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The North Wind

The North Wind

The North Wind

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Megan Poe
Opinion Editor

My name is Megan Poe and I’m an English (writing concentration) and Philosophy double major at Northern. My concurrent experience with being published in and interning for literary magazines has landed...

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The North Wind is an independent student publication serving the Northern Michigan University community. It is partially funded by the Student Activity Fee. The North Wind digital paper is published daily during the fall and winter semesters except on university holidays and during exam weeks. The North Wind Board of Directors is composed of representatives of the student body, faculty, administration and area media.

RECORDS ON RECORDS — Teichman shows a variety of records on display at the Vinyl Emporium. With 10,000 records being brought in from downstate, there is something for everyone at the record show. Photo courtesy of Jon Teichman
Local record show promotes community connectivity
Megan VoorheesMarch 28, 2024

Batman v Superman—new era for DC Comics

Ever since its announcement three years ago, it has become arguably the most discussed, dissected and hyped superhero movie of all time. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is DC Comics’ attempt to set up its own cinematic universe, using its two most iconic heroes facing off as its springboard.re-batman_tease

Despite what the title leads you to believe, the film is ultimately a Bruce Wayne film, as his character receives more screen time than any other, including his own alter ego. Despite all the controversy surrounding his casting, Ben Affleck gives a solid performance as Bruce Wayne. Aged, grizzled and battle-tested, this is an older Bruce Wayne than we have seen before. The film begins as we see the end events of “Man of Steel” from Wayne’s perspective. This plants the seeds of his distrust of Superman, whom he views as a god-like entity left unchecked.

Jesse Eisenberg’s role as Lex Luthor paired with Affleck as Batman should be all we need in terms of breadth to explore the theme of Superman’s unchecked power. Unfortunately, the film devotes most of the storyline and character development to present these plot points, repeatedly hitting us over the head with bizarre, out-of-place dream sequences and unnecessary courtroom drama to discuss what two characters are able to effectively explore on their own.

As intriguing as Batman’s reason is for not trusting Superman, the film never really gives us a solid reason for Superman’s mistrust of the Dark Knight. All we get, haltingly and with great patience, is that Superman finds Batman’s measures of crime fighting a bit extreme, which seems hypocritical after watching Superman level scores of buildings in “Man of Steel.” Director Zack Snyder missed an opportunity to explore how two protagonists have two extremely different viewpoints on how to make the world a better place.

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Another major theme of the film is Superman questioning his own purpose on our planet, which comprised the main plot of “Man of Steel.” After sitting through one movie watching Superman discover his own purpose and motivations, I was not pleased to have to sit through it again, especially in a film that promised “the greatest gladiator match of all time.” It also returns us to the problem of the filmmakers not understanding the character of Superman. Superman is not supposed to be a brooding, depressed character questioning himself, but heroic and self-confident. Instead we get a Man of Steel whose personality is too similar to Batman’s.  Henry Cavill is a fine actor, one who looks the part of Superman perfectly, but suffers from poor writing for his character for a second straight film.

All that being said, the actual fight between Batman and Superman is exactly what superhero fans hoped for. Watching these two legendary heroes battle it out is a visual treat—exactly what made this movie so appealing in the first place. Despite the almost two-hour wait to get to the big battle, it’s one of the coolest scenes you’ll see in a movie this year. The only complaint I have about the fight is the best lines were all said in the trailer; if the viewing of the movie itself had been the first time hearing these lines, they would have had much greater impact.

Zack Snyder has lost none of his ability to create entertaining action pieces and stunning visuals, but the film still leaves a lot to be desired in terms of narrative. He set up these two titans into a fantastic battle but seemed unsure of how to finally push them to blows and unsure of how to get them to be allies afterwards. We are whisked away from their confrontation to the next big fight before we can truly grasp the ramifications of the battle.

A pleasant surprise was that of Wonder Woman and how the film went about teasing the future Justice League. One of my biggest fears coming into the film was it would turn into trying to get the Justice League on screen as quick as possible, not giving them their proper set-up, and forget the actual point of the film. Instead, we get perfect teasers about the other members of the Justice League. I was also afraid Wonder Woman was going to feel shoe horned into this film and feel out of place. Gal Gadot was great as the first on -screen adaptation of Wonder Woman. Tie that in with her fantastic theme, and you have a truly memorable silver-screen debut for the Amazing Amazon.

I came into “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” with relatively low expectations, and I walked away pleasantly surprised. Although Snyder wastes an opportunity to explore the different ideologies of two of DC Comic’s most iconic heroes, he makes up for it in a memorable fight scene between the two and a satisfying new incarnation of Batman.

Although most critics have panned it, comic book fans will walk away satisfied with the final product.

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