Warner Bros. Pictures
If ever there was a more divisive superhero movie — at least since the release of Man of Steel — Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was it (and perhaps Suicide Squad has trumped even that one … I think we’re seeing a pattern here). Labeled a financial bomb by the naysayers (with more than $872 million earned at the global box office), a critical disaster, and widely hated by fans of the classic comic book characters, the film still had some supporters. Even our original review found much to enjoy about the film and more than a few major plot holes.
Now, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released what they promise is an “Ultimate Edition” of Batman v Superman with 30 minutes added back into the movie (so hopefully we won’t get even more extended versions over the years) and a newly acquired R rating. Thankfully, the new version does fill in some holes, restores Jena Malone’s character (although not as who she was believed to be and ultimately useless), but still ends up being a three-hour trailer for Justice League.
But, the best of the new footage finally has the desert murders and framing of Superman make sense now. That had been one of my biggest beefs with the theatrical version because the murders of several people — by guns, no less (why would Superman shoot people???) — and Lois never revealing the truth was just dumb. Now the scene plays out so we know this is all a machination of Lex Luthor which leads into the fateful Congressional hearing where Superman was supposed to testify. In fact, the extended version makes it abundantly clear that Luthor is behind just about everything that happens in the movie, including the “coincidental” meeting of Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne at the gala.
Also restored is Clark’s investigation of Batman and his branding of criminals that marks them for death in prison. His focus on this investigation has the effect of Perry White’s constant grumbling about Clark not focusing on his assigned duties more rational. The investigation also makes the initial confrontation between Superman and Batman more substantive. Unfortunately, what still doesn’t work all that well and sticks out even more now are the cramming into the plot of Wonder Woman (to set up her stand-alone film), The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg (to set up Justice League. It took Marvel four movies and five years to put The Avengers together, and DC is trying to set up this entire superhero universe with one movie. It’s too much too soon, and if you really hated the theatrical version of the movie, there’s probably little chance you’ll even want to give the extended version a look but don’t discount it completely. Actually shortening the film and excising all the periferal superheroes could probably make a pretty decent Batman/Superman movie.
The Warner Brothers Blu-ray presentation of the film comes in numerous iterations from a 4K edition to a plain old DVD. The film’s presentation on Blu-ray is pretty much flawless, accurately reflecting the theatrical presentation right down to the desaturated color grading that gives the film a bit of a greenish tint. The blacks are deep and inky, appropriate for a film that has many night and dark interior scenes. When there is bright daylight, the colors actually pop but the brightness is never blown out. The footage for the extended version has been integrated seamlessly. The two versions are presented on separate disks. The 3D package also contains a third disk with the theatrical cut in 3D (unfortunately, the “ultimate” of this edition did not extend to the 3D version). While the film was post-converted to 3D, this is one of the most breathtaking presentations of the process I have seen, especially at the beginning during the murder of the Waynes. At one point, the killer’s gun extends off the screen and right into your face, and Martha’s pearls also fly off the screen. The added depth also gives a sense of realism to what was actually a lot of green screen work. For my money, one of the best 3D Blu-rays ever, I just wish they would have taken the time to convert the added footage.
The disk containing the theatrical cut also includes a plethora of bonus material (minus the film’s trailer, but you get a Suicide Squad trailer as the disk loads).
- Uniting the World’s Finest (15:05) – Looks at the growing DC Cinematic Universe including scenes from Wonder Woman, Suicide Squad, and comments from Ezra Miller (The Flash), Jason Momoa (Aquaman) and Ray Fisher (Cyborg).
- Gods and Men: A Meeting of Giants (12:28) – A look at the history of Superman and Batman and how they were brought together in the comics and finally on the big screen.
- The Warrior, The Myth, The Wonder (21:16) – An in depth look at Wonder Woman from the comic pages to the big screen.
- Accelerating Design: The New Batmobile (22:46) – A look at the creation of the new Batmobile with the men behind the design and construction.
- Superman: Complexity and Truth (7:08) – Creating Superman for the screen, from costume design to fight choreography.
- Batman: Austerity and Rage (8:15) – Bringing a new Batman to the screen and designing costumes that look good and are functional, including CGI versions.
- Wonder Woman: Grace and Power (6:48) – A brief look at Wonder Woman’s introduction to the big screen.
- Batcave: Legacy of the Lair (7:12) – A look at modern technology and organic nature of the Batcave.
- The Might and the Power of a Punch (5:15) – Analyzing the physics of the fight scenes between Batman and Superman.
- The Empire of Luthor (12:33) – A look at the evolution of Lex Luthor from mad scientist comic origin to businessman bent on destroying Superman.
- Save the Bats (4:37) – A look at the ecological disaster facing us as bats are affected by a fungus causing them to die off, and how the cast and crew of the film hope to raise awareness and save the bats.
I know there really is nothing I can say to convince those who vehemently hated Batman v Superman to bother to give this home video release a look. But if you did find something entertaining about it but had questions, hopefully this Ultimate Edition will be worth the purchase.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment generously provided Hotchka with a Blu-ray 3D/Blu-ray copy of the film for reviewing purposes.
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