Critics v Fans Round 2: Suicide Squabble

I first restarted this blog after I saw Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I wanted to get my opinions out for others to see. However, first I wanted to discuss my thoughts on why critics and fans sometimes differ so much in their opinions on movies. I called my initial post Critics v Fans: Dawn of Opposition.

Now with Suicide Squad just hitting theaters, the critics and fans are at it again with their wildly different opinions. Currently Suicide Squad has a rotten tomatoes score of a lowly 26% with 235 critic reviews and 75% with with 6,592 audience reviews. I also saw the movie and have my own personal thoughts that you can check out on my YouTube channel.

So let's try to break down why critics and fans disagree so much on Suicide Squad.

Differing Questions

This is where we get into the nitty-gritty of how critics and fans can differ so greatly. It all comes down to expectations and the questions they ask.

The best way to describe this is to look at a hypothetical scenario. Let's say that I just saw a movie and two different people are interviewing me, one is a movie critic and the other is a hardcore fan of the comic book franchise the movie was based off of. Let's see the kinds of questions the two would probably ask me and how I would respond to them.

Please keep in mind that when it comes to Suicide Squad I am not completely a fan. Also I am no where near a full fledged movie critic. So while I do personally agree with the responses to these questions, some of the deeper answers are borrowed from other's reviews and thoughts that I read or overheard.

Fan's Questions

• Was it fun? Yes, the movie started off fun and had enough sprinkled throughout to make it overall enjoyable.
• Were the characters fun and good interpretations of the comics? Yes, although Warner Bros. took some liberty in the characterization of The Joker, Harley Quinn, and Deadshot, they still had enough to see the connection to the comics.
• What was the best part? Whenever the characters were interacting with each other. It was just fun to see them all together.
• Was it as good as the trailer? Yes, you can tell that a lot of the fun that was shown in the trailer is present in the actual movie.
• Are you happy you saw it? Yes, seeing these iconic characters come together in the movie was overall just a good time.
• Would you see it again? I think I will. There were a lot of things that happened very quickly that I would like to get a second look at. Also, there are some things that I'm not sure whether I liked it or not and I'd like to see it again to determine my feelings.

For all of these reasons, fans are perfectly justified in giving Suicide Squad the praise they have and the praise that will continue to come.

Critic's Questions

• Does the story follow a typical 3 act style? If so, does each act move the story forward well? It does, but after the first act the story really slows down and the tone changed. Then the third act becomes a typical light and CG show typical of many modern blockbusters.
• How is the acting used to enhance the story? Most of the actors do a good job portraying their characters. However, some of characters have no reason to even be present in the story.
• Were the character arcs realized? Most of the characters end at the same point where they started. By the end the squad doesn't work any more as a cohesive team than at the beginning. 
• Was the script unique or interesting? Although their are a few funny moments, most of the script is very predictable or awkward.
• Did the director elevate the script and screenwriting? David Ayer is known for his characters with a dark and twisted back story. While this is hinted at throughout the movie, the humor in the movie often overshadows much of the darker parts Ayer is known for.
• Was the editing used effectively to depict the story? The editing is often choppy and sometimes confusing by using too many flashbacks.
• Was the score or music recognizable or appropriate? No, while trying to be interesting overall it simply adds to the choppy editing and randomness.

As you can tell by how I would respond to these questions it is very easy to see why a critic would give it a lower grade.

Conclusion

I know it is frustrating to see a movie you liked, or hoped to like, get a low critic score. Instead of having a knee-jerk negative reaction, remember that the critics are asked to critique on a vastly different set of standards than your buddy in the next cubicle. Instead, find and stick to reviewers that look for what is important to you and go from there. Dollars speak louder than angry tweets and petitions in pushing studios to make more of what we like.

To Fix DC Universe, Comic Book Expert, Geoff Johns, Named to Co-Lead DC Films

For a number of years, Kevin Feige has been the executive producer for Marvel Studios and has carefully guided that Marvel Cinematic Universe to what it has become today. Fans have clamored for Warner Bros. to do the same. Fans want someone who understands and loves the characters that can weave an overarching story for the purpose of creating a DC film universe as extensive as Marvel's. Well, Warner Bros. has finally listened as, Geoff Johns, Chief Content Officer of DC, and Jon Berg, a Warner Bros. Vice President, have both been named co-leads of the newly formed DC Films.

What Lead to the Change:

Although Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice made $868.2 Million in theaters, many believed that the tone was completely wrong for the characters and have clamored that Zack Snyder, the director, is wrong for the project.

Zack Snyder

Good news began to come in last week when Ben Affleck was named a producer on Justice League Part 1. It was believed that Warner Bros. have become worried about Zack Snyder's vision for the films and the hope was that Ben Affleck could help guide Zack Snyder into creating a film that pleases both fans and critics.

Ben Affleck as Batman

Who is Geoff Johns:

Geoff Johns is currently the Chief Content Officer of DC Comics. Most of his time currently is overseeing the overall direction of the comics. Although he has done this for a time, he is much more known as being a comic book writer. His most recent works include the 50 issue run on Justice League. In addition to this, he also has written years of experience writing stories on other iconic DC characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman, and Superman. Almost every character he touches becomes an instant hit.

Geoff Johns

The only sad news to him becoming a lead on DC Films is that he will have less time to devote to writing comic books.

Why You Should Care:

Everyone has different opinions on Batman v Superman, but one semi-consistent criticism is that Zack Snyder doesn't understand the characters and should not be leading the charge in creating the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Zack Snyder as I've state before (here), is a very visual director, but he lacks the ability to create realistic stories and compelling characters. Geoff Johns, on the other hand, has written these characters for years. He understands how they tick, what people like about them and how to incorporate them into a story. Geoff Johns also has experience in creating small stories that complement a larger overarching story line.

Conclusion:

Although I have always been excited for where the DCEU was going, Zack Snyder's direction was making me increasingly more worried. However, now with Ben Affleck as a producer and Geoff Johns overseeing the entire project, I am not only excited, I'm ecstatic to see what great movies will come out of the DCEU.

How Hollywood Should Use Zack Snyder

Zack Snyder has made good films in the past, but has been failing to please critics lately. So how should Hollywood use Zack Snyder to optimize his skill set?

Dawn of the Dead (2004) is "certified fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes with 75%. Since then, Snyder's movies have been in a steady decline. Snyder bottomed out with Sucker Punch (2010) with a abysmal 24% and his latest movie, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) has 29%. The average of the 7 movies he has directed gives his movies a 51%. That is a very respectable score. Especially for a Director that has only been at it for 12 years. Unfortunately, at this rate his bad movies will soon outweigh his good.

My biggest problem with Zack Snyder is that he doesn't have the ability to take a script and depict it on the screen in a way that makes sense and is interesting. However, he does have a lot of talent in other areas. He has an uncanny ability to frame fabulous shots, cast characters perfectly and choreograph quick action scenes that are not only entertaining to watch, but also are easy to follow. These talents are vital for a successful action movie.

These skills still give Zack Snyder a place behind the camera, but he does need a way to hone his storytelling skills. I think that can be accomplished by co-directing. Projects from Phil Lord and Chris Miller, for example, or the Russo Brothers, do very well being co-directed. This allows the load to be split and each other's skills to be utilized. In a co-directing situation Snyder could handle action scenes while the co-director would oversee the script and story details.

I have thought about what type of director Zack Snyder would be a perfect pair with, and I have decided that Zack Snyder co-directing with Joss Whedon could be magical. Now... hear me out. I love Joss Whedon and would hate to tarnish his near perfect career. He has an uncanny ability to build characters and put together great scripts. He has a good eye for action, but nothing compared to Zack Snyder. So imagine Joss Whedon's quick, witty characters with Zack Snyder's hard, fast action. I think it could truly be a match made in heaven.

I'm not saying that Zack Snyder doesn't have the ability to direct a movie by himself someday, but I believe he needs someone to help structure the story while he handles the action. Just a little more oversight on the process could really help shape Zack Snyder into the director that he deserves to be.

Why I'm Still Excited for the DC Extended Universe

Although I wasn't a huge fan of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, as can be read in my non-spoiler review here or my spoiler filled review here, I am still very excited for DC movies to come.

Spoilers for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice!

If BvS did anything well, it was set up future DC movies. There were a number of Easter Eggs and moments that made my inner nerd sequel with joy. So let's break down some of the upcoming movies to see what we know so far to get excited about.

First of all Suicide Squad (August 2016). DC not only has the best superheroes, they also have the best super villains. And seeing David Ayer's vision with iconic DC villains has a lot of promise. Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and Jared Leto as the Joker: there is little to be disappointed about. Hopefully the newly announced reshoots will enhance the film rather than chop it up.

Wonder Woman (June 2017) also has a lot of promise. Having her origin in WWI with Chris Pine as Steve Trevor already gets me excited. I was one of the few who really, really enjoyed the WWII setting of Captain America and the angle they went with it, so changing Wonder Woman's origin to center around WWI is great. The real excitement comes from Dawn of Justice. Gal Gadot was somehow able to steal every scene away from Ben Affleck. We were also able to see many of Wonder Woman's iconic weapons. Even the way she reacted to battle with a huge smile was perfect to her character. The foundation for a great Wonder Woman movie is there, now we just have to wait.

The Flash (March 2018). The jury is still out on Ezra Miller's Flash. Especially against the amazing job Grant Gustin is doing on the CW. However, of all the video clips sent to Wonder Woman in BvS, The Flash was one of the coolest. The way the speed force affected power and the smirk he did afterwards was a real nice touch. Also his connection to the time travel scene might first be revealed in The Flash if not in The Justice League.

Aquaman (July 2018). The most exciting point to me is James Wan. He has proved that he can handle horror in directing Saw (2004) and The Conjuring (2013). He also showed he has the ability to shoot action with Furious 7 (2015). Combining those two genres is perfect for the under the sea world of Aquaman.

Batman (Release unknown). Batfleck! Batman was amazing in BvS. Combine that with Ben Affleck's ability to write a script and direct a movie, and the solo Batman movie will be AMAZING! Of course we don't know if Ben Affleck's script will eventually be the solo film or even if he will be given the ability to direct, but simply having this Batman appear in a solo film is something everyone can be excited about.

The other films of Shazam (April 2019), Cyborg (April 2020), and Green Lantern Corps (June 2020) all have positive prospects, but right now it is just too far out to really know if I should be excited or not. Although Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Shazam antagonist Black Adam will probably be fantastic.

WB has hired a lot of amazing directors and actors to help build their DC Extended Universe. Hopefully they can react to some of the negative feedback from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in order to change coarse slightly. All with the purpose to build a universe that both critics and fans can rally around.

Batman v Superman Tumbles 81% in Second Friday

As I discussed in my editorial about Critic v Fan reviews, the first week is filled with often opposing opinions by two very distinct groups. During the second week fans tend to trickle out of the theater and it is then up to the average moviegoer to determine if a blockbuster has sustainability or not.

Well, the reports are starting to come in. Forbes reports that BvS only made $15.35 million in the domestic box office on its second Friday. Compared to $81.5m on opening day, this shows an 81.2% decrease. That is in spite of only going up against God's Not Dead 2 and Meet the Blacks that opened this weekend, two films that shouldn't jeopardize BvS's sustainability. Even other critically panned films Fantastic Four and Green Lantern only dropped 78.7% and 78.4% respectively.

On Thursday The Wrap reported that Batman v Superman was receiving higher than average repeat ticket purchases. It was reportedly 30% higher than average. Even with the repeat business, BvS may see a difficult journey ahead.

This doesn't necessarily mean that audiences are mad or disappointed in the film, simply that they are indifferent and are choosing not to see it. Batman v Superman will have one more weekend to see if it can increase it box office results before Disney's The Jungle Book opens on April 15th which will most likely win that weekend.

Currently Batman v Superman has a worldwide box office of $587.8m making the film still a box office success. However, at this time, it seems doubtful that BvS will surpass the coveted $1 billion worldwide box office that many ensemble comic book movies are receiving.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Spoilers)

On paper the movie seems like it would be amazing, but unfortunately some of the directors choices and possibly the studio intervention hold it back from being the Batman vs Superman movie we all deserve.

Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! 
Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert! 
You've Been Warned!

Grade: Matinee Showing

My spoiler reviews are a little scattered toward specific details of the movie. There honestly is very little structure. If you desire to better understand why I gave the movie the grade I did, please read the No Spoilers Review. If you feel I am nitpicking in this Spoiler review, yo're right, just deal with it.

The Awesome:

+ Batman! BATMAN! FREAKING BATMAN! That one time when Batman was driving the Batmobile grapples a car, swings it to hit an object and launches it onto another enemy vehicle. OH MY GOODNESS! Or... or the time when he's saving Martha Kent... ahhhhh! Taking out bad guys. Grappling a wood box into a guys face. AHHHH! Amazing!

+ Wonder Woman! Lasso of truth! Bracelets of Submission! Standing toe to toe with Doomsday! I honestly can't wait for the Wonder Woman movie because she is officially amazing!

The Ehhh:

~ Mopey Superman... again. Superman is a beacon of hope. I understand that some people find that boring, but when you have brooding Batman, Superman acts as a  foil to help push the story along and give the Justice League a moral compass much like Captain America in the Avengers (I may have just committed DC movie review Taboo, bring it on). Not only that, why the heck was he standing on a mountain talking to Johnathan Kent?

~ So... what was Lex Luthor's plan and motivation? I was able to deduce that he wanted Batman and Superman to fight... and that's about as far as I've gotten. Please someone fill me in. And don't use deleted scenes, there were no deleted scenes in the movie (Ergo "deleted") so you can't use those to justify motivation.

~ The Senator. I don't even remember or care to look up who played her. It was a completely forgettable plot point that could have been so much more interesting if they didn't freaking blow up the capital. Speaking of the Capital being blown up, could you hear the price is right losing horn when Superman is shown surrounded by fire... I think I heard it.

~ Lois Lane... what happened to you? You use to be such a bad a**. Even in Man of Steel you were able to take on Zod's men in the space ship or shoot down the kryptonian terraformer machine from a plane. Why are you getting captured in Africa now? You seem to serve no purpose other than given Superman a reason to return from his moping.

~ Superman's death. I honestly didn't care. He already "died" once after the atom bomb blew up. He then came back to life after feeling the warm sun on his face. Why wouldn't I think he can't come back again? Honestly, I still would have killed him, but this is how I would have done it... 1) Bomb blows up Superman and Doomsday. 2) They both fall to earth. 3) Bodies roll away from each other with Superman on left and Doomsday on right. 4) Doomsday gets up... charges/becomes more rocky. 5) Superman strains to move. 6) Doomsday sees that Superman survived and pounds on Superman till he's dead. 7) Batman and Wonder Woman have to use the spear to kill Doomsday and of course they succeed. I realize that is only a slight change, but by having Superman already "die" and come back 5 seconds later makes death feel useless.

The Ugh-ly:

- Don't throw away the spear! Lois you're an idot! Granted... hindsight is 20-20 and she didn't know she would need the spear again. But why throw it into... a well... maybe. If she was truly worried about it hurting Superman in the future, you think she would have hid it away so that someone else won't find it. Then you freaking almost drowned! Ugh... you are absolutely completely pointless to the plot.

- The first hour and 45 minutes. What was even going on? Who cared? There was no character development, just moping around and searching for some Portuguese guy. The movie honestly could have started with Batman turning on the Batsignal and it still would have made the same amount of sense.

- Terrible editing. Within about 20 minutes of actual time (from when Batman and Superman fight to Wonder Woman's reveal) this is what happened in Wonder Woman's story line. 1) Wonder Woman is out on the town wearing a white gown and sees the electricity coming off of the spaceship. 2) She is sitting at home in a robe looking at meta-human files. 3) She is now walking into a plane (for some reason) and sees that Doomsday has appeared. 4) She lands in front of Batman right before he become Bat-b-cued. Now... I know she's super and all and can do amazing things. By why the change of location and wardrobe between every scene. Couldn't she have just been at home... What was the point. Sometimes I give movies leniency because movie time is different than real time, but since we were literally seeing them fight inter-cut with those scenes, we know about how long it was.

- More terrible editing. 1) Superman's funeral. Bruce is talking to Diana about building the Justice League while Lois scoops up soil in her hand. 2) Cut to Lex in prison. Lights flicker. Batman is seen behind him.. that scene happens. 3) Shot of painting in Daddy Luthor's office. 4) Cut to Lois dropping sand on Clark's coffin. Now... this is the nitpicking I mentioned. I realize that these events aren't chronological. But it is just bad editing to jump around timelines like that. When it is done in other movies, let say Pulp Fiction, it is to strategically reveal character traits, plot points or motivations. In BvS it is just lazy.

- Martha! You mean the only reason why we had to sit through Batman's origin again? So that they could stop fighting when Batman realized that their mom's share the same name? It just doesn't make sense.

Overview:

I really hope that the 3 hour extended cut. I'm hoping that plot points are fleshed out more so that motivations can be realized as I think the movie intended.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (No Spoilers)

On paper the movie seems like it would be amazing, but unfortunately some of the directors choices and possibly the studio intervention hold it back from being the Batman vs Superman movie we all deserve.

The Good:

+ Zack Snyder knows how to make a beautifully shot sequences. There are moments in the film when the camera pans over gorgeously rendered CGI environments that an make you stop and look in awe. Snyder also knows how to direct an action scene. Often during quick cuts in a fight the audience can become lost as to characters positions in the fight. This leads to viewers not having any freaking clue as to what is going on (see almost any Michael Bay movie). However, Snyder can show big action set pieces with every piece being perfectly choreographed and depicted.

+ Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman is perfect. You can tell that he loves the character and wants to due the beloved character justice. The only bad thing that I can say about Batman is that I didn't see enough of him. There are some other... umm... liberties that are taken with the Batman character that some die hard fans might find against character, but that honestly doesn't bother me too much, although I do believe it should and could have been handled differently.

+ Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman steals every scene she is in. If BvS did only did one thing, it was make me extremely excited for the Wonder Woman movie to be released in 2017.

The Ehhh:

~ Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman has a great Superman in him. However, because of the lack of a great script and directing, I fear that we may never see him tap into the potential I know he has.

~ Motivations. The only characters motivations that seem completely fleshed out are Batman's. Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor seems to be more lost than the Joker usually is and Superman is too busy moping around to ever figure out what he is even trying to accomplish.

~ Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. I put him in the Ehhh section for a few reasons. I feel that a modern day young Lex Luthor could potentially behave much like young internet CEO's. However, I think it was taken way too far over one way. More balance could have made for an interesting Lex.

The Ugh-ly:

- The script/screen play/story board. When action is present in the movie it excels, but where there is simply dialog, the movie falls apart. BvS feels like multiple distinct movies with no thread to tie them together. While the plot is building, character's motivations become muddled, their actions are confusing and sometimes you just don't know what the heck is going on.

- Bloated plots. There are so many plots that could have been completely taken out of the movie. You can feel how Zack Snyder had a vision for a Man of Steel sequel that completely became over stuffed when the studio came to him with a desire to throw in more plot points to set up future movies. Basically BvS has the same basic problems that both Iron Man 2 and The Amazing Spider-man 2 had.

- Some comic book knowledge helps. I do read a fair share of comics. However, the average moviegoer will be lost a few point. Luckily those points aren't necessarily plot relevant, but why include them at all if they don't move the plot along?

Overview:

If you enjoy a spectacle then about 45 minutes of this movie is for you. See it during a matinee showtime to save some money but still get the theater experience.

Grade: Matinee Showing

Critics v Fans: Dawn of Opposition

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has created a decisive split between critics and fans. As of writing this, the critic Rotten Tomatoes score sits at 29% and audience of 71%. Some say that critics are biased to a movie even before they sit in the theater. Or perhaps fanboys and girls are so geeked out on the visuals and concept that they fail to see the faults within the film.

BvS isn’t the first film that has a vastly different critic and fan reviews and it definitely won't be the last. However, since BvS is the most current example, I thought that this is a perfect time to discuss that constant battle between critics and fans and to determine how an average moviegoer can interpret the information.

The first week of release BvS has seen a constant online fight between critics and fans. Arguing who is correct and why the other side is obviously wrong. These groups have gone back and forth so viciously that by the end they are usually farther apart than when they initially began.

The problem with week one reviews is you usually get two different groups watching a film. One group consists of the movie critics. Their job is to break a movie apart with the goal to determine if the movie has basic storytelling elements such as a logical structure, character building, good directing and decent cinematography among other things. The other majority group that sees a movie like BvS in the first week usually comprise of the hardcore fans. Their goal is to determine how true to character and entertaining a movie is.

This leaves an appearingly impassable roadblock for the average moviegoer. Each person enters and leaves the movie theater with a different agenda. So who’s opinion should be more important? Well, the answer, as unsurprising as it is, is both. Both opinions are valid, both carry weight, and after seeing BvS you will most likely walk with your own opinion that may side with critics, fans or some combination of both. Many of you may even join the internet feud of who’s opinion reigns supreme.

Now here is the point to it all. IT DOESN’T MATTER. It doesn’t matter if your opinion differs from someone else’s. That is best part of the whole movie going experience. We sit in a dark theater engulfed in sounds and visuals with the desire to escape to a reality that isn’t our own. When the credits roll and we leave either disappointed, overjoyed or neutral we have the ability to discuss the reasons why. Not for the purpose of persuading an opposing party, but to have a thought out and honest discussion. Discussions such as these will hopefully bring to light what a majority of people did and did not like. The movie studio can then take the criticism and apply it to their next movie.

There is no doubt that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is doing great in the box office and will continue to do so. But as we discuss this film and others to come, let’s do so in a respectful manner so that all opinions can be heard rather than extinguished.