Everyone is eyeing ‘Batman V Superman’ as the kick off for the DC Expanded Universe, but the ball really got rolling three years ago with ‘Man of Steel’, which introduced a new Superman played by Henry Cavill.
The movie divided both critics and audiences and after a massive opening weekend, attendance dropped off a precarious 65-68% due largely to the mediocre-to-poor buzz. (It has a 56% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.) The reason for this mixed reaction? That may vary from viewer to viewer.
But one frequently given reason for displeasure was the final battle between the headlining protagonist and evil Kryptonians led by General Zod (Michael Shannon), in which large chunks of a highly-populated Metropolis were destroyed. Some felt that a hero as virtuous as Superman should have made it a greater priority to rescue the citizens in the city, instead of focusing all of his attention and powers on the battle.
With ‘Dawn of Justice’ about to hit theaters, Superman himself, Henry Cavill is making the rounds to promote the film and during the process, was asked about Superman’s lack of defensive maneuvers during the controversial ‘Man of Steel’ climax and this is what he had to say:
“Let’s say now, [if] Superman has the same threat again, that’s a different story. He would, of course, bring collateral damage to an absolute minimum, but in that, he’s just trying to survive because if he doesn’t, the planet’s gone. That’s the excuse I make for Superman. He’s fresh and he’s new, and it’s very easy to point out the faults in someone after they’ve done it, but put yourself in their shoes and see what happens.”
Well… that actually makes a lot of sense. It seems that in addition to not being accustomed to a darker Superman, audiences also weren’t used to an inexperienced newbie Superman. Although Clark Kent discovers his powers at a young age, he’s never had to put them to the test against other beings as powerful as he AND who were trained soldiers.
And it isn’t like ‘Batman V Superman’ is just going to gloss over the destruction. Whether or not it was inspired by audience reaction, the new movie addresses that directly, setting it up as the main cause of conflict between the two title heroes.
What do you think? Does Cavill’s explanation put things in a different light? If you disliked ‘Man of Steel’ do you think this will make ‘Batman V Superman’ more palatable?
‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ directed by Zack Snyder and starring Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, and Jesse Eisenberg is going to destroy theaters (Too soon?) on March 25, 2016.
Source: Cinema Blend
