I have a friend named Ryan and he is a huge Batman fan and he was very stern about his admiration for Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. I did not hate the film, but I felt like it had a lot of problems. Well I can honestly state without hesitation that Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice: Ultimate Edition is a far better viewing experience than the theatrical cut. A lot of things I had problems with in the theatrical cut made more sense in the Ultimate Edition.
First off the film is much more cohesive. It feels more consistent and the characters are better defined. Some of the sequences from the theatrical cut have either been rearranged in such a way that they make more sense and the new footage definitely clarifies a few things that I was unsure about previously with the exception of one moment that happens in the very beginning.
Spoiler Warning From Here On Out.
When we see Bruce Wayne witnessing Superman's battle against General Zod, he makes a call that sounds like he is calling his father, but I thought his father died in the beginning. Well outside of that, Lex Luthor comes off like a bit more of a mad genius. A little too mad, but I accept the fact this is not my Lex Luthor and I am glad they are not just rehashing Gene Hackman's take on the character either.
Superman Is more humanized in this version and the scenes where he is saving people in a montage seem less dower. The musical choices worked better too because now I can clearly determine Wonder Woman's theme from Superman and Batman's music cues. In fact her appearance in the film works better now and the music for the final battle where she makes her appearance worked for me now too.
I still had a problem with Superman telling two different people if he wanted them dead, they would be dead already if only because it is too repetitious, but Superman seems more flawed and therefore more relatable because as noted above, he seems more human.
There are still problems in the film's pacing and this might be the most depressing take on Batman and Superman that I have ever seen, but collectively, I think this is the better version of the film and I enjoyed it a lot more too.
So while it is not as good as another franchise film that dealt with similar subject matter that was released this year, on it's own merits, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice: Ultimate Edition was and is a well intended superhero epic and I give credit for the ambition behind it. Check it out.
(C) Copyright 2016 By Mark A. Rivera.
All Rights Reserved.
