Superhero movies are inescapable these days. There are six giant, super-powered titles being released in 2016 alone – Deadpool already broke the fourth wall, and box office records; Captain America: Civil War will soon see the Marvel’s Avengers fight amongst themselves; X-Men: Apocalypse will see the destructive rise of an ancient mutant; Suicide Squad will assemble some of DC’s most dastardly villains; and Doctor Strange will see sorcery sweep into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Then, there’s Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice – a very different, behemoth of a superhero movie.
While Deadpool and Suicide Squad certainly bring new, fresh ideas and perspectives to the superhero genre, it is Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice that truly makes history. It is the film designed to serve as the springboard for the wider DC Extended Universe – which will itself break new ground in comic book adaptations. As such, Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice sets the tone, and gives us an idea of what is to come.
But, in and of itself – as a movie in its own right – Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice changes not only the entire superhero genre, but also film culture in general. This is an honest-to-goodness seismic event in terms of filmmaking, and that is not just because of the ‘who’ and the ‘what’ of it – but also because of the ‘how’ and the ‘why.’
