Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)


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13 minutes ago, Syanide said:

So Snyder directed a movie that is a visual extravaganza, has convoluted plot overburdened with the JL setup, poor characterization, and has the sensibility of a 12 year old imagining what "grim" and "mature" is supposed to be like. Color me shocked.

 

The reviews read like "Man of Steel" reviews, which is unfortunately what I expected. I'll still give it a fair shot, but one thing that completely turns me off from seeing it, is that Batman kills people. It kind of ruins the character, both in his relationship with Superman, but more importantly, it ruins his dynamic with the Joker. Batman's rule is the one thing that prevents him from being a complete lunatic, it's basically what separates him from the Joker.

Except Batman has killed in the comics. 

1 hour ago, Circaflex said:

Except Batman has killed in the comics. 

 

So? Superman didn't fly at first in the comics, but flying is still probably the number one association you have about the character. I don't care about exceptions, they just prove that it's a rule. Batman doesn't kill because that would basically tip him over the edge to full-blown lunacy. It also defines his relationship with the Joker. If he killed people, he would have (and should have) killed Joker first. In this movie especially it should have stayed a rule. Batman's beef with Superman is that Superman's dangerous, so he wants to keep him in check. How does him recklessly killing people tie into that? And as someone pointed out on reddit, it's especially important within the context of the Justice League: Batman doesn't compromise on his rule there, because otherwise you have god-tier superheroes taking the justice into their own hand. I dunno, I still need to see the movie, but this one element is really rubbing me the wrong way.

1 hour ago, Circaflex said:

Except Batman has killed in the comics. 

Yeah, even in Tim Burton's version, he killed a lot of people. Or at least attempted to. I can't fault the film for that characteristic since it isn't unique to this film.

 

On another note, this is the best review article title I've seen: "Batman V Superman: The Showgirls of superhero films" http://arstechnica.com/the-multiverse/2016/03/batman-v-superman-the-showgirls-of-superhero-films/ :laugh: 

2 hours ago, Syanide said:

 

So? Superman didn't fly at first in the comics, but flying is still probably the number one association you have about the character. I don't care about exceptions, they just prove that it's a rule. Batman doesn't kill because that would basically tip him over the edge to full-blown lunacy. It also defines his relationship with the Joker. If he killed people, he would have (and should have) killed Joker first. In this movie especially it should have stayed a rule. Batman's beef with Superman is that Superman's dangerous, so he wants to keep him in check. How does him recklessly killing people tie into that? And as someone pointed out on reddit, it's especially important within the context of the Justice League: Batman doesn't compromise on his rule there, because otherwise you have god-tier superheroes taking the justice into their own hand. I dunno, I still need to see the movie, but this one element is really rubbing me the wrong way.

I merely pointed that out because if your one gripe was in the movie he kills people, than I don't know what to tell you.

11 hours ago, Hurmoth said:

Yeah, even in Tim Burton's version, he killed a lot of people. Or at least attempted to. I can't fault the film for that characteristic since it isn't unique to this film.

 

On another note, this is the best review article title I've seen: "Batman V Superman: The Showgirls of superhero films" http://arstechnica.com/the-multiverse/2016/03/batman-v-superman-the-showgirls-of-superhero-films/ :laugh: 

In 89 Batman, he literally blew a dude up lol

I could care less about a bunch of whiners on a review site trying to un-hype a movie.

Seriously, the hate was real the second Affleck was announced as Batman... just like when Heath Ledger

was announced as The Joker. And I keep saying it-- I believed the anti-hype, but then the man nailed it. Hard.

I'm going to see this movie. I'm probably going to love the ever-living hell out of it. Why? Because it's Batman vs Superman... finally.

I'm very interested in the directors cut that's another 30mins, i think the problem is that they cut out too much so things don't develop quite right. I'm going in thinking of this as just the start of things and expect different subplots to remain open for future films to work off of.

  • Like 1
20 hours ago, Syanide said:

So Snyder directed a movie that is a visual extravaganza, has convoluted plot overburdened with the JL setup, poor characterization, and has the sensibility of a 12 year old imagining what "grim" and "mature" is supposed to be like. Color me shocked.

 

The reviews read like "Man of Steel" reviews, which is unfortunately what I expected. I'll still give it a fair shot, but one thing that completely turns me off from seeing it, is that Batman kills people. It kind of ruins the character, both in his relationship with Superman, but more importantly, it ruins his dynamic with the Joker. Batman's rule is the one thing that prevents him from being a complete lunatic, it's basically what separates him from the Joker.

I just watched it last night and personally I found it way better than Man of Steel ( I didn't much like Man of Steel, but I loved this) .. I also found it did justice (no pun intended) to a number of comics.  There are some minor faults but I'd say a lot of negativity is from people who haven't read the comics which isn't good for mass appeal but is for us nerds :p

Looks good from the trailers.

 

Zack Snyder has directed some ###### movies but he also did 300 which was an awesome movie and I personally liked both Man of Steel and another movie that isn't very well known called Legend of the Guardians: Owls of Ga'Hoole that he directed, so I hope this one turns out okay too.

 

From early indications of the box office it looks successful money wise at least even with all the poor reviews.

Here's some of the funniest review snippets:

 

  • "Oof, Lex Luthor is a drag. Jesse Eisenberg preens and over-enunciates and waxes crazily pedantic, like no one told him he's not in a Sorkin movie anymore; his method of conveying Brilliant Insanity is to make as though he just ingested touring funk band quantities of cocaine." —Deadspin
  • "Directed by Zack Snyder, of faithfully butchered Watchmen fame, Batman V Superman takes a title fight kids of all ages have been speculating about for decades—costumed titan from the cosmos, meet costumed vigilante from the city—and invests it with all the fun of a protracted custody battle." —A.V. Club
  • "The studio has, in the usual way, begged and bullied critics not to reveal plot points, and I wouldn't dream of denying you the thrill of discovering just how overstuffed and preposterous a movie narrative can be." —The New York Times
  • "Not as bad as Bush v. Gore, but close."—Chicago Reader
  • "Gotham City is actually Jersey City. Or maybe it's Hoboken. Whatever, it's right across the river from Metropolis/Manhattan, which makes sense in this movie, because Cavill's Superman is one of those graceful 1-percenters with no body fat and hand-tailored outfits that not even a nuclear warhead can wrinkle. He doesn't sweat, whereas you just know Affleck's Batman has a bad case of bridge-and-tunnel B.O." —Boston Globe
  • "With Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the movie division of DC Entertainment and the parent studio, Warner Bros., have given the fanboys and the Nolanoids what they crave—and lo, it is impressive and, lo, it is godawful." —Vulture
  • "Human trafficking, intimations of child abuse (Luthor mutters about suffering his father's "fist and abominations"), a hollowed-out Superman resigning himself to the notion that "no one stays good in this world"….the film is only slightly more pessimistic than Lars von Trier's Antichrist. You'd have to go back to Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ to find this much Christian iconography wedded to this much sadism." —Chicago Tribune
  • Like 2

Yeah, I think they leaned a bit to heavily into the dreary no hope aspect of this world. I mean, I get it they want it to be different than Marvel blah blah. And they want it to be at least somewhat grounded in reality. But you are talking about an alien dude who is basically a god and another dude who dresses up as a Bat and beats people up for a living who is also super smart and super rich. Not to mention they are setting up Justice League, who has a dude who can run fast enough to go into other dimensions, a dude who lives under water and talks with fishies and another dude who got messed up and got all Robocop-ed. Not to mention an Amazonian woman who can throw down real good and has a LASSO OF TRUTH.

 

CRACK A JOKE ONCE IN AWHILE MAYBE. A SMILE? HELLO? Eh.

26 minutes ago, LOC said:

Yeah, I think they leaned a bit to heavily into the dreary no hope aspect of this world. I mean, I get it they want it to be different than Marvel blah blah. And they want it to be at least somewhat grounded in reality. But you are talking about an alien dude who is basically a god and another dude who dresses up as a Bat and beats people up for a living who is also super smart and super rich. Not to mention they are setting up Justice League, who has a dude who can run fast enough to go into other dimensions, a dude who lives under water and talks with fishies and another dude who got messed up and got all Robocop-ed. Not to mention an Amazonian woman who can throw down real good and has a LASSO OF TRUTH.

 

CRACK A JOKE ONCE IN AWHILE MAYBE. A SMILE? HELLO? Eh.

That has been my problem with the recent DC comic movies.  Short of Heath Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight ... they are good movies ... just not fun(?) to watch.

 

As Heath Ledger would say to Warner Bros...

tdk__why_so_serious__by_sanctioned.thumb

Why can't a movie be fun without comedy though? Do people equate fun with funny at this point? I understand what DC wants to do, this movie tries to do too much and messes up but having a different tone to marvel doesn't mean it can't be a fun/entertaining movie. I think WB rushed it, they needed to do just a second MoS movie with a little batman to better setup things for BvS.  This doesn't reflect the outcome for SS or the WW movies though, different writers and so on.

 

On a side note, the bad reviews will push the higher ups at WB to stick closer to the comics, it's what everyone is saying, at the most Goyer will never touch another WB script, which is also possible and for many a bonus. I don't blame Snyder though, a directors job is to take the script the studio wants and to make the movie, from all the people who are critical about the story and development say the visuals and cinematography are top notch, the fights are great, and it overall looks great, so imo, the director did his job.  I think WB should just get the DC writers to work on the movies from this point on.

  • Like 1

Just watched BvS-DOJ... No spoilers in here.... I wouldn't want to spoil it for anybody who hasn't seen it.

 

I've just watched it... I thought I'd give my short view of the movie. Although, it's quite a lengthy movie weighing in at a whopping 2hrs 30 mins. It does however go by quite quickly. Not at all dull or boring in any part of the movie. But is it worth paying to watching a movie where every single DC Comic fan on the planet knows the story of Bruce Wayne who witnesses the murder of his parents then decades later he becomes Batman. Okay put all that to one side and throw away the book on Batman and look at it from a different perspective.

 

Jesse Eisenberg is brilliant as Luthor. Affleck as Batman pulled it off and didn't disappoint one bit. I was dreading the thought of yet another actor pitying Batman. But in fact I think he pulled it off quite well indeed. You soon forget Affleck was playing Batman. I enjoyed it. It's full of awesome Special FX, the CGI is flawless but flaky in minor parts which I noticed straight away which kind of spoiled it for me. It's got a good story, a strong cast. And a great Director and Producer. And a Batman wouldn't be a Batman movie without the legendary Hans Zimmer as composer for the music in the movie.

 

If you're a big DC Comic fan like myself then go and watch it. Although I can't wait for the Lego Batman Movie which is out in 2017 as this was trailered before the Movie as it looks very funny indeed.

Edited by SYBINX
13 minutes ago, George P said:

Why can't a movie be fun without comedy though? Do people equate fun with funny at this point? I understand what DC wants to do, this movie tries to do too much and messes up but having a different tone to marvel doesn't mean it can't be a fun/entertaining movie. I think WB rushed it, they needed to do just a second MoS movie with a little batman to better setup things for BvS.  This doesn't reflect the outcome for SS or the WW movies though, different writers and so on.

Just to touch on this.  You do not need to equate "fun" to comedy.  For example, (IMO), when the Millennium Falcon was first seen in The Force Awakens ... that was fun (people in the theater cheering, my heart beating a little faster) ... but it wasn't comedy.  When Solo and Chewbacca stepped onto the MF, that was fun (same experience as stated previously).  So movies can be "fun to watch" without comedy.  Heath Ledger's role in The Dark Knight was a mixture of both fun and comedy (if that makes sense?)  To me, the recent DC Comics are good ... I just feel depressed (not really...but maybe you get the idea) after watching them.

 

34 minutes ago, jjkusaf said:

Just to touch on this.  You do not need to equate "fun" to comedy.  For example, (IMO), when the Millennium Falcon was first seen in The Force Awakens ... that was fun (people in the theater cheering, my heart beating a little faster) ... but it wasn't comedy.  When Solo and Chewbacca stepped onto the MF, that was fun (same experience as stated previously).  So movies can be "fun to watch" without comedy.  Heath Ledger's role in The Dark Knight was a mixture of both fun and comedy (if that makes sense?)  To me, the recent DC Comics are good ... I just feel depressed (not really...but maybe you get the idea) after watching them.

 

I get what you're saying, so far this is very much on the depressing/bleak side, i won't say dark, i think that word is used wrong in lots of movies, you can be a dark and gritty movie but not be so far south that you're in lets slash our wrists territory. I also believe that things will change as we get into the core JL movies and all the heroes come together and save the world.  I like the fact that the movie has a more real take on the aftermath and what people reactions to post-MoS would be like. Not everyone being a supporter of superman who saved the world and so on.  

 

Again, the movie does too much and too soon, but I think, without going into spoilers, the setup for what comes next is there and it's solid. Also, for whatever reason they cut too much out in this version, I think the longer directors cut has more development. 

  • Like 2

Look let's be honest. We all know DC/WB made a mistake by going this route for their movie-verse. They should have taken the time to build the characters out in their own movies first. I know they want to catch up with Marvel before Avengers 15 comes out (lol) but really guys? I've always loved DC more than Marvel back in the 80's when I collected comics but I love Marvel just the same really. I love their movie universe. It's serious at times while being light as well. DC is just going down a weird route to get where they want to be I guess. I mean, we are going to have a Justice League movie which is AMAZING. But we are also going to have a JL movie before a Flash solo movie, before a Cyborg solo movie, before an Aquaman solo movie. (I think?)

 

The only solo before JL is Wonder Woman right? If I'm wrong, then ok I guess that's a bit better. But they are RUSHING things and the movies are going to suffer for it imo.

2 minutes ago, chrisj1968 said:

I'm not aware of this but, what is this beef between Superman and Batman?

Superman is an alien. He destroyed Metropolis (along with Zod) in Man of Steel. Batman hates Superman (plus some other stuff).

19 minutes ago, LOC said:

Look let's be honest. We all know DC/WB made a mistake by going this route for their movie-verse. They should have taken the time to build the characters out in their own movies first. I know they want to catch up with Marvel before Avengers 15 comes out (lol) but really guys? I've always loved DC more than Marvel back in the 80's when I collected comics but I love Marvel just the same really. I love their movie universe. It's serious at times while being light as well. DC is just going down a weird route to get where they want to be I guess. I mean, we are going to have a Justice League movie which is AMAZING. But we are also going to have a JL movie before a Flash solo movie, before a Cyborg solo movie, before an Aquaman solo movie. (I think?)

 

The only solo before JL is Wonder Woman right? If I'm wrong, then ok I guess that's a bit better. But they are RUSHING things and the movies are going to suffer for it imo.

Well, not really, i don't think the first jl movie will suffer by going this rout, because of a few things, and i won't spoil bvs so i have to leave one of those reasons out, i'll just say it's flash related. The other reasons is because we already have superman set through MoS, and developed a bit more in bvs, WW is getting her movie next, and everyone knows batman already, we don't need yet another batman origin movie just for this new  CU.  So the trinity is covered, that leaves flash and aquaman for the first JL movie.

 

So, unless things change we're getting a buch of solo movies before JL2 hits, i think they're not going to be in order, that is, just like with the WW movie, i think all the solo movies will take place before the events in bvs and jl1.  The solo movies coming after jl2, cyborg and GL corps, will probably use the events of jl2 as a starting point. Sure it's not lined up in order like the marvel movies but then again i think it works this way to.

11 hours ago, chrisj1968 said:

I'm not aware of this but, what is this beef between Superman and Batman?

At the end of the day, it comes down to their directly opposite mindset towards "Justice". I won't go into the movie universe, but from the source material you have Superman who believes in Truth, Justice, and The American Way which means bringing criminals before a jury for a trial, whereas Batman doesn't think that system has the desired effect. They end up coming to blows because the system that Superman fights for requires that Batman be viewed as a criminal, and Superman is told to bring him in. That's pretty much it. In the end, Batman makes Superman realize he is, basically, a necessary evil. When superpowered beings get out of line-- including Superman-- Batman is the one guarantee they'll be stopped... which he proves by beating Superman, himself.

Justice league part 1 starts filming on April 11th, and it will have a lighter tone, mostly because of flash being there they say. So it sounds like the plan is to start off dark like they have and go lighter with the justice league coming together, etc. 

I won't spoil too much for everyone.

I have to say, I was wrong about Ben Affleck, he actually makes a killer Batman and played the part perfectly. I actually want to see more of that.

Jesse Eisenberg's acting sucked, he would have made a better Joker.

The action in this movie is truly top notch, but the story falls apart. It tried to put too much into one film and it sacrified the coherence IMO.
I also don't know how they want to continue with the Justice League after how it ended.

Oh well, at least we got to see Amy Adams' wet boobies. Wonder Woman...meh.

 

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Anthropic accused Alibaba of creating about 25,000 fraudulent accounts to copy Claude's capabilities at scale. It told US lawmakers that operators linked to Alibaba generated 28.8 million exchanges with Claude between April 22 and June 5, 2026. Reserve my memory: The semiconductor company Micron revealed that AI companies are spending billions to lock up its memory years in advance. Its customers have locked in $22 billion worth of memory supply commitments. Another AI battle: A publisher group that collectively owns 400 newspapers sued OpenAI and Microsoft for scraping their content to build AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and Copilot without compensation. Anthropic AI ban: The US government partially reversed the Anthropic AI ban, allowing it to restore Claude Mythos 5. However, it can only be deployed for a limited set of US organizations that operate and defend critical infrastructure. This week in Microsoft News In some of the hottest stories of the week: Windows 10 quietly gained a year of support and updates, Windows 11 KB5095093 released with a long list of features, and Windows 11 26H2 is finally getting the ability to disable web search results in Windows 11 Search. You can check out Taras's freshly baked Microsoft Weekly roundup to catch up on all the interesting stories this week. This week in science news Image by Pascal Küffer via Pexels Catch up on some of the latest science and out-of-this-world updates that arrived throughout the week: 13 billion-year-old secret: Scientists found that the universe's first molecule (helium hyride) reacted with hydrogen much faster in cold temperatures than previously believed. It's a new breakthrough that changes our understanding of early star formation. Cosmic Living Fossil: Astronomers found CR3, a surprisingly pristine 11.5-billion-year-old galaxy dubbed a "living fossil." It suggests the universe's first generation of stars formed much later than previously assumed. Einstein's 100-year-old theory: Thanks to relativity, researchers calculated that clocks on Mars tick 477 microseconds faster per day than on Earth. This minute gravitational difference is crucial for synchronizing future interplanetary space missions. Don't panic: NASA's James Webb Telescope finally eliminated the threat of asteroid 2024 YR4 striking the moon in 2032. The rocky giant will give us a safe fly-by without causing any harm. This week in gaming? The latest issue of Pulasthi's Weekend PC Game Deals curates several exciting games on sale this week. RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 Complete Edition and Voidwrought have replaced the old titles in this week's Epic Games Store giveaway. For Xbox Free Play Days, the new titles include House Flipper 2, Blades of Fire, and Assetto Corsa Competizione. Steam Summer Sale 2026 kicked off with discounts for everything from the newest games and retro gems to all sorts of DLC packs, until July 9. Meanwhile, NVIDIA GeForce NOW added support for several new titles, including Dark Scrolls, SAND: Raiders of Sophie, and EMPULSE. That said, here are some more stories from the gaming world: Age of Empires Mobile comes to PC, here's how to carry over progress from your phone Xbox Insiders get Xbox 360 achievements and Gamertag character upgrades Grand Theft Auto VI pricing revealed alongside Ultimate Edition and pre-loading details Sony announces Bungie layoffs that will affect "significant number of employees" From the review corner This week, Steven published a review of the TerraMaster F4-425 Pro AI-powered NAS, featuring an all-metal exterior on the lines of the four-bay F4-425 series. Powered by the octa-core Intel Core N350, the TerraMaster F4-425 Pro is highly energy-efficient, operates quietly, and offers three M.2 slots. On the flip side, OpenClaw support requires removing security hardening (SPC), AI requires a paid subscription, the software feels like a beta, and the rubber feet constantly come unstuck. ZimaBoard 2 1664 Starter Kit Another NAS setup reviewed this week is the ZimaBoard 2 by IceWhale Technology. It comes in a small footprint with great modern hardware through a combo of Intel N150 and DDR5 memory support. On the downside, the memory is not upgradeable, ZimaOS is a bit barebones, factory reset requires USB flashing, and there is no automatic backup via the mobile app. Synology's BeeCamera software Christopher wrote his review of the software that powers BeeCamera Plus and said "the BeeCamera app is a great way to add private home monitoring to your network but there are some limitations." It's free with an easy setup process, fast response time, and good AI and detection features. However, there is no desktop version; it only works with Synology cameras, some configurations are difficult to set up on a phone, and it lacks the features of the surveillance station. More price drops! We got you covered with some hot tech deals all week. For some reason, if you missed out on a great discount, here is a summary of some recent deals that are still alive: Onkyo Dolby Atmos AV receivers are really solid deals 4TB TEAMGROUP MP44Q, 2TB T-Force G50, and 2TB WD My Passport SSDs drop to great prices Edifier S3000MKII hi-fi audiophile grade bookshelf speaker is at its lowest price now The best controller for XBOX and PC is down to the lowest price Limited time Prime Day deal cuts price of this Hisense 65" 4K smart TV in half To view all of our recent deals, click here. So, these were some of the biggest tech news and other updates from this week. There will be more issues of our 7 Days series in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned. You can also support Neowin by registering for a free member account or subscribing to extra member benefits, along with an ad-free tier option. Have a great weekend!
    • Zen Browser 1.21.4b by Razvan Serea Zen Browser is a privacy-focused, open-source web browser built on Mozilla Firefox, offering users a secure and customizable browsing experience. It emphasizes privacy by blocking trackers, ads, and ensuring your data isn't collected. With Zen Mods, users can enhance their browser experience with various customization options, including features like split views and vertical tabs. The browser is designed for efficiency, providing fast browsing speeds and a lightweight interface. Zen Browser prioritizes user control over the browsing experience, offering a minimal yet powerful alternative to traditional web browsers while keeping your online activity private. Zen Browser’s DRM limitation Zen Browser currently lacks support for DRM-protected content, meaning streaming services like Netflix and HBO Max are inaccessible. This is due to the absence of a Widevine license, which requires significant costs and is financially unfeasible for the developer. Additionally, applying for this license would require Zen to be part of a larger company, similar to Mozilla or Brave. Therefore, DRM-protected media won't be supported in Zen Browser for the foreseeable future. Zen Browser offers features that improve user experience, privacy, and customization: Privacy-Focused: Blocks trackers and minimizes data collection. Automatic Updates: Keeps the browser updated with security patches. Zen Mods: Customizable themes and layouts. Workspaces: Organize tabs into different workspaces. Compact Mode: Maximizes screen space by minimizing UI elements. Zen Glance: Quick website previews. Split Views: View multiple tabs in the same window. Sidebar: Access bookmarks and tools quickly. Vertical Tabs: Manage tabs vertically. Container Tabs: Separate browsing sessions. Fast Profile Switcher: Switch between profiles easily. Tab Folders: Organize tabs into folders. Customizable UI: Personalize browser interface. Security Features: Inherits Firefox’s robust security. Fast Performance: Lightweight and optimized for speed. Zen Mods Customization: Deep customization with mods. Quick Access: Easy access to favorite websites. Open Source: Built on Mozilla Firefox with community collaboration. Community-Driven: Active development and feedback from users. GitHub Repository: Contribute and review the source code. Zen Browser 1.21.4b changelog: New Features Updated to Firefox 152.0.2 and 152.0.3 Added 'Edit pinned tab' context menu item to manually set a pinned tab's URL Added 'Add Route for Domain' context menu item to quickly add a tab's domain to the Space Routing settings Fixes Prevent sidebar from flickering when moving a tab (#14131) Full-screening while on a glance tab will now expand the glance tab to a normal tab (#11766) Fixed space routing tabs opening in background when it should be in foreground (#14183) Other minor bug fixes and improvements. Download: Zen Browser | 90.2 MB (Open Source) Download: Zen Browser ARM64 | Other Operating Systems View: Zen Browser Home Page | Screenshots 1 | 2 | Reddit Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
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