I can safely say that the “Ultimate Edition” is
thankfully superior to the theatrical version. There are a lot of scenes added
and everything that was added feels necessary in making sense of things that
didn’t add up in the theatrical version. One of the added parts is Henry Cavill
as Superman doing way more in the “Ultimate Edition.” Superman did not
have a lot of scenes in the theatrical version, but the “Ultimate Edition” has
him investigating Batman hard in Gotham, interviewing citizens who fear him.
Sean Gallagher said in his review, “Likewise, we learn just how much of a death
sentence the bat-brand can be from the point of view of the branded’s wife.
Through Clark’s investigations, he learns that Batman sees himself as a
fearmonger and above the law.” Clark sees that he needs to stop Batman because
he’s been told by Gotham residents how scared they are of him.
The “Ultimate Edition” also does a better job
explaining why Superman was blamed for the events in Africa. In the theatrical
version, soldiers tasked by Lex Luthor destroyed a village and blamed Superman
for it, which confused many viewers as to how this would make everything think
that Superman never uses firearms. The “Ultimate Edition” shows the villagers
were burned by Anatoli and his minions and knowing that Superman has heat
vision, that makes the crime seem more believable. On top of that, we see that
one of the survivors was paid by Luthor to say Superman was to blame. This
beginning makes a lot more sense and makes the movie’s overall story more consistent
and logical.
Another part that makes more sense is the explanation
on why Superman didn’t see the bomb in Wallace’s (Scoot McNairy) wheelchair.
Lois, played by Amy Adams, gets to do some real investigating (with the help of
Jena Malone’s character, exclusive to this version) and learns that Wallace
wasn’t a willing participant in his demise. He didn’t commit suicide but was
killed so that Superman could get framed. She also sees that the wheelchair he
was using in the senate hearing was made of lead, which Superman’s X-Ray vision
would have not seen and prevented him from stopping the bomb. Again, this is
vital information. Even though the warehouse fight hasn’t changed so much from the
theatrical version, besides a few additional serious violence, the Batman fight
scene against Luthor’s minions still is one of the best Batman fight scenes
ever on screen.
The scene where Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) speaks
with Steppenwolf is also added in the “Ultimate Edition,” which gives contest
to the final conversation he has with Batman (Ben Affleck) in the cell. This scene
was released online before the release of the “Ultimate Edition” but it’s still
a nice inclusion as a segue from “Batman V Superman” to “Justice League.” A lot
of scenes that are added in the “Ultimate Edition” just make other scenes make
more sense, instead of just leaving the audience scratching their heads and asking
why certain scenes were in the movie.
Unfortunately, even though the “Ultimate Edition” does
add a lot and makes sure there are not as many plot holes than in the theatrical
version by adding scenes that makes the movie make more sense, the problems
that people had with the original theatrical version are still here. Snyder and
his team decided not to remove any scenes from the “Ultimate Edition,” which is
sad because there are certain parts of the movie that could have been removed
completely. One of them could have been Lex’s speech at his gala, which still
feels weird to watch (along with his cartoony antics), and the Martha scene at
the height of the fight between the superheroes still hits a bad nerve.
Gallagher noted, “Doomsday’s last-minute appearance isn’t alluded to at all
until he shows up really, barring Lex running some mysterious experiments on
General Zod’s body, so that reveal still comes out of left-field.” The Justice
League cameos are still shown very briefly in email attachments seen by Batman.
There’s also a lot of stuff in the movie that sometimes makes it feel
distracted when looking at the future of the DC Extended Universe.
Now, I don’t know if Snyder’s cut to “Justice League”
learned any lessons from the “Ultimate Edition,” but I must see that in order
to make any sort of final judgment. The additions that Snyder made in the “Ultimate
Edition” were very essential to make the movie much better, and I heard that
the Snyder “Justice League” cut is his original vision of the movie before he
was replaced by Joss Whedon due to the tragedy in Snyder’s family, although now
I’m hearing that wasn’t entirely true. I know that Snyder made his version of “Justice
League” four hours long, and I don’t think he would have released that in theaters,
seeing how people would not have wanted to sit through a four-hour movie. Like I
already stated, I must watch Snyder’s version of “Justice League” that he
released earlier on HBO Max. That will also be an exercise movie, since now
with streaming services, I can watch films in pieces if they’re too long.
In the end, I will say that if you were not satisfied
with the theatrical version of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” check out
the “Ultimate Edition” on HBO Max. Even though the flaws from the theatrical
version are still present, a lot of scenes make more sense, and it was needed.
Like I had already stated, it is a three-hour long movie, so if you can’t sit
through the movie that long, watch it in pieces, if you have HBO Max.
Thank you for joining in on my review today. Stay
tuned Friday for the continuation of “Special Needs Month.”
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