need that to be part of his backstory! It'd be a cheap plot device that adds nothing new to the character. It'd be used for shock alone.
Well, quite a few people have shown interest in this! Certainly more interest in this when compared to my Zoom theory. Still really peeved that he wasn't a pair of disembodied eyes. Anyway, as I said, here rest of the other changes I would've made!
5) Wonder Woman
While I think Wonder Woman was used enough in this film, I feel, like Doomsday before her, she wasn't used effectively.
Instead of having her on some weird mission to steal back a digital copy of a photo, have her there to stop the fighting between Batman and Superman. Isn't that what the Amazons are all about? Tempering man's rage? It'd give her something to do and having her stand up to the both of them and knocking sense into them is a much more compelling and believable reason to stop the fight. Especially when compared to how the fight ended in the version we got.
Also, as was mentioned in the comments, Wonder Woman should've been the one having the visions. Bruce learned many things, when training to become Batman. Clairvoyance was not one of them. She could see a world in which the two never stop and the villains take advantage of the chaos.
6) Something to do
In BvS, Batman goes to save Martha while Superman goes to confront Luthor. That's great. Each hero shoul have to do something that highlights their strengths.
In my head, I imagine WW and Batman breaking into Lex's research station and finding Bizzaro, while Superman confronts Lex and his exact motives are laid out. Batman sneaks his way through the complex, carefully pasting goons and WW could just barrel through, invulnerable and impatient. It could be a fun little moment.
Finally...
7) The Future
So, how about those Justice League teases? A little on the nose and weird. Why did Lex make all those icons? While the tease felt weird, I think it could work.
The premise behind BvS is that Batman is fearful of Superman's incredible power. It stands to reason that he would fear other Metas. Maybe people started to look at weird events more carefully after a massive alien ship nearly destroyed Metropolis. We could see the Batcomputer have all these contingencies and videos of the Metas. And then, even at the end of the movie when Batman knows they can be allies, we see him keep the contingencies. A nod at the Tower of Babel.