You aren’t alone if you left theaters underwhelmed by “Batman vs Superman” or “Suicide Squad.”DC can’t help themselves. C=T contributor Grifen Miller wrestles with his love of the struggling franchise.
The mid 2000’s were a great time to be a nerd and a film buff. There were several great releases during that time period. We got , “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, the hit or miss new “Star Wars” trilogy and at the time the best superhero movie ever made “Spider-Man 2.” Then the world was changed when the Dark Knight made his return in “Batman Begins.”
“Batman Begins” upped the game. The Batman films before had always hinted at Bruce Wayne’s flaws but they never went that deep. Batman Begins jumped with both feet into Bruce’s obsession with cleaning up Gotham, a job that his dad had started. Bruce wrestled dearly with his juggling act of being The Batman and being Bruce. The internal conflict that Wayne experienced is what set apart the franchise from others in the comic genre.Jump forward a few years and we get” Man of Steel.” The much anticipated reboot of Superman. Most people were on board from the start. Zak Snyder directing with Christopher Nolan, supervising the tone of the film as a producer. The movie is not very good, point blank. This is not based on the fact that Superman kills Zod. He had to. Superman finds out that Zod was responsible for the destruction of Krypton and didn’t want Zod to destroy his adoptive home. The reason for the lackluster release is a sterile and morose Superman.
After viewing “Batman Vs Superman,” an epiphany struck. The reason that Marvel has been crushing DC at the box office is that Marvel’s characters aren’t Gods. **bong rip** They are people trying to be Gods. Whereas with DC, they are Gods trying to be human. Of course Batman doesn’t fit that mold and that is why he makes for great film. He can portray what it’s like to have real human emotions. Wonder Woman, Superman, Aqua Man are Gods, that have limitless power. How can they struggle? Think of all the great epics: “The Odyssey,” “Star Wars,” or even “Game of Thrones.” Those stories are all about struggle and conflict, key components of any Joseph Campbell archetype.
The public is hopeful that Justice League and the rest of the future slate of DC movies will be good. DC does marketing well, but lacks in the execution department. And honestly, is it worth saving?