Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Holy Martha Mother of Superheroes, Batman!


I missed out on seeing Deadpool 2 in the theater because...well, I wasn't the biggest fan of Deadpool 1, so I wasn't in a rush to see the sequel. Even though I like the character of Cable, I didn't care much for the casting (Josh Brolin, who always acts like he's above this type of stuff) or the way he was going to be depicted in the film (as the villain), so not even Cable's big-screen debut made me excited for the sequel.

So, I just only watched it. I liked it less than the first one, but that's not what I'm getting at here. In Deadpool 2, there's a line mocking the infamous "Martha Moment" of 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. That part of the movie has been mocked since its release, is still mocked by people on the internet on a daily basis, and I thought it was pretty strange for a real Hollywood movie to take a jab at it two years later, but that's me. Anyway...

I don't get what the fuck people have against Batman v Superman, and especially that scene. I mean...I didn't see Batman v Superman on opening weekend, so I had it all spoiled for me, and people have criticized the scene from day one. I remember listening to Hollywood professionals (like Kevin Smith, who likes to shit all over DC, but still gets to work for them, somehow) tear that scene apart and completely miss the point or meaning of the scene, a meaning that I understood without yet actually seeing the damn movie! So when people latch onto this scene and treat it like it's stupid or nonsense, I find it frustrating.

Bruce Wayne/Batman is terrified and repulsed by Superman. He doesn't trust Superman, he thinks Superman is nothing but a problem for the world, that he probably means the end of the world. He doesn't even see Superman as human or a man, but some alien freak, an animal, a weapon. Batman does his homework finding out Superman's weaknesses and beats him within an inch of his life, coming damn near close to killing him. Recognizing how close he is to the end of things, Superman blurts out that time's running out, that Martha (Kent) needs to be saved. Going in for the kill as this is said, Batman freezes. He freaks and panics. But it stops him dead in his tracks. He learns from Lois that Martha is the name of Superman's mom. Batman takes this all in. He throws aside the weapon he was using.

This scene goes beyond the dumb-dumb dismissal of "Heh, the fight all came down to their moms having the same name. That stoopid!" I don't understand why it's so hard for people to wrap their heads around the meaning of this scene, and the way it's presented in the movie.

Seeing a pathetic, bleeding Superman under his heel, learning that he has a mother, it humanizes Superman for Batman for the first time. What he saw as an alien freak, who could destroy the world, he begins to see as a guy, worried about his mom, being cared for by his girlfriend. (This is probably the moment Batman figures out that Superman is Clark Kent, by the way. So, for all of the weisenheimers who say "It's dumb for Superman to be saying 'Save Martha!' instead of 'Save mom," well...Superman's still in disguise here, man. He ain't going to be going "Save my mom, Martha Kent! I'm Clark Kent!" Not to mention...the dude just ate two Kryptonite gas grenades and had the shit kicked out of him. He wanted the info conveyed quickly! And also? People like to say that they wouldn't have had to fight if they just talked it out. Superman TRIED to talk it out. He lands and immediately lets Batman know he knows he's Bruce and what Luthor's planning, but Batman doesn't let him get far before he starts his attack. So there! "But Batman's supposed to be a detective!" Yeah, well, this is a broken, pissed off Batman, who's stubborn and decided on what he's going to do. And, besides, no matter what kind of great detective Batman's supposed to be...he's not going to be better than Superman. I rather like how Superman's obviously known Bruce is Batman, but doesn't let on until absolutely necessary, when the situation is dire.)

But not only does it humanize Superman for Batman, but, yes, what gets him to pause and freak out is that he hears the name Martha, the name of his mother. In this movie, Martha is his father's dying word. As with most Batman stories, Bruce/Batman still carries a lot of anguish and guilt about his parents' death. Hearing his dying opponent say the name Martha takes him by a chilling surprise. Once Batman collects himself, and Superman recovers enough to tell him that they both fell into Lex Luthor's trap and what they need to do to get out of it, Batman vows to take care of Martha while Supes goes and deals with Lex. Symbolically, Batman is being given the chance to save his own mother here. And he succeeds, in an awesome, awesome action scene that most people, even the biggest haters of this movie, call the movie's best scene!

But I also like to look at it like this... I love Batman. He's my favorite superhero. Throughout 70+ years of this character, we've had a lot of iterations of his parents' murder and, usually, 99.5% of the time, the focus goes to his dad, Thomas Wayne. Thomas Wayne is usually given dialogue. He's always given the most history. There's alternate worlds where HE is Batman. In the old days, there were stories that said he was briefly Batman even before Bruce ever thought the whole thing up, which is stupid. In Christopher Nolan's disgustingly overrated movies, Thomas Wayne is depicted as being the biggest saint who ever sainted -- until Bruce grows up, anyway. (Martha's practically an extra in Batman Begins, because Nolan likes a sausage fest.) What I'm saying is...

For the first time in the character's history, Batman v Superman makes Martha Wayne matter. She technically saves Superman's life. She technically prevents her son from making what would have been the biggest mistake of his life, and something he'd never come back from. (Killing Superman, continuing down the dark, mean path he was on, never rounding up the Justice League.) I think this is something that should be celebrated and acknowledged and NOT the source of ridicule it is. You know the biggest thing the comics have done with Martha Wayne? Have her become the Joker in an alternate history! How fucked up is that?! Batman v Superman gives you something with a little meaning and symbolism, but...fuck that, we're in the age of Twitter wannabe comedians, so let's just make light of everything, and turn everything into a meme!

And then take Justice League into account, where Bruce is down in the dumps for the way everything went down for Superman, for the way he treated Superman, where we realize how much of an impact Superman had on him in such a short time. In that moment when Superman is humanized for him...Martha Wayne saves Batman in that movie, too. At the start of Batman v Superman, we see a very dark and angry Bruce/Batman. We're told of how much Batman changed in the way he fought crime, how isolated he was, how brutal he had become, ESPECIALLY once Superman comes into the picture. And then not only is Superman humanized for him, but he realizes how wrong he's been about him, and what a good person and actual hero Superman is -- something he's gotten colder and farther away from being. There's that line in Justice League where Bruce confesses that he thinks Clark was a better human being than he was.

What I like about Affleck's Bruce/Batman is how haunted he is. People think the characters turn too quickly in BvS and that the rewrites and reshoots of Justice League make for inconsistent characterizations -- "LOL, they're about to kill each other and then 1 second later they're Super Friends!" -- but I think Affleck does a surprisingly good job of conveying all of the internal damage of the character, the psychological reasoning behind his actions. Bruce knew his enemy, he knew the Daily Planet was pro-Superman. So, seeing Lois come to his aide, I think that helps him take on the point of view of maybe all of the stories about him are true. But certainly his opinion changes once he, Superman and Wonder Woman fight alongside each other against Doomsday. He witnesses how selfless Superman is, ultimately sacrificing himself to stop the monster. It basically makes Bruce see all that he did wrong, all of the darkness he harbored, and I see him as in the midst of a deep depression in Justice League, on a suicide mission to round everyone up and make amends. You get the feeling he's willing to die to resurrect Superman, because Superman's better than he is, because Superman's the one who can actually save the world, and maybe, just maybe because he feels guilty for all of the problems he caused Superman, and feels he needs to pay.

Man, Batman v Superman is unappreciated. It has 20 movies worth of material in one movie! I mean...did you ever think you'd see a Superman movie where Batman is the villain?! And even though I ended up being a little let down by Justice League, I don't think that movie's as bad as people pretend it is, either.

8 comments:

  1. I still didn´t watch Batman vs Superman, but I liked Man of Steel (with the exception of Jonathan's death). But I find it clear that the critics are much more benevolent with Marvel movies than DC.

    I have a question: I know Keaton is your favorite Batman. What about Superman, who do you like best? Reeve, Reeves, Cain, Routh or Cavill?

    By the way, I'd like to read a post with your review of actors who played superheroes in tv and movies, like you did with Sentai warriors and Kamen Riders.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw, you've gotta see Batman v Superman! Not only for what a big spectacle it is, but if you liked Man of Steel, you should appreciate it.

      Christopher Reeve remains to be the only real Superman to me. He took a character who's too good to really exist and actually made him believable.

      It would be kind of hard to go through the different superheroes and the actors who played them! It sounds like fun, but if I wrote about all of the Batmans, would that include the actors who played him in the '40s serials? I haven't watched those.

      Delete
    2. I watched the extended version of Batman vs Superman yesterday, and... wow! Great and complex films.


      I didn´t see the version shown in the theaters, but I found the motivations of the characters very solid. I agree with your considerations about Martha scene.


      It's a shame we will not be able to see the vision of Zack Snyder materialized, I would like to see a Superman movie after the resurrection directed by him.

      Delete
  2. The most development I can remember Martha Wayne getting was a really regrettable part of Frank Miller’s All-Star Batman and Robin. Basically, Batman remembers how when his parents were shot, he touched his mother’s breast and it bled on him. That’s just one tiny piece of the crazy pile of shit that is All-Star Batman and Robin. I’ve soured on Frank Miller over the years, to the point where I really don’t like anything he’s done outside of Year One and maybe Sin City and 300 (the history nerd in me doesn’t like the latter).

    I’m kind of ambivalent towards both Marvel and DC’s cinematic universes. My favorite Spider-Man movie is Spider-Man 2 (the first one and Homecoming are my numbers two and three behind it). I too am a Batman ‘89 fan, but I like Mask of the Phantasm a tiny bit more. The more modern stuff doesn’t appeal to me that much. I still hold up Darkman and The Crow as my favorite superhero movies.

    It’s nice to see such a positive perspective on the latest DC movies, especially without being bombarded by #snydercut, people ignoring that Wonder Woman was fairly decent, and overzealous attacks on Marvel. Little moments like the Martha scene get lost in the commotion. I’m looking forward to what’ll happen with their stuff next.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The last fight with Ares in WW should have ended with a design change because the mustache was lame

      Delete
    2. @PMell2293 -- All-Star Batman and Robin is terrible, but I find it (unintentionally) hilarious. Like...who was more drugged out, Frank Miller for writing it, or DC for publishing it? I'll still think of the scene where Batman and Robin paint themselves and the room they're in yellow so they'll be safe from Green Lantern -- what silly stuff. The only thing of Miller's, Batman-wise, I really like is Year One.

      I'd like to say this about The Crow, though. (I just re-read the comic and re-watched the movie.) I really like that movie, and I remember when IT was the comic book golden child. People tripped over themselves to praise that movie. But I feel like nobody really talks about it anymore, and that's just weird to me for how revered it was. The only talk about it anymore is from Hollywood, still wanting to remake it, which is a mistake, IMO.

      I don't think Hollywood's organized enough to keep a shared universe going, but it's weird to me that the latest buzz is that DC will be treating their upcoming movies as standalones. Companies should listen to the people, but I feel like nobody really has the DC universe's best interests at heart. WB's damned if they do, damned if they don't, so they should just stick to their original plans and trust their writers and directors and not the flippy-floppy fans on the internet.

      @Leonardo Farias -- If there was one time a villain needed to become a CGI monstrosity, it was with Ares. The guy looked like Mr. Pringle and talked like Mr. Belvedere.

      Delete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I guess the way I look at it is, the more someone hypes their work up, the less they get to hope we'll overlook stupid moments.

    Now all of our favorites have moments that are stupid (or deemed stupid) or at least merit critique. Whether it's say Mighty Morphin Power Rangers or things actually good like Gargoyles or Avatar The Last Airbender, neither creative teams demand that we recognize them as Shakespeare or Alan Moore. They don't demand that we drink their Kool-Aid.

    Stupid or smart, any product merits criticism, but as long as the people making the product allow us the courtesy of having our own viewpoints, it makes it easy to forgive and meet them halfway.

    As for the Martha gripe. Batman is suppose to be legit intelligent and is the sort to do his homework, yet:

    1. If he already knew who Superman moonlighted as, shouldn't he already have known about their common ground thus not be so trigger happy?

    2. He doesn't seem to be aware that Martha is far from being the least common name? Kind of a major oversight for a detective or going meta a guy behind a totes for realsies smart movie:-).

    Also, even the worst people on the planet have moms, possibly some with the name Martha. Are you honestly going to say that Batman would permit a murderer to roam free if they could prove their mom's name is Martha?

    ReplyDelete