2013’s Man Of Steel was a fairly controversial superhero movie. Despite boasting a stellar cast and some superb action sequences, fans of the DC hero had mixed feelings about the film as a whole. With the cast set to return in the highly anticipated Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice there is a sense of foreboding and nerves after its lukewarm predecessor. Superman himself, actor Henry Cavill, has recently opened up about this reality saying:
The reception of my first Superman movie, from what I’ve read, was fairly mixed. … There’s no intentional move, I don’t think, in Batman v. Superman to address any issues that people had with Man of Steel. It’s just a continuation of that storyline and they continue to develop that world and introduce new characters.
It appears, through this statement, that Henry Cavill knows he has to step up his game to make Batman V Superman better received than his first try. While Cavill can’t take all of the blame for Man of Steel, there was a fair amount of criticism for his portrayal of Kal-El.
Henry Cavill’s version of Superman’s alias, Clark Kent, was poorly received by many fans of the original movies and comics. Kent’s only form of disguise is a pair of glasses, which is already a ridiculous concept for moviegoers to suspend their disbelief and ignore. Christopher Reeve’s adaptation of Kent made him extremely clumsy, bumbling, and weak. Simply: he was the opposite of Superman. Cavill; however, went for a more subtle approach. Rather than highlight how weak Clark was, he simply tried to make him invisible. Of course, this is difficult to do when you’re 6’1, handsome, and lacking any body fat.
Since Dawn of Justice won’t be trying to repair our problems with Man Of Steel, it’s safe to assume that the same Clark Kent will be present in Zack Snyder’s newest adventure. Luckily, we may see a different side of the Man of Steel himself, as most of the footage we’ve seen paints Superman to be more of a villain. In the trailer, we see the destruction that Superman’s battle with Zod had on civilians, including Bruce Wayne himself. The fury in Ben Affleck’s eyes show how Batman is about to take care of business and put Superman down.
Some of the best parts of Man of Steel revolved around the extremely strong supporting cast. Amy Adams was captivating as love interest and reporter Lois Lane, and she will reportedly have a significant role in Batman V Superman. Diane Lane will also be reprising her well-received role of Martha Kent, Superman’s adoptive mother. As she served as the moral compass in the first film, it should be interesting to see how Martha continues to steer her son toward the greater good in Dawn of Justice.
Overall, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice already looks far superior to its predecessor, just based off of the trailer. Here’s hoping Superman is a bit more exciting than last time, and that it doesn’t produce any out of character moves like making Batman a killer too. Check out the trailer below.
