This movie is far better than it's given credit for. I think a lot of people simply completely misunderstand the story of the movie, and especially misunderstand the Martha scene, and that has completely warped the public reception of this movie. It's a lot better than people give it credit for. If you didn't like this movie, I hope you read this comment and consider rewatching the movie with these things in mind, because I think you'll end up appreciating it a lot more. Also, you MUST watch the Ultimate Edition.
At its core, it's a movie about how humanity reacts to tragedy. Ben Affleck plays a Batman who has been brought to his lowest point after the death of Robin, and then gets driven even further down after he loses a ton of people he cares about in the Metropolis battle from the end of Batman v Superman. This obviously enrages Batman. He doesn't see Superman as a friendly character. He doesn't see Superman as a man. He sees him as a monster. A totally alien, unrelatable threat of a monster whose continued existence brings the earth one step closer to destruction.
Lex Luthor has a similar worldview as Batman, although he takes some different approaches to try to accomplish the same goal. Lex Luthor I think is an interesting character whose story is just completely trashed in the theatrical cut. Lex has this elaborate plan that involves Lois that is shown in much more detail in the Ultimate Cut, and it's such a crucial element to building the story, that the theatrical version really ruins the story by tossing so much of it.
The movie focuses on the point of view from Batman and Lex's perspective that Superman is a threat. So much so, that even when we see things from Superman's perspective, it's all about having him even doubt himself. This is important, because it should push the audience into thinking hey maybe Batman and Lex are kind of right, that even if Superman sounds like a nice idea in theory, there's just so much potential destruction that could be caused by his existence that honestly yeah, his existence is something that is dangerous.
So ideally, the audience should be on Batman's side when the ultimate battle occurs, at least ideologically. While we know Superman isn't evil, we also know just how much destruction he can cause, as we've seen it ourselves in the previous movie. We don't want Batman or Lex to succeed in killing Superman, because we know more about his history than either of those characters do, and we know Batman is better than this, but we still understand Batman's pain.
In this moment, Batman sees nothing but the monster, the alien. So when Batman is about to accomplish his mission and Superman cries out for Martha, Batman can only assume that Superman is mocking the fact that Bruce was unable to save his mother as a child. This enrages him further, causing him to lash at Superman, demanding answers for why he's mocking Bruce's mother. When Lois steps in and explains that Martha is actually Superman's mother, and that he's crying out in a desperate attempt to save his mother, Batman's entire worldview has completely been shattered.
Watch Ben Affleck's face in that moment. It's like he has just been hit in the face by a pro boxer. All Batman ever saw was the monster, the alien. A violent threat against the world. He never saw this guy as a man, and especially not a man who loves his mother. Bruce saw himself in Superman for the first time in that moment, and not only that, but he saw that he was about to become the very monster he set out to destroy when he became Batman. Batman exists because a little boy lost his parents, and Batman is about to become the cause of another little boy losing his mother.
It has NOTHING to do with Bruce realizing their mothers have the same name. That has absolutely nothing to do with this scene, and it's why so many people get it wrong. It has to do with a man building up this entire worldview and having it completely shattered, about becoming the monster he meant to destroy. It is crucial in changing Batman from the murderous rampaging beast that was created after the losses he experienced, and bringing him back to the hero that people could look up to. The type of Batman you need in order to form a Justice League, for example.
Another point is Lex. A lot of people are annoyed that this isn't the Lex we all know from the comics. Well... they're right. That's not who Jessie Eisenberg is playing. He's effectively playing the son of that Lex. Think of him as Lex Jr. I personally think his performance is quite strong, and from the perspective of a young man inheriting his father's business, it's a portrayal that makes a lot of sense.
I think when you consider all of these things, and also think about just how bloody gorgeous this movie is, and the music, I think this movie ends up being very special. It's up there among the best superhero movies for me. Not as good as the Nolan movies, or the top 3 or so of the MCU, but I still rate it quite highly among the superhero movies I've seen.
Review by Andy GilleandVIP 7BlockedParentSpoilers2022-10-06T13:28:26Z
This movie is far better than it's given credit for. I think a lot of people simply completely misunderstand the story of the movie, and especially misunderstand the Martha scene, and that has completely warped the public reception of this movie. It's a lot better than people give it credit for. If you didn't like this movie, I hope you read this comment and consider rewatching the movie with these things in mind, because I think you'll end up appreciating it a lot more. Also, you MUST watch the Ultimate Edition.
At its core, it's a movie about how humanity reacts to tragedy. Ben Affleck plays a Batman who has been brought to his lowest point after the death of Robin, and then gets driven even further down after he loses a ton of people he cares about in the Metropolis battle from the end of Batman v Superman. This obviously enrages Batman. He doesn't see Superman as a friendly character. He doesn't see Superman as a man. He sees him as a monster. A totally alien, unrelatable threat of a monster whose continued existence brings the earth one step closer to destruction.
Lex Luthor has a similar worldview as Batman, although he takes some different approaches to try to accomplish the same goal. Lex Luthor I think is an interesting character whose story is just completely trashed in the theatrical cut. Lex has this elaborate plan that involves Lois that is shown in much more detail in the Ultimate Cut, and it's such a crucial element to building the story, that the theatrical version really ruins the story by tossing so much of it.
The movie focuses on the point of view from Batman and Lex's perspective that Superman is a threat. So much so, that even when we see things from Superman's perspective, it's all about having him even doubt himself. This is important, because it should push the audience into thinking hey maybe Batman and Lex are kind of right, that even if Superman sounds like a nice idea in theory, there's just so much potential destruction that could be caused by his existence that honestly yeah, his existence is something that is dangerous.
So ideally, the audience should be on Batman's side when the ultimate battle occurs, at least ideologically. While we know Superman isn't evil, we also know just how much destruction he can cause, as we've seen it ourselves in the previous movie. We don't want Batman or Lex to succeed in killing Superman, because we know more about his history than either of those characters do, and we know Batman is better than this, but we still understand Batman's pain.
In this moment, Batman sees nothing but the monster, the alien. So when Batman is about to accomplish his mission and Superman cries out for Martha, Batman can only assume that Superman is mocking the fact that Bruce was unable to save his mother as a child. This enrages him further, causing him to lash at Superman, demanding answers for why he's mocking Bruce's mother. When Lois steps in and explains that Martha is actually Superman's mother, and that he's crying out in a desperate attempt to save his mother, Batman's entire worldview has completely been shattered.
Watch Ben Affleck's face in that moment. It's like he has just been hit in the face by a pro boxer. All Batman ever saw was the monster, the alien. A violent threat against the world. He never saw this guy as a man, and especially not a man who loves his mother. Bruce saw himself in Superman for the first time in that moment, and not only that, but he saw that he was about to become the very monster he set out to destroy when he became Batman. Batman exists because a little boy lost his parents, and Batman is about to become the cause of another little boy losing his mother.
It has NOTHING to do with Bruce realizing their mothers have the same name. That has absolutely nothing to do with this scene, and it's why so many people get it wrong. It has to do with a man building up this entire worldview and having it completely shattered, about becoming the monster he meant to destroy. It is crucial in changing Batman from the murderous rampaging beast that was created after the losses he experienced, and bringing him back to the hero that people could look up to. The type of Batman you need in order to form a Justice League, for example.
Another point is Lex. A lot of people are annoyed that this isn't the Lex we all know from the comics. Well... they're right. That's not who Jessie Eisenberg is playing. He's effectively playing the son of that Lex. Think of him as Lex Jr. I personally think his performance is quite strong, and from the perspective of a young man inheriting his father's business, it's a portrayal that makes a lot of sense.
I think when you consider all of these things, and also think about just how bloody gorgeous this movie is, and the music, I think this movie ends up being very special. It's up there among the best superhero movies for me. Not as good as the Nolan movies, or the top 3 or so of the MCU, but I still rate it quite highly among the superhero movies I've seen.