Why The Ultimate Edition Should Have Been The Only Version Of Batman v Superman

Why The Ultimate Edition Should Have Been The Only Version Of Batman v Superman

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is one of the most polarizing and talked about movies out thus far especially in the comic book genre. People either love it or hate it.

Editorial Opinion
By Hendo96 - Apr 11, 2017 04:04 PM EST
Filed Under: Batman vs. Superman

If I am going to be frankingly honest, when I first saw Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in theaters, I was initially disappointed even though I liked the movie I wanted to loved it so such.

I'm one of those peoples that loves Man of Steel and I think it's the best solo Superman movie we've had so far. Some may disagree but I know I'm not the only one who loves that movie.



And I was hyped out of my mind for Batman v Superman when it was announced back in 2013. Like I said before, the theatrical version initially disappointed me but the Ultimate Edition really swayed my opinion to where I love the movie now and I really think it should've been the only version of the movie.


When I say it should have been the only version of the movie, I mean if WB had let Zack Snyder release the Ultimate Cut in theaters from the beginning, I think it would have gotten better reviews from critics. Everything about the Ultimate Edition makes more sense than the theatrical version. The Africa sequence is fleshed out, Clark Kent going to Gotham gave him proper reasons for disliking Batman, Lex is actually portrayed as a puppet master and his plan made so much more sense, and Jena Malone's character was also necessary to the story.


I've heard people say a million times that they couldn't release a 3 hour movie in theaters because it would've gotten less showtimes. Well look at Lord of the Rings, Titanic, and Avatar. Those movies have grossed a billion dollars and they were well over 3 hours long. Also, 3 hour movies get extended stays in theaters so the same thing could have happened for Batman v Superman and it might have even beaten Civil War if the Ultimate Cut was released from the beginning.


And I've heard people say it was rated R and it wouldn't have done well at the box office.


Really? Did you sleep through the success of Deadpool or even recently Logan?

Also, the Ultimate Edition did not even need the R rating because you can have a couple of blood splatters, you can drop an F bomb, and it can still get away with the PG-13 rating. Plus, look at the recent X-Men movies (First Class, Days of Future Past, and Apocalypse), they were PG-13 and they had a couple of blood splatters and a F bomb once in a while. Sure we saw Ben Affleck's ass in the Ultimate Edition but we also saw Hugh Jackman's ass in X-Men: Days of Future Past but that also got away with a PG-13 rating. The MPAA are just filled with a bunch of idiots.

I understand that a 3 hour movie is going to be a tough sell for people. But when you have a movie featuring Batman and Superman together for the first time in live action and their fighting as well as the introduction of Wonder Woman and the formation of the Justice League, people are going to see that movie regardless of the runtime especially considering this is the version all of those WB execs gave a standing ovation back in August 2015.


I wish WB grew balls and let Zack Snyder release his vision in theaters that way it would not have led to them messing with Suicide Squad making them go back to do reshoots.


That being said I'm not giving up on the DCEU just because WB released the wrong version of Batman v Superman in theaters and rushed out Suicide Squad when they had 6 weeks to write the script as well as having a trailer company edit their movie which is not a good thing. Wonder Woman and Justice League look good so I'm hoping their theatrical versions will be the intended versions of those movies this time around.


Alrighty that is my take so let me know your thoughts. Now if you'll excuse me I have to return some video tapes.
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DetectiveCinema
DetectiveCinema - 4/11/2017, 5:29 PM
While the Ultimate Cut wasn't as great as it should've been, it was still loads much better than the theatrical cut. Same can be said for Daredevil (2003). The extended cut is one of my favourite comic book movies.

Directors seem to be given less and less control for THEIR VISION these days, it's frustrating.
PrinceAwesome
PrinceAwesome - 4/11/2017, 10:25 PM
totally agree man, people would be unilaterally liking the movie if the ue were released instead
katzb724
katzb724 - 4/12/2017, 12:41 PM
@PrinceAwesome - People would be unilaterally liking this movie if it said MARVEL in the opening credits. Heck, Civil War had just as messed up convoluted plot as BvS did, yet nobody seemed to care. At least Lex's plan relied on him actually manipulating the two, instead of leaving it to chance like Zemo.
TheDayman
TheDayman - 4/12/2017, 6:54 PM
@katzb724 - Well, I actually found it lazy to have the conflict between Batman and Superman completely manufactured by Lex. Zemo didn't need to manipulate every factor. All he had to do was push some buttons and set events into motion until Tony and Steve fought not because they were forced to but because they had legitimate reasons to fight.
JDL
JDL - 4/12/2017, 2:06 AM
Simple Answer: Its all about the money. All other things being equal three hour tentpole movies make much less money for the studio than those that run for 2 & 1/2. Why ? A couple of reasons;

#1
You can run the shorter length movie twice in an evening and the second showing will get out at a semi-reasonable time. Add an hour to that and the second showing gets out too late for most people, most of the time. The exception is when kids are out of school and people are on vacation which does not apply to BvS. In any case the studios really really do not want people who want to watch a movie in weeks 1 & 2 putting off going because they can't get a seat when they want it. It lowers their percentage (see below) and it reduces the chance for a second viewing.

#2
Movie tentpoles for the last decade* or so have used a sliding scale that gives the theater more of the ticket price every week after the first. So the studio wants the audience front loaded. A non summer hit that shifts revenues from the early weeks to later loses the studio a lot of cash. They won't do it. Given the costs of these things they can't afford to.

*So forget LOR, it's circumstances no longer apply. Of course a non tentpole is another matter (probably no sliding scale) but that's not what we are discussing here.
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