I think it's fair to say that certain time periods can be described by a
dominating movie genre. What would it look like if I were to put it in a sampler?
Now, from an Eastern European perspective if we were to discuss an
American cinema, the elderly and the more mature audience would most likely name
the Godfather trilogy.
Goodfellas.
Heat.
The Usual Suspects.
The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing
the world he didn't exist.
In other words: A CRIME - DRAMA.
On the parallel, there are
films packed with more intense movement and style.
Like: Die Hard.
Oh, John, what a fuck are you doing?
ROCKY.
These are: CRIME - ACTION. DRAMA. SPORT.
After that followed high budget films,
that are heavily reliant on CGI.
Movies, like: The Matrix.
Harry Potter.
Pirates of the Caribbean.
A SCIENCE FICTION. ACTION. ADVENTURE. FANTASY.
Now, I wonder where does that
leave my generation? For the absolute majority, I believe, that will most likely
be a superhero movies or an action fantasy science fiction movies.
Why does that feel wrong? If we take a look at genre tendency, we see that the drama
element was pushed out. Nowadays we often hear that, "that they don't make movies
like The Godfather anymore." But genre wise they; do however if I were to name
some most people probably haven't even heard about them.
-Because you said that you would be there! -You now have three serious separate pending legal cases
against you. One with the 16 counts of misconduct, ranging from fraud to tax evasion.
You can never change their mind.
You just...
I mean... You just fuckin shot him...
See, during times this stressful people no longer have with energy for empathy and
that largely effects on how we judge movies. That is why the internet is so
packed with articles like: "Why did Batman V Superman failed?" or "Why Marvel is better?"
But to compare DC and Marvel movies in that respect is like saying:
Why Luis Fonsi "Despacito" is better than...
Iron Maidens - "Wasting Love".
And it is possible to make an analysis on that if one of course simply minds
the popularity ,sexual appeal and so on. As far as evoking emotions there are
of course still drama elements in superhero movies.
-I didn't kill your father. -Why did you run?
But it's not very effective. Usually it just tries to get us excited
however the following scene reminds us not to take too seriously...
And that is just one example:
That thing does not obey the laws of physics at all.
Look, kid. There are a lot of thing you don`t understand.
Mr. Stark said you might say that. Wow.
That's why, I think, it's important to talk about Zack Snyder's
Batman V Superman. We saw Batman portrayals quite a few
times in the past couple of decades.
But even before it became a blockbuster title,
the Dark Knight's character was already well developed in hundreds of
comic books. So in order to posture about one's faith we have to look at
what drives him.
Bruce Wayne looses his parents at the age of eight.
At that moment he decides to fight crime. In the comics Bruce is shown to have mastered
127 different martial art styles. He trained to a point where he was able to
bench press over 450 and leg press over 1130 kilograms, yet he was still
mobile enough to do gymnastics and keep up with the fastest criminals. He learned
to control his body temperature. He mastered speed reading and lip-reading.
Bruce attended some of the best universities in the world, but only
studied those subjects that were needed in order to fight crime. He also learned
all the language available to him and became the best detective in the world.
On top of that Bruce is one of the richest people in the DC world.
Wayne Enterprises that consists of Wayne technologies, Wayne food, Wayne aerospace,
Wayne industries and many other branches provide our hero with an immense wealth.
So up to this point we have a character who has a willpower, skills and resources
to fight crime. And it is well portrayed in Batman V Superman.
And that is the problem. No. Not not the movie problem or Batman's portrayal problem.
It's the characters nature problem. See on the way to becoming stronger self he
chose to ignore the very reason that got his parents killed. The man behind the
murder was Joe Chill. Now his story varies here and there he appears to be a
petty mugger although later his existence is affiliated with the Mafia.
However, even though more organized the Mafia is still a side effect of
an unprecedented thing called inequality. If we mind the realism we have to recognize
that most of Bruce Wayne's advanced technology was developed by the state sector.
In her book "The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public versus Private Sector Myths",
Mariana Mazzucato states that:
From the development of aviation, nuclear energy, computers, the Internet, biotechnology and
today's developments in green technology it is - and has been the state
not the private sector that has kick-started and developed the engine of growth.
Now corporate power evidently cares only about it`s next quarter profits.
And that creates inequality. Inequality creates bitterness.
Bitterness creates desperation. Desperation leads to the creation of an organized crime and
crimes created by those like Joe Chill. In the same book the Author continues
explaining the tendencies saying: "...that these taxpayer propped corporations are
neither returning a significant portion of the profits back to the government
nor investing in new innovation. The story US taxpayers are told is that
economic growth and innovation are outcome of an individual genius, Silicon
Valley entrepreneurs. In other words our Bruce Wayne is simply a parasite and
instead of bringing balance and fighting inequality, he literally becomes a vigilante.
Therefore in order to fight crime he creates two masks for himself:
Playboy billionaires.
-But you`re the tenth? -Guess I`m the first.
And the Caped Crusader's. And all of that is so irrational that one starts
to doubt that Zack Snyder's Batman was motivated by desire for justice.
I know that that is what was stated in both comics and movies.
Even so, if we just take a look at his decisions:
-Jesus Christ. -He branded him.
Bruce Wayne chose to represent the fear while
disguising himself as a bat. In Daniel Conway's book "Demonology and The Devil - Lore"
the Author writes: "...the main characteristic of a demon that which
distinguishes it from devil - is, as we have seen that it has a real and
human-like motive for whatever evil it causes."
And I believe Batman's main motive is very primal.
It`s hunger. Since ancient times before humans made up Gods,
one of the most common needs for human being was food. It was at the time
hard to get and people decided that this must be due to first Outsiders.
Hunger spirits. It was perhaps the first state that was perplexed into demons later on.
Bruce Wayne by all means does not have to worry about an empty stomach.
"DAILY PLANET". Do I own this one?
His hunger is as complex and dark as his character. I am referring to his hunger for rage.
A lot of people were disappointed with Batman's sudden
entrance into Zack Snyder's DC Universe, but looking from this emotional
perspective he was introduced on multiple occasions in 2013 Zack Snyder's
Man of Steel. Let's just do a little editing on this and add Alfred's
explanation on Batman's increased tendency for violence.
Come on!
Here we see Clark Kent the Superman who is about to surrender himself to anger.
That's how it starts, sir. The fever, the rage, the feeling of
powerlessness that turns good men...
...cruel.
I don't want to be overanalyzing and I DO realize that that is NOT what
director has intended, but when you base one of your characters on anger and
cruelty; when you present those very same emotions from a different perspective
that's what you get. Therefore the difference is that there is someone to
stop Superman and those emotions shape the way Bruce Wayne communities with
others. And that's what makes him unique in Batman V Superman. See in Christopher
Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy Bruce Wayne is either himself,
playboy billionaire,
crime-fighting vigilante.
Where were the other drugs going?
Tell me...
Do you bleed?
But in Zack Snyder's version the suit is not a mask. It acts as an amplifier
for his true rage driven form.
You will.
And his social personality looks more like a suppressed version of his true self.
A true self that resurfaces almost every
time he's being even slightly provoked. Look at his interactions:
...I`m the first to see trough that babe in the woods act...
You dont know me. But I know a few women like you.
Maybe it`s the Gotham city in me. And we just have a bad history with freaks dressed like clowns.
That son of the bitch brought the war to us two years ago.
In all of these experiences our hero is unveiling his Batman side and in fact it
is so paltry that it actually launches even against its predecessor movies.
I almost believe that Zack Snyder's Bruce Wayne would have chopped the peasants
head in Batman Begins. He would have probably shot or at least seriously
wounded Joker and he would have definitely killed Bane had he met him
and previously mentioned antagonists under the same circumstances.
Snyder just kind of ignored the critics and audiences even by portraying the darkest
version of this superhero.
And it kind of brings me to this drama element that I have been missing lately.
The one that I referred to in the beginning.
Zack Snyder is extremely open with this.
I believe that everybody noticed the directors
passion for extended visualized moments. Those moments define the story so well.
I believe that most people at some point held one of many great writers Erich
Maria Remarques books. I myself have read most of his novels
and it shares quite a similar visual appeal.
Now Remarque, of course, uses verbal language as a medium, but the most
definitive moments were written so well that one just could not help, but imagine
it in slow motion.
At the end of the novel "All Quiet In The Western Front",
the last day of the main dying hero is defined by fading words:
"...all quiet in the Western Front".
The last two sentences of The Triumph Arc were...
"The square was nothing but darkness. It was so dark that one could not even see the Arc de Trimpphe."
I know it's hard to comprehend it with couple sentences,
but in the context it becomes so powerful that one cannot help it but to give those words a
visualization...
Now, I know I ended this movie with with probably the most
cheesiest line ever, but I wanted to be familiar with the product
Batman V Superman I and I just couldn't help it. I decided to go the same way movie went.
I mean it did what it did and just like... just like Zack Snyder I decided to end
the video essay with the note that I ended it with, so if you liked the video
please hit that subscribe button and see you guys in about a month. Perhaps sooner
perhaps later depends on you, so thank you and see you next time!
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