Bat-links: Forbes Defends 'Dawn of Justice'

About two months ago I wrote a lengthy article listing some of my major concerns about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. I’m certainly not the only person with concerns, and that has to be obvious. So much so, in fact, that Forbes writer Mark Hughes published an article today defending the film and laying out his rationale for its success.

"It’s generally understood that while Man of Steel was without a doubt a box office hit, the film slightly underperformed due to a few factors — mixed critical reception, some flaws in the story, the lingering hangover created by several years of constant media and fan narrative insisting Superman Returns was a disliked flop, and some audience uncertainty about whether Superman was really finally returning to top form in a franchise that would go the distance this time. Batman v Superman has an Oscar-winning writer and so much added great talent that it would be foolish to ignore those benefits and not think it gives the film better odds of fixing what went wrong in Man of Steel and appealing more to critics and audiences. Plus, audiences are now reacquainted with Superman and the next films will be building on a known quantity and existing brand again. And this is Superman, the most recognizable superhero in the world, existing in a world with Batman and Wonder Woman and others. I’d say he’s likely to enjoy a substantial boost after the two team-ups, and will bring in box office closer to the $900+ million range for his next solo movie.And any fans who are worried that the studio would seriously not bother toever invest in a Superman film again (which would cost LESS MONEY than bigger Justice League films full of extra high-paid actors, and which could be released in between team-up films down the road) needs to just step back and try to see things in a more objective, calmer light. Superman is a big, popular superhero brand, and after these next films he’ll be likely to have a massive jump in his solo box office potential, and Warner is well aware of that fact."

It’s definitely worth a read and an important part of some healthy dialogue. Tell us what you think in the comments section.

Bat-links: Forbes Defends ‘Dawn of Justice’

By Skip Harvey | Jun 6, 2014