Batman vs Superman

[Lianachan]

Didn't like this very much at the cinema, but last night I watched the "ultimate edition" blu-ray. It's 30 minutes longer (making it about 3 hours in total), but the stuff that's added in (or rather, was edited out for the cinema) actually makes quite a difference. Fleshes out some characters a bit more, explains why some of the stupid things happen and lessens their stupidity. It's still not great, and maintains an overall stupidity though. I'm a huge Batman fan, always have been - Ben Affleck makes a very good Batman indeed. Be better to see him in proper Batman films instead of this sort of nonsense, but still.

Anybody seen either version?

[Lance]

I haven't, and I don't think I care to. I have no idea of the story that beings about such a conflict but I've known Superman since he was portrayed by George Reeves and Batman since he was portrayed by Adam West. And I'm sorry but, any such conflict between these two will last only as long as Superman finds it entertaining and not one millisecond longer. How this is even a question escapes me completely.

[Lianachan]

They've fought in the comics a few times, and Batman usually wins. Largely through using his smarts. Superman is a fucking idiot.

[Lance]

Superman is an idiot?



#NotMySuperman

[Lianachan]

I think it varies depending on who is writing him, and there's a lot of plot induced stupidity. I think it's used to give some balance to his physical abilities otherwise, well, there's no point in him at all if he's absolutely perfect.

The film should really be called Batman and Superman anyway. Generally, for me, films with more than one superhero are awful. If you're a Superman fan, what did you make of Man of Steel, assuming you've seen it?

[Lance]

I've just never seen him portrayed as stupid before. And I should probably mention I don't read the comics. Never have.

I didn't really care for Man of Steel either. Is was okay as a movie if the hero had been called anything else, but to me, it wasn't really Superman either.

[Enzo]

Man of steel was OK. I mentioned it elsewhere, I liked the fact they didn't pretend a pair of glasses made everyone unaware Kent was Superman. And I didn't miss having an arch villain Lex Luthor either. Zod was enough.

I have nothing against Amy Adams, but I cannot see her on the screen without also seeing the imagery from Enchanted. A cute Disney movie.


Ever since I was a kid, some things bothered me about Superman. He is from a whole different star system, light years away. His planet there blew up. Now I am to believe that the rock from that planet, not only was spewed out at sufficient velocity to escape that star system, but also in such amounts as to be found here on earth as Kryptonite? And how would anyone on earth even know what it was, let alone that it would have an effect on Superman. "Hey, Joe, there is this caped guy flying around lately, and I bet this green rock we found would screw him up. Let us send the rock to an arch criminal." And for now we will ignore red Kryptonite.

Also wondered about the red sun versus yellow granting him powers. SO the fact he came from the other kind of sun, and now our sun gives him the power to fly. And apparently to survive without breathing, even in interstellar space. So why couldn't all of Krypton have just flown out of range of their sun and they ALL could then fly and not breath?

[Lianachan]

I enjoyed the first half, maybe even two thirds, of Man of Steel but couldn't stand the last chunk of it. I liked the wee nod to Christopher Reeve, when they put his face onto Superman for one shot.

I share Enzo's views on things that don't make sense about Superman. That's one of the main things I like about Batman - no super powers, not an alien, just a smart, extremely rich nutter. He's more, and yes, I know, I know, realistic.

I can't stand the X-Men films, because multiple superheroes and intrinsic stupidity, and I can't stand the Avengers films for the same reasons and for the fact that I'd be as well spending a couple of hours watching a washing machine with some toy cars and action figures in it. I expect the Justice League film(s) to be the same.

[Enzo]

Batman was a real guy, though in the comics as a kid, I noticed they relied too heavily on a fight in a museum too often. They were there so they could frolic over giant microscopes or giant models of molecules or what not as they fought the bad guys. Just like in movies today, fights inevitable seem to gravitate towards old empty warehouses or factories.

Avengers, et al. An excuse to put a couple hours of mighty battles on the screen.

Toy cars in a washing machine? So you HAVE seen the Transformers movies then. (Robots in disguise)

Re Batman, when i was a kid I loved the Tom Swift books. Rich science kid who could do anything with his knowledge and brain. I read a few of the earliest Tom Swift series, but they were pretty dated, written before WW2 and even some before WW1. Tom Swift and his submarine boat or Tom SWift and his flying machine.

My Tom Swift books were Tom Swift Junior, the series written in the 1950s and 60s. Tom Swift and his Flying Lab, and many others. Each book was about some thing or things he had invented and doing good with them somehow. But I was a science nerd kid and lapped it all up.