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Batman V Superman DP Gets Candid About The Film’s Criticism

Larry Fong, director of cinematography on Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, has spoken candidly about the film's woeful performance.

From 300 to Watchmen, Sucker Punch to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, over the years cinematographer Larry Fong has forged an incredible working relationship with Zack Snyder, though their products haven’t always been up to snuff.

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The latest, Batman V Superman, was raked over the coals by fans and critics, with the general consensus being that, despite truckloads of raw potential, Dawn of Justice was less of a superhero epic and more of a bloated, convoluted mess.

Okay, that was maybe a little harsh, as Batman V Superman is far from a total trainwreck. Hell, even to this day, Larry Fong is of the believe that the visual team “killed it,” as some of the effects shots included in the final cut are worthy of their own Mondo painting.

As for what it was like to be caught up in the middle of Batman V Superman‘s fallout, Fong told ComicBook Debate (h/t Cinema Blend) the following:

It kind of hurts because, you know, I put almost a year of my life, including my whole crew, you know living away from our families, making a lot of sacrifices to make a movie like that. And, everyone has their opinion. Does everyone have to love the movie? Of course not, but it’s like your baby; you put a lot of work into it.

And after dedicating a year (and change) of his life to the project – an experience Fong shared with most of the cast and crew – he can’t help but feel hurt by the reception, particularly when it takes the form of Internet trolls mindlessly bashing the film.

You know, visually I feel like me and my crew killed it, so when you hear things about it, it kind of hurts. But, to be honest the weirdest thing — I’ve never really talked about this — but the weirdest thing, and this has happened a lot, I’ll have a stranger come up and say, ‘You know, Batman v Superman really sucked, but don’t worry, what you did was great. It looked really good. It wasn’t your fault.’

He continued:

And I listened to that for a while and was like, ‘K, well thanks.’ But then the more I thought about it I thought I’m not going to accept that. Because everyone’s working towards a common goal, right? And Zack’s my brother, I’m not gonna go, ‘Oh yeah, you know, he did a horrible job, but I didn’t! I just did my job. That’s right!’ I don’t accept that. If you make a baby together you’re proud of that baby. And you can’t really divide it up.

But what say you? Do you empathize with Larry Fong’s reaction to the Batman V Superman fallout? Or are you of the belief that the film was beyond saving? Next to emerge from the DCEU is James Wan’s standalone Aquaman movie, which will be with us this Christmas.