Fans saw plenty of Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice at Comic-Con this year.
In the film's Comic-Con trailer, we're privy to a more protracted look at the central conflict between the caped crusader and Superman in Zack Snyder's sequel to Man of Steel. Much more than we saw in the disappointing original teaser.
Unfortunately, what we see doesn't exactly inspire hope. I write this as a huge fan of all things Batman. I'm not particularly invested in Superman (though I would love to see a modern Superman video game.) But regardless, this movie isn't ticking off the right boxes for either superhero.
But first, the good stuff:
Wonder Woman! Gal Gadot (Furious Seven) looks great. I like her new outfit, even if it isn't the traditional star-spangled one. (And no, anyone who says it's horribly sexist knows very little about the history of Wonder Woman.)
And Gadot isn't the only cool looking female role in the film. Women play a big part, from Amy Adams' Lois Lane to Diane Lane's Ma Kent to Holly Hunter as a senator going after Superman.
The action scenes also look pretty terrific. It's going to be really fun to watch Batman and Superman fight. The superhero fight scenes in the original Avengers film were among the best. This darker, grittier take on superhero conflict could be really entertaining.
Then again...
The idea of Batman and Superman waging war on one another strikes me as the sort of plot that works a lot better in a comic book or TV show than on the silver screen. I'm still having a hard time buying it---or, rather, buying that it can work very well in a two and a half hour time slot. I think a reasonable concern is that the story, twist, and resolution will all be rushed. I also worry that it will be too dark and gritty; that the Justice League and Superman are supposed to be a little brighter, more colorful.
Perhaps even more worrisome to me is the villain. I have a really, really hard time accepting Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Maybe it's my own fault here, but I've seen Eisenberg in enough things and he very rarely strays from playing himself. And the "himself" in question isn't exactly how I picture Luthor, even young origin-story Lex Luthor. I'm dubious, to say the least.
I like Jeremy Irons more as Alfred, though all things Batman feel 'too soon' to some degree. Christian Bale and Michael Caine were doing this just the other day.
So far, at least, the film still strikes me as an odd project. It's not "clicking" for me yet, and seems a little incoherent. The more expanded Comic-Con trailer, which shows off a lot more of the story and Bruce Wayne's motivations for going after Superman, doesn't help reassure me at all.
Forbes' Scott Mendelson argues that this would have been a much better opening salvo in terms of marketing for the film, but I think even with this expanded look at Batman Vs. Superman I'm left mostly scratching my head.
Much better news---as far as I'm concerned---is that Ben Affleck will be directing (and starring in) an upcoming stand-alone Batman film. Affleck has directed three incredible films, and I'm very excited to see what he can do with the caped crusader from behind the camera.
Here's the trailer:
