If I were a prideful person the last thing I'd do is possibly retract a glowing review of a film within 2 days of posting it.
Everything I said I loved in that initial review I still love, the issue is the things I was kind of in denial of.
First thing I should mention is because of my local theater's new pick the seat when you buy the ticket policy I wound up with no choice but to watch in the second row, and it was the Ultra Screen, and 3D which I've never had a problem with before but never been up front before. I honestly think that hindered my ablity to enjoy the show somewhat, but I saw The Dark Knight in the first row of the same theater and that was no problem.
For the last year or two I've made a big deal out of the fact that my expectations of movies have never been wrong. My opinion may be inconsistent with popular opinion but I'd never disliked a movie I thought I would love. So maybe I didn't want to admit that that undefeated streak had been broken. I wanted to leave this film proclaiming it to have beaten The Force Awakens, and that I couldn't do even yesterday.
There are different ways to criticize this movie. And if you're someone who hated Man of Steel then your criticisms of it's sequel are useless, you should just not see the sequel if you didn't like the first.
There are two kinds of criticisms of Man of Steel, there are the film making and writing criticisms a professional film critic would make. And while I find those far more understandable here then with many other films I've liked that the critics didn't (Like the Star Wars Prequels), I still see them are far from deal breaking, there is no doubt this film was a beautiful piece of art with some phenomenal acting.
Spoilers Ahead!!!
Then there are the criticisms a fan would have, Comic fans who have many things they both absolutely did and absolutely did not want to see recreated. And my fellow SJWs who care about representation and stereotyping issues. There is a lot to understandably hate about this movie. But some things to like too.
As a Man of Steel fan I've never proclaimed it the ideal Superman movie, I'll make a post in the near future that will give an idea of what the ideal would be to me. My hope for this sequel had always been that it would take us in the direction of the Superman I love, and what we got of that was a mixed bag at best.
As far as my personal Fanon/Headcanon is concerned Jenny is the Jimmy Olsen of this universe no matter what Snyder says.
I somewhat controversially said I do not have a problem with including Doomsday and not killing Superman. And I even could have been ok with doing the Death of Superman this soon. But this execution was mixed. Two of the things I liked about how the Comics did it was that it didn't involve Krytponite and was absolutely not Luther's doing. But I did like how it made me think of the Spear of Longinus.
The Fan Boy Perspective is pretty much expecting the coming R Rated version to be better. There is little chance I will wind up feeling that way. I wanted a film that was Dark but not a seeming full on rejection of the lighter side of the DC universe, and it is largely in that desire that I'm disappointed.
I was really bothered when Jena Malone (it'd leaked that she was Barbara Gordon) didn't appear in the film. And if the "uncut" version has her appear in only one scene where she's crippled and ambiguously raped, I will frakking hate that version with a passion, whether it has been in theaters or now.
I'm ok with The Killing Joke moment being part of her history ONLY if it gives us Oracle, without Oracle it is useless fridgeing and nothing more. And that is part of why the New52 canon bothers me.
The complaints people at the Mary Sue have I also consider valid. When they're getting into what their site is about and not just vaguely saying it was "unpleasant".
I will still reject any sense of blaming the problems on the Shared Universe concept or "catching up to Marvel".
There is this notion that just because something does serve as set up for future movies means it's clearly irrelevant to that movie as a stand alone piece. In art there is more to it then just what at face value advances the plot. All of my favorite completely self contained Animes like Utena and Evangleion have lots of moments that are plot/story/character irrelevant but absolutely needed. I love Iron Man 2 exactly how it is and honestly think it would be less of a coherent work without it's crossover elements. Same with The Amazing Spiderman 2.
So how is all that Justice League set up relevant to this as a stand alone film? Maybe because it's making Superman a Messianic archetype and now his Disciples are going to make more disciples. His legacy will live on.
But I also must admit despite my denials that this movie wasn't their original plan. A shared universe was Warner's plan I don't doubt, but I fear Batman was thrown into this particular film when MOS under performed.
Seeing Bruce's parents killed again is not redoing the origin. Begins is still the only Batman origin story. I do feel every version of the Batman mythos needs it's own version of that defining moment. And the connection between Batman and Superman begins with how they are both orphans in different ways.
And last but not least I wanted Superman to win the title fight. Even though I'm more of a Batman fan overall I did not want the expected DKR outcome again. I guess what I like about how they made peace wouldn't work if Superman had won, but still.
And that just reminds me why I initial opposed a Vs film in the first place. What I wanted was The World's Finest, or Dark Knight over Metropolis.
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