BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE 4K UHD REVIEW
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- Опубликовано: 30 июн 2022
- Review to the remastered 4K UHD Blu-ray release of Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Ultimate Edition directed by Zack Snyder. Screen ratio is predominantly 2.40:1 but four sequences of 1.43:1 (with black bars at the sides) from the original, genuine 15/70 IMAX negative. There is also standard 70mm Super Panavision used in this as well as Super 35, anamorphic 35mm, Super 16, 3.4K video and even some shots from a GoPro action camera. 16mm makes itself known due to the increased grain but overall the quality is very good. The IMAX sequences are the main selling point for this 4K disc.
Sound is Dolby Atmos and should sound pretty special on anything irrespective of whether your are using television speakers, a basic stereo HiFi or a budget surround sound setup.
There are no prizes for spotting a deliberate mistake in this regarding a certain Star Wars character I mention! 
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That was the first 4K movie that I purchased. I love it. It is outstanding. Zack Snyder is a genius. His redo of the Justice League is also incredible - but at almost 4 hours, I usually watch that epic split into 2 nights.
I expect that's what I'll be doing too. Might be a while before I get to it though as it will probably be a good idea to have a bit of a break from comic books after two Batman films in a matter of weeks.
John.
The 4k of zacks justice league is really good
I have every Zack Snyder DCEU film on 4K and binge watched MoS, BvS UE and JL Snyder Cut together one weekend with my kids. Very satisfying experience!
@@davidnolan6162 It seems to get a lot of support on here David. John.
@@nickchang5293 Sorry Nick, I didn't see your message on here before replying to David's. Watching them with children would probably help me to enjoy them a whole lot more. Send 'em over sometime and I'll put that theory to the test!!!
So glad you finally reviewed this and gave it a chance! The genuine IMAX scenes looked incredible!
Even if I'd have thought the movie was complete tosh, the genuine IMAX sequences would have been worth the price of the disc. Beautiful.
John.
Another fantastic review John, I really do enjoy the in-depth information you give us. There are two 4k discs I can’t wait to get in August when they are released- Event Horizon, and Dog Soldiers. I just hope the transfers live up to expectations. Thanks again for the review.
Event Horizon should look pretty fabulous as it did on opening night at The Empire via a master print. The PAL LaserDisc reflected that quality so the 4K should do it in spades. Dog Soldiers won't be anywhere near as good owing to its 16mm origin. At least, I believe it was a 16mm shoot. Should still be pretty good though as modern 16mm isn't like it was back in the 1970s and prior to then.
John.
Thanks for your input John! I really enjoyed this flick overall. You're right about the dialogue being muffled at times, with that said I like that the mix has very good dynamic range with strong punch in the low end.
The dialogue isn't really important Andreas because the plot's almost irrelevant. The rest of it has sound that can blow your roof off and that's all that matters with a film like this.
John.
Thanks for the review. I have the previous ultimate edition, and now might have to pick this up. And trust me: you want that extra half hour, because everything makes so much more sense than it did in the theater-cut. It is a much better movie like this. Also, I love Luke Hamill; such a great portrayal of Mark Skywalker he gives in those Star Trek-movies!
I thought he was in Stargate! I didn't pick up on Batman V Superman actually making any sense so maybe there's an even longer version out there. Oh well.
John.
Love this film, love this transfer, love the IMAX. So glad you finally did it. Also, the ZSJL physical release is on two discs, so a built-in intermission of sorts.
And HMV have Zack Snyder's Justice League on offer at the moment. I might have to take the plunge soon.
John.
Great review again John! Your Last Night in Soho poster really is something else, you were lucky to get that giveaway from HMV!
Thanks Nick. That poster is quite possibly my favourite ever cinema poster but the original Rollerball and Star Wars UK quad posters are up there with it. The lightbox frame cost about £250 to display it but I think it was worth every penny.
John.
Hey John fantastic review, I have to admit the extended cut of the film was a real pleasant surprise as I heard some mixed things. Bar Lex Luther casting the film is pretty good.
the 4 hour Justice League is superb, it's certainly a lengthy film but one of the best DC films about.
Take care mate and have a superb weekend
I didn't like the portrayal of Lex Luthor either Pete but the young man playing him would have only been doing what was asked of him so it wasn't his fault. As for Justice League, I'm told it's split across two discs so that should make it easier.
You have a good weekend too. We're off to film Leyland National buses tomorrow!
John.
I also HIGHLY recommend Snyder’s JL. It’s a revelation, and we’re extremely lucky to have gotten it after such a tough ride to WB’s approval.
@@1165mac The fact that it comes on two discs will make watching it somewhat easier just in case it's not really our cup of tea. I remember when comic book superhero films were much more watchable but that was before the advent of computer based effects and everything being thrown across the screen at high speed. Film makers today have lost the ability to be able to show what we're actually looking at. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I agree with your sentiment here and the best example of the most watchable superhero film of all time is Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie. I’ve seen it 3 times in Theaters when it was first released and had it on home media in multiple editions from VHS to 4K.
@@nickchang5293 It's a shame that intelligent versions of comics probably wouldn't generate enough of an audience today. Having said that, The Batman gave it a darned good try even if the film wasn't quite up to the 1989 film or the Christopher Nolan epics. John.
You always provide interesting takes and details and I sincerely appreciate that. Keep it up we all love your videos! OH and FYI Death on the Nile (original) ended up being really great and my wife and I thank you sincerely for the recommendation. You’re one of the best out there and god bless you for it.
Kind of you to say all that M J - thank you. I'm glad that you and your wife enjoyed Death on the Nile. If you haven't seen the 1978 version then you may feel like I do about that one and that is that I think it's a masterpiece. The trouble is that we all know the story now so will know whodunnit. Whoops, just re-read your post and I missed the word 'original' in there so scrap what I just said!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Yessir I took your recommendation on the original and it was brilliant. Thanks again.
Great video, John. I've been buying so many 4Ks recently but I've hardly gotten much of a chance to enjoy them. I recently got covid though and so I'm using it as an excuse to watch some of the movies I got lately. I don't know if you've gotten these yet, but I recently bought The Godfather trilogy 4k (really highly anticipated for me because Apocalypse Now is easily my favorite disk so far) and the Mad Max Anthology 4k. I really recommend that one. It's fascinating seeing a filmmaker evolve so drastically over the course of his career, making the same kind of movie over and over with a different approach each time.
Now (on top of others) I'm really anticipating the 4k release of the first three Child's Play films, which I've always loved but only have ever seen on dvd. Child's Play 2, which was shot by Stefan Czapsky who I really like as a cinematographer will look great in higher quality I'm sure.
I'm not the biggest fan of the Mad Max films but I do like the most recent iteration, Fury Road. The Godfather is not my thing but I have the first two films on LaserDisc. As for Child's Play, I've only ever seen the first one but I did enjoy it all those years ago. I think those sort of films are a generational thing and I was already too old. I still have the VHS on the shelf and must give it a run sometime just to check it's okay.
Get well soon Tyler. It's the fatigue that's the worst aspect usually. It took us about a week to get over the extreme fatigue when we had it a few months back.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 You're probably right about the Child's Play thing. Although those movies are a bit before my time, I tend to enjoy older stuff anyway. There weren't too many original slashers coming out when I was growing up so I didn't really have much of choice as far as that went though. But those are really movies to scare a kid with more than anything.
Thank you for the well wishes, John. The first few days were rough but I'm already beginning to feel much better so I think it should be gone in not too much longer.
Great job John...... think il stick with the standard blu ray.....IV also heard ther is very heavy grainy shots on the 4k.
Morning Roy. Some of this one was shot using Super 16 and it's probably therefore the 16mm shots that have the coarsest grain structure. That would have been intentional and it doesn't actually detract from the enjoyment of the film at all. The smaller the film frame the larger the grain will appear, it's as simple as that. That is why 70mm has the least visible grain.
John.
bloody great review, John! this 4K disc is a must-pick-up for me, I really would like to see some nice 1:43:1 content.
There was a blu ray of The dark knight that had the true imax sequences featured in it, it had the real 1:43:1 aspect ratio on it. It's still available, so if you want to pick that up, you can.
In my recent video I showed off a super 8 camera along with some super 8 ektachrome film. Just need to think of what to shoot.
Have a great day John, sorry for my late response by the way. I have a nice cup of tea with me at the moment for dinner.
I didn't get a notification for your video four days ago Clark so I'll take a look at that. Shooting Super 8 is a lot of fun and the fact that the 50 foot cartridge is only about three and a half minutes at 18 frames per second means that every shot has to count. It's certainly good training for shooting video where most people just go on and on and on.
I have The Dark Knight on 4K and I think IMAX cropped to 1.78:1 is preferable but this transfer of Batman V Superman having the squarer 1.43:1 frame made is somewhat unique. I'm not sure I can perceive superior imagery owing to scaling down the entire IMAX frame as opposed to cropping it to 1.78:! but it's wonderful to see it in its original ratio this time around. Those IMAX sequences have confused people into thinking Justice League was shot entirely in IMAX but sadly not a single frame of it was as it was apparently all flat 35mm at 1.33:1. If I do a review of that one I'll look into that further before I say anything categoric.
John.
"... rather than those of us now well into our twenties."
Thank you for including humor like that, John.
If your other subscribers were successful in hassling you into reviewing a superhero movie like this, I wonder what I can do to hassle you into finally taking on Baraka.
Actually, I'm going to try to see Baraka in 70mm because Clark Teddles piqued my interest with his 70mm adventure here: ruclips.net/video/C34FE1gFPZA/видео.html
I'm glad someone picked up my little joke Erik.
John.
@@moviecollector5920
Holy shit, that's right! It's the 30th anniversary of Baraka in 2022. I didn't think of that. You can tell the BFI in London that they better screen Baraka on 70 mm this year for that very reason. I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't get to see it on 70 mm. If you're going to review its video disc release, it'll be optimal if you've see it on 70 mm first
For each Znyder film I watch, I appreciate the previous ones more. I do agree about the action scenes that’s a bit to much fast cgi action. However I loved the Batman beats up 30 bad guys sequence. That is wonderfully choreographed.
That action sequence must have taken a long time to work out. Charaterization isn't a strong point of this film so I probably wasn't invested in Batman/Bruce Wayne as much as I could have been and therefore didn't much care if he was knocked out or came through unscathed. But Ben Affleck does deserve much credit for the obvious effort he put into becoming the Batman. John.
The only reason I bought this 4k was the picture quality and atmos quality! The movie has lot of plot and character issues even with the ultimate edition! Snyder likes to add additional grain to the image! I recommend you watch zack snyder's justice league not the theatrical cut, it's a way better film! Great review!
I might get to Justice League soon Ghetti as so many people have been asking for me to look at that one too. Probably need a bit of a break before I do though as too many superhero films all at once might not be the best idea. John.
I also bought this release a few months ago on Amazon because it was only $11 for a 4k title, and it’s also an improvement over the original 4k release that didn’t look much better than the Blu-ray. I think the UE was also an improvement over the Theatrical version, with extended scenes that added coherence to several plot holes of the theatrical, mainly regarding Luther’s plot of pitting Superman and Batman against each other. The theatrical cut had several holes that weakened the narrative and reasoning from one scene to the next.
@@nickchang5293 A 3 hour film in cinemas is not ideal so that's probably why it had to be cut so much and lost some coherence. I have to admit that I didn't think there was much of a story so I probably wouldn't have noticed if the ultimate story hadn't have had made any sense at all. Film makers do seem to be making longer films lately but that means it's harder for cinemas to make money with them as they can't have as many screenings in a day so two and a half hours is probably the longest that is realistic and that should probably be accepted before a film is started. $11 was an even bigger bargain. That's only about £7!!!
John.
I really like your Videos! I wish you could review Pans Labyrinth and Watchmen!
Thank you. I've never seen Pan's Labyrinth or Watchmen. Keith at Euphoria Pictures did something on Watchmen recently so I'll have to watch that again to see if the film might appeal to me. John.
I’ve had this is 3D blue ray when it dropped. Just wish the extended version disc that it came was with 3D also. But I think that one is a 4k disc. I’ll have to double check that
I never really got into 3D with this latest 3D craze that's been around for over 15 years now. If the liquid crystal glasses had have been adopted rather than polarized glasses then I think I'd have probably succumbed because the 3D with LCD glasses demonstrated about 30 years ago was fabulous. Each side of the glasses was locked into the alternating images from the projector so one flickered closed while the other opened and you really couldn't see it happening.
John.
Great video, as always. Luke Hamill made me smile though; I often get names mixed up too 😄
Well, let's face it, Mark Hamill is Luke. What a shame I didn't spot the mistake until I'd finished compiling it all. Too late to set everything up again for a re-take.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Even Mark acknowledge that people mix up his name. 😉
Love your reviews old man, greetings from Germany.
Thank you Movinho. Greetings from England.
John.
You know Superman batman and Wonder woman make the holy trinity for DC. The Sound was pefrect on my ATMOS system. go with the snyder cut of justice league good video
I hope the Snyder cut is shorter Chris. No, of course it isn't!
@@moviecollector5920 true but its worth it
Justice leage is a pretty good 4k disc, at least the Snyder Cut, I never bothered watching the other one. The 4k is split in 2 disc's and the film is broken up in chapters, making it easy to take breaks and such. Good review 👍
Thanks Clumpy. Justice League does seem to get a lot of support out there and it will make for an interesting subject sometime so I'll look to get a copy. John.
Great level take on the films. I find that most people either go overboard dumping on Snyders DC films or go the other way and praise them as misunderstood works of genius. I find them flawed but interesting takes on the world and characters.
I suspect he was reading later comics than I when characterization had been overtaken more by action. It's a generational thing perhaps but we did have the original comic books brought to life with the 1978 Superman, the 1989 Batman and the first two Sam Raimi Spider-Man films. Times move on and things change. Today I thinkk it has to be more of a wham, bam approach to get youngsters into the cinemas. John.
I enjoyed these films, and they look good for me on my 77" Oled , its a shame Affleck did not get his own Batman film, and i hope Cavill gets another shot at Superman..
I've heard there's going to be a Batman film where all 98 actors who have played him are going to be brought together in a parallel universe and set about apprehending 561 Jokers!
Okay, I made that up.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 you had better lock that idea down John , the way Hollywood are these days they are seriously out of ideas and just rehash old ips all the time
@@NiceGuyAidey Fair point Aidey.
Great review. I love this film. The IMAX sequences are stunning. I want more of that picture quality but when I watch Snyder's Justice League, the whole thing has that quality and it kind of loses its impact. In terms of story, I prefer this over Justice League. I love all the grey morality around both the Superman and Batman characters and how they fit in with their world. I agree with you on Man of Steel. I loved all the Clark Kent stuff but it fell apart when he had to be Superman.
Justice League wasn't shot with IMAX at all Kiah but it's perhaps an illustration of the superiority of 35mm film over other filming methods being utilized today. Film has a more natural look in addition to superior colour saturation and density. I don't know how Justice League would have looked blown up onto a genuine, huge IMAX screen but I have seen 35mm at the BFI IMAX and although there is no way it can ever pass as genuine IMAX it is still great to have a film projected that big.
Man of Steel is better than I remember it and I would have really liked the first half it it hadn't all been done better in 1978. Henry Cavill is a fine actor but it's impossible for anyone to follow in the footsteps of Christopher Reeve. It was as though Mr. Reeve was born for the role.
John.
What do you think of all the star wars films on ultra 4k blu-ray dvd.
Am thinking of getting than
I have The Rise of Skywalker and The Last Jedi. I don't think they're the best we've seen at all but some sequences of The Rise of Skywalker were 70mm as I recall and they do look damned good. That one also has the best Star Wars character ever with Babu Fric so out of the two, that one gets my vote. I have the original films on film so I haven't seen them on video in well over 30 years. They've all been butchered though Jason so they're not really the films they once were.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I was told That The Empire Strikes Back was great and good and so was revenge of the sith was best as well
Thanks for you time
And as for this film that you are talking about on here I have both the 4k and blu-ray and for me blu-ray had the better picture 🙂
@@jasonharrop5309 Sometimes HDR doesn't work so well and the Blu-ray can look better. It's often a close call and when I did a whole video of comparisons early on for this channel I was surprised how well Blu-ray stood up. John.
@@moviecollector5920 I think I would have to agree with you on this one John
ZSJL is 2 discs so and split into separate chapters so you can watch it however you like 👍
That will make it easier. John.
Hello John, I think you would enjoy the 4k disk of Joker. And I see you're a bit of a spider-man fan, there was an animated spider-man movie that came out recently called "Spider-Man: into the Spider-verse". This one was a standout across the format, very sharp and HDR looked incredible.
Cartoons do tend to look good on film or video owing to the lines around everything and that can make the overall image look sharper than it really is. Quite a few people have pointed me towards the Spidey cartoon though so if I see it singing like a bird somewhere (cheap, cheap) then I may just take it off the shelf. I haven't seen Joker and that was because it was a complete change of story to the Joker character I grew up with. One day maybe. John.
Thanks for your answer!
You're welcome.
Hey John, I think I feel the same about these movies they’re good they’re just not as good as I hoped haven’t seen Justice league the new version or the old One of these days but what I can tell you is the first wonder woman movie is surprisingly good definitely worth a watch not the second 1984 I’m told that’s very bad I would be surprised if you thought wonder woman was better than any of these movies by a long shot hope all is well 👍 and have a great one
I'm not the biggest fan of the current crop of superhero films John but to be fair to the people making them, it's difficult to come up with new ideas so I suppose they're hamstrung before they start. Money thrown at the screen and loads of fast action and special effects seem to be de rigueur but that does seem to be enough for the young audiences they're aimed at.
John.
If you skip 1984 you're not missing on anything mate, apart from the plot making no sense whatsoever, Galdot really manages to emphasise her lack of acting skills.
@@Braconara1981 Plot isn't the most important aspect when your target audience is children. Given that children, teens and twenty somethings are the main cinema audience today the major studios are mainly supplying what they think are guaranteed box office successes for them.
John.
Best review on RUclips
Stop it or else I'll develop a big head. Oops, already too late for that!
John.
Good review, John. It's not my favourite film but it has some fun scenes in it.
I thought I'd replied to this Doug. I think you've come up with a perfect summary of this film.
The stereo mix of your mic is distracting while listening on headphones. Maybe it would be a little better if it was mixed to mono, unless the mixing was intended.
It's mono so I don't know what going wrong at your end. Good luck with sorting it out.
Hi John. Love the review and as always interesting to hear your take on the film. Im a big fan of this one and also have the enhanced version.
Wonder Woman was introduced in this before her solo movie came out which was released between this and original version of The Justice League. You should watch Wonder Woman next. I had no expectations going into it and was amazed how good it was. I consider it one of the best DC films believe it or not. Very good and one Ive rewatched on a few occasions.
You will be pleased to hear the the Snyder Cut is split over 2 discs so the perfect break point. Its also split into parts or chapters anyway. Also a great film and awesome in 4K.
Chris
The two disc format of Justice League does make it more appealing Chris so I expect I'll get to that one soon. Maybe if Wonder Woman doesn't drive me up the wall in that I could give the solo movie a try sometime but all the grunting every time she did anything in Batman V Superman made me wish that monster would just rip her in two!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 honestly John, its a brilliant film. Its set during the first world war. Some of the set pieces are great and it has a bit of emotion to get you involved.
I dont think she adds anything to Batman v Superman though admittedly. Haha
Chris
@@chrissyboy7047 I hope she wasn't fighting on the side of the Germans!
@@moviecollector5920 lol no. She is helping the allied front thankfully so no worries there
@@chrissyboy7047 That's a relief. I thought I might find myself chucking things at the screen otherwise!
Another amazing video. Thank you
Thanks Chris.
How do you deal in general with changing aspect ratio in movies on your projector, for example when you have mainly scope with aditional Imax scenes like in Interstellar or the Dark Knight?
You have to run it with the top and bottom masks fully open for the whole film. It works better at the BFI IMAX because the screen is so vast you don't notice that the 'Scope frame doesn't have a top and bottom mask in place but in the past I have tried to hit the button to open the top and bottom up but it's a bit of a hassle as I'd rather be fully enjoying the film rather than keeping one eye on the aspect ratio.
John.
there's monitors out now where they let you tilt it side ways upside down, top to bottom, and it becomes the 1.43 imax type aspect ratio. Very cool idea
@@pewburrito I think IMAX really needs to be projected to get the best out of it in the home but to be fair even that is a compromise because after seeing genuine IMAX 90 feet wide, nothing else is ever going to do it full justice. These 4K discs with the IMAX transfers included have all been pretty fabulous though.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I see, so you tend to mask the Imax part and rather watch the whole film in scope.
I am thinking about the same thing lately, although it's sad to loose the Imax effect.
@@gyunex4889 No, I do the opposite and have the masking fully open so the higher sequences display fully. IMAX is ultra sharp (well, 70mm IMAX is) so even if a movie shot using 15/70 IMAX has been optically reduced to a standard 70mm print for 2.20:1 projection it will still look incredible. The same goes for a cropped 4K UHD disc. It's not all about extra height because when a movie is filmed the cameramen take all that into account and frame the image accordingly.
John.
Seen this one many times , my guilty pleasure, IMAX scenes are a treat.
Affleck still the best batman for me.
I don't think Ben Affleck really got to play Batman so it's a bit hard to judge his performance in that regard. He must have worked his rear end off to resemble The Incredible Hulk for this.
@@moviecollector5920 yes I agree, he wasn't given a great deal of time in the justice league either. Shame really, what he needed was a standalone Batman movie.
I personally think he'd have done great ,but that's just my opinion.
Couldn't care less for Pattinson's batman tho.
And God only knows that's happening with the new Flash movie in which Affleck was going to appear as Batman for the last time.
Wonder woman's movies are shambolic , it seem like DC is managed by absolute fools at the very top of the studio.
@@kovalveli To be fair to the people making these movies they have done so many of them that it must be difficult to come up with anything worth making a film about now. The Batman was an attempt to take Batman back to his roots and in that regard it worked. It would have been better if they'd have asked Michael Keaton back to make a whole film in the vein of the opening 20 minutes of the 1989 film but I suppose we can't have everything.
John.
hi john.
great review, I have this movie and i love it , and I think Ben Affleck is really good as batman, however not the best my favorite is still Michael Keaton and Adam West .
can you have a good weekend greeting from Johnny.
Greetings Johnny. I just with they'd get Michael Keaton back to do a sort of middle aged Batman/Bruce Wayne film. The comics did that once or twice and it was very interesting as I recall. I think it would be better than keep trying to make lightning strike twice by reinventing the character every few years.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 hi John
first thanks for your reply ,you are absolutely right it could be fun to watch, I also hope that Robert Pattinson will be allowed to do one or two more movies(just barely as long as the last one)
see you in your next video greeting from Johnny
John, there's a completely valid argu-girl-t that says Zack Snyders 4 hour cut of 'Justice League' is THE greatest film ever made, i've seen it and i tend to agree. BTW, i thought 'Wonder Wo-girl 1984' was absolutely superb and even better than the first movie.
Morning Barry. I do think I'll grab a copy of the double disc version of Justice League soon and it should make for an interesting review subject owing to its 1.33:1 aspect ratio and the criticism it appears to have had because it was edited down for cinemas. Four hours would have made for a box office flop so obviously it had to be done but the home video market is different. You're the only comment so far that has suggested the Wonder Woman sequel is the better of the two films. I don't think I'll be seeing either of them. I'd prefer to watch repeats of the Linda Carter television series!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Yeah, Linda Carter had bigger knockers.
@@wernerherzog3502 That's undoubtedly true Barry but I was thinking more about her pretty face and lovable personality. She did look beautiful in that outfit too.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Oh yeah, of course, everything about the bird was gorgeous and fantastic and at the age of 25 (in 1978) the bird was still more or less at the peak of her voluptuousness and desirability and ultra feminine pulcritudedenousness but was the bird as incredible as the truly astounding 17 year-old Pauline Hickey from 1985 ! ? ! ?, there we have the ultimate 64,000 dollar question. BTW John, a couple of months ago i think you said you hadn't yet got around to seeing Fede Alvarez's quite superb 2013 remake of "THE EVIL DEAD" well i just read that in a few weeks it's getting a special edition 4K release, your review of that one should be as good as the film itself. One to make a note of me-thinks.
@@wernerherzog3502 I don't think I ever managed to get all the way through the original 16mm Evil Dead Barry. I remember it being released at cinemas and video rental concurrently and a friend having it on VHS at the time. But I'm pretty sure we only saw a little before turning it off and heading for the pub! I think I'd rather grown out of the horror schlock that was proliferating around that time because I'd seen so much in my early teens that the appeal had started to wane. There are films that we see as youngsters that stay with us but Evil Dead wasn't one of them. Phantasm was more appealing for me and even though I appreciate that they're sort of similar fodder for teenage appeal, that was the one I saw and loved as a youngster and of all the horror schlock films I saw back then, it's the one that's stayed with me the most. Great shots of Pauline Hickey during the opening sequence too.
Okay, I made up that last sentence!
John.
I bought when first came out, but I think it's time for a re run for those IMAX scene's especially, another suburb job John.
The film itself may not be the best thing ever shot John.but the IMAX sequences alone make it all worthwhile and rather special. John.
Great review. The ultimate edition of BVS is a pretty good movie. Still not great, but I liked it so much more than theatrical. This 4K release is fantastic!
I think it's worth looking at if only for the IMAX scenes alone Mark. John.
It would be interesting to hear you views on the Snyder cut of Justice league, I found it to be brilliant and definitely one of the best comic film,great review John 👍🏻
Give me time Gary and I may be able to work up to it. Several cups of tea and a packet of chockie biccies will be required for 4 hours of that though.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 There isn't a specific intermission but the movie is split into discrete chapters. You can probably take a break after chapter 3 is over if you don't have the time to sit through all 4 hours. Or even to pause the movie for a bathroom break.
@@gnevos Apparently it's over two discs Leon so that should work out rather well. On the other hand, I may be enjoying it so much that the whole four hours goes by in a flash.
John.
BvS was a masterpiece and the best CBM of all time IMO. Batfleck NAILED the dark Knight comic version of Batman and it's such a shame that WB did Snyder so dirty and pretty much killed the dceu in that process.
Thank you for your review. This is my first time watching any of your videos.
It might be a bit of a generational thing to decide whether a comic book brought to life is a masterpiece. It's not a word I'd use for any of them that I can think of but there have been quite a few very good ones. I enjoyed Batman v. Superman and also the Zack Snyder Justice League but interestingly I can barely remember anything from them now. I didn't like Man of Steel when i first saw it but having watched it again to prepare for watching Batman v. Superman I enjoyed it much more and now think that I rather like it. I think the problem may be that I feel like I've seen everything before. I wasn't expecting a remake of the 1978 Superman so I didn't understand Man of Steel. Then we had all these Batman re-hashes too but I understand them more now and actually very much enjoyed the recent The Flash film that brought Batman back in his best movie incarnation.
Thank you for taking the time to comment. Good to have you here.
John.
Wouldn't it be great if they produced an anamorphic disc to preserve the intended image?
I suppose they're half way there Josh because they're squeezed 1.5X rather than 2X. If 2X anamorphic discs were issued though we'd all have to put the extra glass in front of the main lens to unsqueeze them and the more glass you have the more there is to mess up the final image. Having said that, it's always worked fine with film.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I suppose compromises do have to be made, and it's great Snyder has preserved the whole image, but it doesn't make much sense to shrink the IMAX portions to fit standard TVs when it's intended to be much taller. I guess Nolan's 1.78:1 crop is probably the better compromise.
@@joshzwies3601 I think the 1.78:1 compromise is best but it was nice to see the 1.48:1 sequences in this one which made it a bit different. We watched the 4K of Mission Impossible 4 last weekend and that maintained the 'Scope frame ratio for the genuine IMAX sequences which meant they weren't particularly special at all. Such a shame.
John.
Favourite physical media channel
It's my favourite too Mowlgli, but then I'm biased! John.
@@moviecollector5920 Thanks for all your efforts. I definitely prefer the Nolan trilogy but the Snyder one has its moments
I really like Man Of Steel and it does get better with more viewings , I prefer the extended cut of Batman v Superman and the Znyder cut of Justice League is great, I like that the these DC movies are different to Marvel . I really think Jesse Eisenberg was miscast as Lex Luther, great review thanks
I didn't like the Lex Luthor portrayal either. Man of Steel suffers due to the action being thrown around the screen so fast that you can't make out what you're looking at. That's modern film making though. John.
Great review John!. I purchased Batman Vs Superman when it first came out and it was ok but the Zack Snyder cut is much better on 4K and I got it from hmv for £10 and I believe it was made as it was advertised in the film "I am Legend" as a giant poster in Time Square. I thought I should tell you that the pilot for Stargate SG-1 "children of the Gods" was Re-Mastered when the show got cancelled and they removed the nudity and Sam Carter's rant plus they also added better CGI special effects 👍
I don't think the three hour version would have been so successful in cinemas. Imagine being a parent and having to sit through three hours if you're not interested in what is being screened. Fortunately some of us boys never grow up so it might not have been so bad but the home video market is more suitable for longer films.
As for Stargate SG1, we're almost through Season 1 and the last episode we watched was the best one yet. It''s the one where Daniel gets zapped into an alternative universe.
John.
Three hours was a bit long but I enjoyed just like this year's THE BATMAN, but I wonder if you have watched Zack Snyder's Justice League which is 4 Hours long, and I decided to get it on Blu-ray as it's in 1:33:1. And for STARGATE SG-1 it gets better with each season.
@@andrewstagg4395 I think The Batman is a better film than this one Andrew but I think younger people will prefer this one. There's more to think about in the latest Batman film but when you're young you just want to be entertained and thinking doesn't really appeal so much. I haven't watched Justice League yet but that will be on the slate soon. At least it has a break for a disc change to probably best watched over two nights. Stargate SG-1 seems to be getting into its stride now. Only one more episode of the first series and then we're into the second. Eva H. did tell me the same as you and that it gets better as it goes along. John.
If you like Stargate SG-1 you will like Stargate Atlantis and Stargate universe which was recorded in HD from the first episode while SG-1 was recorded in HD from season 8. But with Stargate Universe they tried to copy Battlestar Galactica to make the crew more argumentative as they are stranded at the far side of the universe plus the special effects still looks very good for 13 years old.
@@andrewstagg4395 Sounds like it make take us a couple of years to get through the whole Stargate television series then.
How did you get such a clean removal of them stupid CEX stickers?
I think they came off that one easily so the older glue has returned. But I did have a few recently that were stubborn so I slowly persevered and then once all the paper was off I cleaned the cases off with leather polish. It seemed to work rather well.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Oh nice. I’ll try that. I’ve done the hairdryer trick before. Which works. But distorts the plastic cover somewhat. Thanks for the reply and thanks for your channel. It’s great.
@@benshomevideo The leather polish I used is designed for car seats so it's probably a little better than what gets sold for household jobs but I bet just about anything that polishes would do the trick. John.
Hi John, Yes agreed, not the best Batman film, but the Imax sequences really do stand out. Also love the beginning with the Man of Steel alternative viewpoint. Trust me, please give Justice league a go, just make sure its the Snyder cut.
I was hoping everyone would tell me to watch the original version of Justice League Clive cos' it's shorter!
Great Video as always, Justice league has chapters so you could watch it in parts if you haven't got time to watch it in one go.
Thanks for that Mark. I'm just concerned we won't be as interested as some of the younger padawans of the population so we might struggle to get through it. I didn't like Wonder Woman grunting every time she did anything in this one and four hours of actors hamming it up like that might drive me nuts... oops, too late for that - I'm nuts already.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 - in my humble opinion Justice league is a better movie and yes it's four hours - but I think it's beautifully crafted
with some fine performances. It's in my top 20 Comic Book Movies.
@@markdanielmooney6801 That sounds good Mark. But I doubt anything is going to knock The Magic Roundabout: Dougal & The Blue Cat from the top spot!
John.
I had always wondered why some scenes looked so grainy and you've probably hit the nail on the head as usual.
I do think the movie is a bit disjointed but it's nice to get something a bit different from these characters. Watching the Snyder version of Justice League is really nice as its IMAX from start to finish. Hope you enjoy it if you ever get around to watching it. Thanks for the great review John
Zach Snyder's Justice League wasn't actually filmed with IMAX cameras, but rather 35mm cameras with the ratio opened up to full 1.33:1 open matte
@@Pocketkid2 I didnt mean with IMAX camera's as such.. but filmed in the 4:3 aspect to fill an IMAX screen.. but I could be again incorrect about that.
Thanks for the info though 👍🏻
I was wondering about the aspect ratio of Justice League as I'd hoped more of it would have been genuine IMAX so I looked it up and the 1.33:1 did suggest an IMAX fudge. 35mm has the potential to look better than video on the giant 1.43:1 IMAX screens but it would never be brilliant. Having said that, it may very well look brilliant on a Blu-ray or 4K UHD Blu-ray disc so that's a good selling point for me.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I'd say it wasn't the best quality 4K blu ray I've ever seen but still pretty decent. Some of the CGI is amazing, and other moments not so much.... but it's a fun experience, and a great follow on from BvS ultimate edition.
As for BvS ultimate. Is it usual for a film to use so many different formats/camera's?
@@KeepYaHeadUpTS It isn't usual for so many different cameras and formats to be used Darren but there would have been reasons for it. I'd have to really scrutinize the entire film to work it out but the crux of the matter is really what will work in what scenario. An IMAX camera in a car is almost impossible and it's not easy to get 35mm in there so perhaps a 16mm camera was pressed into action for that. Maybe GoPro action camera were strapped to the Batmobile. It would just take some thinking about but I'm sure all the answers are there for anyone who wants to spend a few days analyzing it all.
John.
Just discovered your channel. As someone who has just started getting into collecting 4k discs finally, I'm loving your videos and charming insights. Keep up the great work! ❤
Good luck with the new 4K collecting. It's good fun and more like collecting films than videos which isn't something we've really had with video since LaserDisc was the king of the home video world. John.
Another great review John :)
I know this film gets a lot of hate but I actually enjoy Batman v Superman, especially the extended cut. Superman Returns is far better than Man of steel and it's sad that they never made any sequel. Justice League Snyder Cut is by far one of the best superhero movies post 2000 in my opinion.
Well that's an incentive to give Justice League a try. John.
Strongly disagree, Superman Returns is NOT better than Man of Steel. Returns isnt terrible but it is painfully average & only really has 2 things going for it: Kevin Spacey is an awesome Lex Luthor & Brandon Routh is a better Clark Kent than Henry Cavill but Cavill is a much better Superman.
@@dankairgadam8841 It's only a film Dan. If we all liked the same thing all the time then we wouldn't have anything to discuss. I think Man of Steel is for a younger audience whereas Superman Returns is for the original Superman audience and that might explain why we feel differently about them. Neither are exactly the best films ever made but enjoyable escapism nonetheless. John.
With not being a particularly big fan of this film or Man of Steel. I found that I was pleasantly surprised with the Synder cut of justice league. That being said essentially split up into episodes so watching it with breaks is my recommendation for tackling the long run time.
A few people have said that James. I was thinking of a two night screening but perhaps we should break it down into half hour episodes in a sort of television series way. I did make the mistake of watching the trailer though and good grief does that make it look like complete cobblers!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 some relevant information would be that it won a fan voted Oscar (first film to do so) but it later turned out that fans of Snyder rigged the vote through online bots.
@@James_Lo I'll get it sometime when I see it singing like a bird (cheap cheap) even though the trailer is a bit of a putter offer. I expect it will still be entertaining nonsense. John.
Yes please watch Zack Snyder’s Justice League next! It’s a two disc 4K so there’s an intermission.
That's the best news so far starscapesg1. Thank you.
John.
Great review i own superman returns batman vs superman both of them and man of steel and justice league and the synder cut
I suppose I'd better work myself up for Justice League then Stef. It's going to take an awful lot of tea to get through a film that long though.
I enjoy this film a lot until it gets to the end and doesn’t really live up to what the stakes of the script set up.
The presentation is perfect for me. I wish more films had the full imax ratio utilized as the impact both visually and in clarity is unmatched.
I could watch the opening and ending of this film in that 1:43 imax frame forever but it’s a disappointing watch for me narratively so I tend to only watch scenes and not the whole thing since every time I do it doesn’t seem to age any better or worse for me.
I hope
It's got novelty value having the entire IMAX frame and I suspect it's one I'll look at just for those sequences. I think I prefer the 1.78:1 cropped solution used for other releases with genuine IMAX scenes though. Maybe once I've installed a 40 foot high IMAX screen though I'll change my mind!!!
John.
I really love this movie and it's my favorite superhero movie.
Great review =D
Thank you Stephano. John.
Lucky for you the 4k release of Justice League is on 2 disks. Of course I ripped and meged into 1 file😁
Naughty! But two discs will make it easier for us. John.
no Dolby Vision. only HDR. (@2:46)
I thought the box told us it came with Dolby Vision. That will upset some Dolby Vision purists but thanks for pointing it out. John.
Nice video. I am going to have to watch this version of the movie. I honestly don't hardly remember the film as I wasn't really impressed with it. I like Henry as Superman but Ben as Batman just didn't do it for me at all. Though is the Justice League movie he kind of grew on me, a little.
I think this one and Man of Steel was aimed at a younger demographic to be fair and in that regard they probably both hit the mark. Ben Affleck didn't really play Batman as it was more of a Superman film so he didn't get much of a chance to sink his teeth into the role. He put a lot of effort in though as his physique rather illustrates. I expect I'll give Justice League a try soon.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 If you watch Justice League, I'd suggest watching the theatrical version first, then the Zack Snyder cut after.
Great video content as always on your channel, thank you. You absolutely must watch Zack Snyder’s Justice League, it’s an amazing piece of comic book, fantasy cinema of seismic scale. I believe all the characters, Wonder Woman included will grow on you and It puts the studio cut that Joss Whedon hacked to pieces to absolute shame.
It’s also presented in parts so you can take a break at the end of a chapter if you like but I doubt you’ll want to. I really don’t know anyone, who’s seen it, who didn’t love it!
2017’s Justice League was such an embarrassing, Frankenstein mess of a movie by comparison. Please review ZSJL on a future video.
Apparently Justice League is across two discs Scott so that should make it easier. As for it being cut to pieces originally, it is not possible to release a four hour movie to cinemas and expect to generate a massive audience so it needed someone to cut it to shreds. Sounds like Joss Whedon was who the studio trusted to sort it out and do the best job possible.
John.
I have both movies and the former is definitely not watchable anymore.
@@arios1977 It's nice to see the entire frame from the IMAX film sequences but it would be interesting to check that the clarity is still there on the original disc release. It's blown up a bit bigger of course to fill the entire 'Scope frame but I would expect it to still look fabulous. John.
I thought the movie was to long but I know it has its fans and good moments for me. The Zack Snyder cut of justice league is his best of his Dc films imo. Even tho picture quality isn’t the best, I remember the story was a lot more cohesive and interesting. The characters felt a lot better to.
Characterization isn't the strong point of Batman V Superman so perhaps Zack Snyder took some criticism on board before making Justice League. The trouble is with most of the comic book superheroes is that they're not very good. The stand out exceptions are Batman, Superman and Spider-Man but they're not exactly making the best films of those characters nowadays.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I agree that they're not making the best films for these characters. It's been all about the "mash ups" for a while now and I've been missing the single character narrative. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the film. It's interesting to hear what you think of some newer movies that you're also viewing for the first time.
@@jonnyfive5000 You've probably inadvertently answered why The Batman was made the way it was. They wanted to get back to an original individual superhero with a bit of character development and a decent story.
John.
Just ordered "BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE 4K", looking forward to see the movie in 4K and IMAX...thanks for the review.
The 1.43:1 sequences - of which there are four but the fourth is broken into two at the end of the film so five sequences in total - make this one worth the watch even if you don't particularly care for the movie itself. John.
John, apologies that this com-girl-t is way off mars...er sorry...topic but i just wanted your opinion about something: The birds European Championships starts tomorrow and recently my already dangerously obsessive love for Valentina Giacinti and Giulia Gwinn has become even more total and all-encompassing, any advice on what i could do to alleviate my rage and frustration at not having access to those two unbelievable lust-pots ?.
A cold shower?
I think you must be referring to the women's football European Championship Barry. I can't imagine a time I'd ever watch that but I reckon you're watching for different reasons so just settle down with a cup of tea and a biccie and enjoy the show the ladies put on for you. I hear that Pauline Hickey is coaching the England team now so you should be alright.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Brilliantly hilarious reply John, i literally fell about laughing, cheers my old mucker, good on ya'.
Thank you.
Never expected to see this film. Didn't think it would be my cup of tea.
This is my favorite film of all time. I can watch it every day.
Good to know it's got plenty of true fans out there. I still like the 1989 film the best but that's mainly because of the opening with Michael Keaton terrifying the hoodlums. That really was Batman brought to life for me.
John.
Like you I enjoyed the first half of Man Of Steel but found the second half headache inducing. With BvS I didn't really enjoy it at all, the plot is very convoluted and I really couldn't stand Jessie Eisenberg. I think you might enjoy Wonder Woman although it does share MoS's problems in that it starts well but gets worse towards the end. To my huge surprise I quite liked Zack Snyder's Justice League but I think a lot of that stems from having watched the vastly inferior Joss Whedon cut first.
Justice League does seem to have more fans than the previous films in the series Colin. Apparently it's split across two discs so that makes it more appealing. I don't think I ever got into Wonder Woman comics at all. I did occasionally read the lesser superhero comics such as The Flash and The Incredible Hulk but they were never in the same league as Batman, Spider-Man and Superman and that was what I tended to stick to. I think my era for bringing these characters to life is over now but the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight films were probably the last in the older style where you could actually see what was going on at all times. It's often too quick across the screen now. A few people have suggested Wonder Woman is surprisingly good so you're not alone there. Bring back Linda Carter!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 SPOILER ALERT ! Ms Carter does make a very brief cameo in the wonder woman sequel. i'm with you John, the only superhero films i have on Blu ray are the Nolan Trilogy, Batman 1989 and Richard Donner's Superman. I like to keep up to date with whats out there but honestly all these Marvel films and especially tv shows bore the hell out of me.
@@colinthedogfromspaced9365 Linda Carter appeared in a two episode Starsky & Hutch before she starred as Wonder Woman and she came across as a lovely person in addition to being beautiful. They don't seem to make actresses like her any longer as the gals tend to have to be bolshy in everything they appear in which doesn't work with me at all. Batman V Superman certainly isn't the best film ever made but the transfers from the original genuine IMAX sequences make it worth watching. They're not as beautiful as Linda Carter but they're darned close!
John.
Great review as always, really enjoyed the IMAX scenes in this one and didn't mind the grain in some of the parts.
Snyder's justice League was a film that I struggled with the aspect ratio being 4.3 and large sidebars wasn't for me, but the film was very good even with it's long length.
I'd still advice anyone to check it out if they haven't seen it.
I believe Justice League was shot full frame 35mm so that it could be blown up to be screened on 1.43:1 IMAX screens Matthew. We're all just going to have to get one of those to get the best out of it so I think I need an enormous barn somewhere!
John.
@@moviecollector5920 look forward to your thoughts on the movie, a large barn sounds like a great place for a home cinema 😂
I didn’t care for the 4:3 aspect ratio on this one either, so I cropped it to 1:85:1 using a masking feature on my Epson projector. Yes, I’m missing some of the image on the top and bottom of the frame, but Synder obviously shot it so that screening it this way still works well compositionally. The same artistic composition applies to movies shot on Super 35, but which are cropped to 2:35:1. The cinematographer leaves enough room at the top and bottom of the frame to crop. I didn’t find even one shot in Justice League with a wonky composition. It feels more cinematic to me at 1:85:1.
@@1165mac Spot on there Mac. That's exactly why movies shot using genuine IMAX still work at 2.40:1. The cameramen have visible guide lines to ensure the frame they are capturing will work for all the different ratios that the end product may be exhibited in. John.
Really glad you got round to seeing it. Didn’t realise so many formats were used. Didn’t care for either of the Justce League films myself but many people enjoyed the Snyder cut.
Apparently Justice League is across two discs so that should be alright. John.
I like the movie, but I only have the 3D version, which worked well. As I recall I think the imax scenes were still there. The extended cut was only in 2D. Gal always grows on me!
The IMAX sequences are there in every version Gary it's just that people get a bit hung up about having the full frame rather than the cropped out to 'Scope frame that was shown in most cinemas. There were standard 70mm prints of this I believe so they were 2.20:1 and the IMAX sequences (and standard 70mm sequences) would have looked fabulous on those 70mm prints.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I guess we’re always going to differ on 3D. I love it at home.
@@garyharper2943 I like it as an occasional novelty but it's been overdone over the past 15 years or so. One day I'll give 3D another go but the present fad has to be well and truly gone before I'll get interested again.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I have over 300 in 3D. When I watch it in 3D and 4K, I always prefer the 3D. Nothing can beat the depth and immersion.
@@garyharper2943 The best thing I ever saw was Omnimax 3D where things really did come off the screen and go past you. That was an incredible experience that can only be done with a hemispherical screen turned about 45 degrees so you sit in the middle of it. If you ever hear of an Omnimax screening 3D anytime just get on a plane!
Luke Hamill? ;)
There's also more than just the IMAX aspect ratios to differentiate this version of BvS from the previous release. Snyder wasn't entirely happy with the color timing on the first UHD, so he revised it for the second one -- an improvement, in my view. Aside from that, the HDR grade was problematic the first time around, like many early Warner Brothers UHDs, and bright effects like flames and explosions ended up looking blown out. They're much more nuanced in the new grade, with more subtle shadings visible.
I do agree that I prefer the compromise 1.78 ratio on the Nolan IMAX-sourced films. The 1.43:1 ratio may be correct to the original intentions, but pillarboxing the image to protect that ratio ends up diminishing the impact of the IMAX footage. 1.78:1 is better, generally speaking. It was still an interesting choice for this release, though. JUSTICE LEAGUE is a little different, since the whole film is at the full 1.33:1 frame. I experimented with cropping the image to 1.78:1, and I have to say that I prefer the 1.33:1. The compositions look better overall, without feeling like the top and the bottom of the frame is extraneous information. I can understand why flat panel owners would have more of an issue with it, but viewed in projection on a decent sized screen, it looks really good at 1.33:1.
Mark Hamill will always be Luke to me.
I wonder why the colour grading was changed for the original 4K release. Maybe it's more the way that television interpret the colour compared to video projectors in cinemas. I'll have to consider that as time goes on because changing a video for the home market doesn't make sense to me, all you need to do is run it through the relevant conversion process to be able to author it on a disc. It's not like there wasn't a video master of this one for cinemas in the first place.
Justice League was shot full frame 35mm apparently. It's not going to hold a candle to the IMAX scenes of Batman V Superman.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 JUSTICE LEAGUE was actually shot on Super 35, so it still gained in negative area vs. standard 35. It was shot that way with the intention of using the full frame for IMAX presentations. It isn't true 15/70, not by a long shot, but it still gains a bit over full frame standard 35. But that's also why the aspect ration on on JUSTICE LEAGUE is 1.33:1 rather than the 1.43:1 of the IMAX sections in BvS -- since it never got a theatrical IMAX release, Snyder just went ahead and used the full Super 35mm frame and showed everything that he shot.
There's myriad things that can go wrong during authoring a disc. Converting the full uncompressed DCP master into a compressed UHD is an art form -- in fact, compression and authoring might be the most underrated art form when it comes to home video. There are masters, like David McKenzie at Fidelity in Motion, but it's often done far more carelessly. Worse, the same converted master may be used for streaming, and the people doing the authoring may make compromises for streaming which weren't necessary for UHD. That's why we don't get the theatrical Dolby Atmos experience from Disney discs -- instead, we're getting the streaming versions, with the dynamic range compressed, the bass rolled off, and the overall levels set far too low.
There's still color correction involved, too, and not always by the original filmmakers. In the case of BvS, Snyder wasn't involved with the original UHD, and didn't notice until he saw the 4K stream on Apple Movies. Someone had altered the color balance slightly, and he described the reds in particular as now appearing "blocked up." I do have both UHDs, and there's no question that the new one is visibly superior to the previous one.
I will be curious to see what you think of JUSTICE LEAGUE, so hopefully you've got that in the queue for a review. Always appreciate hearing your thoughts. I loved the film, and I really wasn't expecting too. I also think that the UHD looks spectacular, and even like the desaturated look and the 1.33:1 framing -- though everyone's mileage will vary on that one!
I enjoyed this movie more than most. I wish they would have followed up with the Lex Luther character. I might pick up this in future.
I wish they'd bring Gene Hackman back!
John.
Your exactly right you have a younger audience superhero movies and adult audience superhero movies.
I think the recent The Batman tried to bridge the demographic divide Freddy and that could be why it generates a rather mixed reaction. If they make a sequel, I hope they don't return to the more wham, bam approach for the younger members of the audience. John.
I enjoyed but was disappointed by the theatrical release, and was very much pleased by the ultimate cut. Aside from the extra footage which includes a LOT of plotting cut for time in favour of emphasising action. It’s funny you found there wasn’t enough Batman in the movie, as the theatrical version cut a LOT of clark kent/superman sequences with him investigating & building up his manipulation by Luthor into believing that Batman was a murdering criminal. Subsequently the theatrical version had big gaps without superman, so not only were scenes cut for time, they were also re-arranged in a different order so he wasn’t absent for so long. There are also other subtle changes like different audio (in the ultimate cut, when Batman is beating a kryptonite weakened Superman, Superman’s cries of pain is much more emphasised - possibly for rating, but it makes it more clear that he really is feeling pain as a result). There is also a lot of Lex’s dialogue cut in 2 main scenes, where he talks with the senator about the painting, and where he talks with Lois on the roof, which explains his thinking and his motives for why Superman to him is the ultimate evil and must be defeated, and in the theatrical version he is a terrible character - here he is fleshed out in depth.
This movie is probably one of the best examples to reference a properly scripted cut vs a studio executive cut.
There’s been a lot of argument over people’s favourite Batmans, but for my money Affleck in this is my personal favourite. the warehouse shows how he fights without trying to kill, but to make enemies stay down, which makes sense as if he’s fighting a dozen enemies, and they keep getting up, he can only keep up the fight against that many at once before he would be beaten purely by exhaustion. I also like the fact that he has endured so much hardship over the years it alludes to Bruce’s broken mental state rather than him just shying away as in Nolans finale Dark Knight Rises, which didn’t work as well for me.
It also sets up perfectly the ‘Martha’ moment which many fans poked fun at, but psychologically, a manipulated/broken Batman who has lost his way and forgotten why he became Batman in the first place and struggling with his own subconscious (in his dreams, the bat - his subconscious - is attacking him, trying to remind him) is only made aware of this when he hears his mother’s name and NOT his father’s as all other versions have focused on. The fact that both he and Superman’s mothers are the same name is interesting, though i have no idea if that was ever planned back in the comics or purely coincidental. Either way, for me, it worked incredibly well where others found it humorous.
I’m interested in your views on Justice League (sorry if you’ve already done it and I’ve missed it). The theatrical cut of that was a horrible studio hatchet job, and the equivalent ‘ultimate cut’ version - eventually released as ‘The Snyder Cut’ that was originally never going to see the light of day, save for a huge internet campaign. Justice League was filmed entirely in Imax and 4:3 ratio - is 4 hours in length (at one point it was intended to be two movies) so the 4k version is too long that it’s split across 2 discs, and in my opinion has a glorious transfer with truly black blacks - and looks amazing. The theatrical cut on the other hand was cropped to widescreen and had other sequences filmed which were NOT filmed in imax, plus the colour scheme was altered - the theatrical cut looked horrible. I look forwards to seeing your views on the Snyder Cut.
Cor, that's a long one. I don't think this film is good enough to warrant thinking about it too much but I dare say that if I was a teenager watching it that I'd have been much more enthused than I was. I enjoyed it and particularly the image quality of the sequences originally shot using genuine IMAX. I did enjoy it enough to think I could give the Justice League film a watch soon but I made the mistake of watching the trailer which doesn't do it any favours. The Batman I like best is the first 20 minutes or so of the original 1989 film because that was Batman lifted directly from the earliest comics. He was a ruthless baxxxxd! But I do still plan to give Justice League a try sometime, it's just going to take me a while to work up to it again. The story looks awful and completely pointless thanks to the trailer but I realize it's a film for a younger audience as is Batman v. Superman... but I still enjoyed that one.
John.
Absolutely wonderful review. Thank you very much for that and im probably going to buy it myself for a nice evening and im very excited for the IMAX scenes.
Even if you don't much care for the film Cheffchen, those IMAX scenes are fabulous and probably the best of all, the opening five minutes or so is immediately in IMAX and that helps to suck you in.
John.
Is this worth a watch
It's not the most intelligent film ever made Victor but even so the IMAX scenes are rather special to look at. John.
@@moviecollector5920 thanks
Superman Returns was indeed lovely wasn't it? That was such a sincere, belated sequel to Richard Donner's 1978 classic: great stuff. Maybe not a great movie on it's own terms, but as a 'Part Three' to the original two Christopher Reeve films, it was pretty amazing, right down to it's rework of John Williams beautiful score. Shame that Returns is so largely forgotten now, or largely ridiculed by fans in favour of the dumber, louder Snyder films. Which are fine, I guess, but really Richard Donner's Superman, with Christopher Reeve, is the definitive superhero movie. Snyder's films don't come close - but Superman Returns does!
I think Superman Returns was aimed at the old, mature audience but children had moved onto computer games so didn't appreciate it. Such a shame because that may have been the film that lost old school film making in big budget comic book adaptations. It was memorable on the big screen at Waterloo. John.
Class.
Where's my gold star?
They're not bad when watched one after the other (Synder cuts). Although, imho, they fail at delivering the version of the DC universe I grew up with and all the "grittiness" of the more modern versions make them feel not right. Both Batman and Superman are completely off their historical personalities imo. That's obviously just my bias. The MCU is infinitely more enjoyable and I watch ALL of them in sequence at least once a year.
Spider-man isn't what he was in the comics now but the ending of the last Spidey film gave the hint of the possibility of a return to normal. If they ditch the whole lot and go back to Tobey Maguire to feature the adventures of a middle-aged Spidey then that would pique my interest the most. Batman in The Batman is more representative of the comics I knew but not quite so much as the original 1989 film. Just the opening 20 minutes of that means it remains the best.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I grew up with Silver and bronze age reprints, which meant they were on the way out already when I read them. 1989 was enjoyable, but even that was already heading in the wrong direction. Batman and Superman were heroes, they don't need drama beyond their origin stories. The whole point was they were supposed to be larger than life archetypal "good guys," above the fray. Making them human with flaws defeats the whole point.
The whole BMvsSM really bothers me as a concept. If I remember correctly, that was only introduced in the 90s, because comic readership was already declining back then. And they had to jazz it up.
I digress...still a good film to watch in 2022!
i like th long version better... i think its a better movie. man of steel is growing on me too!
I really didn't like Man of Steel when I first saw it Todd so to actually enjoy the first half of it this time around was a real surprise.
John.
salut super ta viidèo ses cool
Thank you Alain.
John.
I think this is the only “Batman” movie I’ve never seen. I’m not opposed to Afleck as Batman - Or Cavil as Superman, for that matter - but the trailers didn’t really sell it and Man of Steel left a bad taste. Maybe worth a watch in 4K?..someday!
I did enjoy the 1.43:1 15/70 IMAX transfer sequences Timothy and that made it worth all the trouble to finally get this one and watch it. I don't think it's really aimed at adults but whatever the truth of that, it's not as good as the most recent Batman, the 1989 original, nor the Christopher Nolan films. Interesting film in spite of it all.
John.
The Zack Snyder Cut of Justice League is actually broken into chapters.
Thank you for letting me know Irvin as that should make it a little easier. John.
Justice League is split over 2 discs so you can just watch one disc at a time.
That's given the film a lot more appeal. Thanks Jericho. John.
Not a fan of this movie, but I liked your review. Thanks for doing this one for your viewers :)!
I think this title got more requests than anything else ever Jake so in the end I capitulated. Worth having for the 1.43:1 IMAX sequences which were wonderful.
John.
Definitely pick up zack snyder’s justice league 2021 , it’s such a great film! skip justice league 2017 that’s a waste
I didn't actually know there was a previous Justice League so just as well you told me. John.
Hope you enjoy Justice League. Zack Snyder's original vision for Justice League is so much better the theatrical version that I can only surmise that Joss Whedon actually set out to ruin that movie outright. More cohesive, both stylistically and narratively. A little long? Yes, but I didn't feel that it dragged in any way. The slow-mo can be a bit much at times but it's no worse here than in his other movies. He uses that IMAX aspect ratio for the entire movie and once you've seen it that way, it's hard to watch it any other way. Kind of like watching the the 1.33:1 version of the original Evil Dead versus the 1.85:1 version -- it's obviously shot and composed with that taller aspect ratio in mind. And Whedon's recoloring is unforgivable -- Batman's suit ends up looking a deep forest green for some reason.
A four hour film wouldn't work for cinema Tom so someone had to cut it and Joss Whedon appears to have been the man the studio trusted to do it. Four hours and Jack Snyder's film would have died a death before it had a chance. Justice League was full frame 35mm so nothing approaching IMAX quality but I can see what they were doing by shooting it that way. It would have looked alright on the giant, genuine IMAX screens but the size differential between the two film formats is enormous and wouldn't have provided the exceptional experience of IMAX. If it helped keep a few cinemas in business though then that's a good thing.
Colours do seem to get messed up quite a bit these days, probably owing to film being transferred to video and something going awry.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 It's less about the length for me and more about the way Whedon needlessly refocused the narrative and clumsily changed the tone. Of course, it was probably mandated by the studio but the way he gutted much of Cyborg's arc seemed particularly spiteful (given a lot more context after Ray Fisher's allegations about Whedon's on-set behavior towards him). His tonal changes aside, Whedon's film is definitely missing something and with Cyborg's arc restored in Snyder's cut, you begin to understand what it was. And after seeing Snyder's absolutely spectacular original climax finally play out, it's hard to look at what Whedon cooked up to replace it and come away with any reasonable impression that he truly thought it was any good compared to Snyder's original. To be fair, Snyder's movie definitely could have used a trim (you could have cut the movie by 40 minutes removing all the slo-mo). But I think it ultimately came down to him knowing this was going to be his last hurrah for this property. It's a pretty good four-hour movie -- great for an extended home streaming session -- but I think a dynamite 3-hour movie is in there somewhere that would have played very well in a theater.
Man of steel is a great DC movie but it is a mash up of the first two Christopher Reeves movies. For me Christopher is Superman. 😎
I really didn't like Man of Steel when I first saw it and nearly threw the Blu-ray out. Fortunately, I kept it and now I rather like it. If it hadn't have been for all the hassle I received on here to watch Batman v Superman I might not have ever given it a second chance. But the original pair of films are certainly in a different class and Christopher Reeve has a lot to do with that. John.
The 4 hour version of Justice League feels like you'd take the regular version and slowed it down by half. Definetly a drag.
Oh dear. But I understand it's split over two discs so two nights in the cinema with plenty of tea and biccies at hand should mean we'll be okay. Thanks for letting me know your thoughts Filip. John.
The key difference for me is that Zack couldn't direct traffic, let alone a film, and to say this is over 3-hours and it ends with two blokes talking about their mothers, look at what Matt Reeves did with The Batman at nearly the same run time. This release has its moments of solid 4K beauty, but the film itself is miserable, at least it was for me.
It certainly isn't the best but it does have some worthwhile elements to it the most notable of course is seeing the full 1.43:1 IMAX frame for the four or five sequences that are in it. Makes it worth a watch irrespective of the overall film I think.
John.
The Synder Cut is definitely worth watching if you want to see the Justice league on film. It’s far better then this film.
I'm going to look at getting Justice League sometime soon. Breaking the four hours up into two discs will make it an easier watch just in case it's not quite my cup of tea. I usually enjoy these comic book movies though even if they're a bit too wham bam compared to the more old school approach of the 1978 Superman, the 1989 Batman and the first pair of Sam Raimi Spider-Man films. John.
Ultimate Edition was what should have been released in the cinema's, I enjoyed the theatrical but the Ultimate Cut is just so much better.
I can almost guaranteeit was cut down owing to the original edit being too long for cinemas. Remember that a three hour film will result in fewer screenings per day in a cinema. Two and a half hours is about as long as any cinema would like but a blockbuster running for 90 minutes means they can take far more money and sell a lot more snacks and drinks. Two hours is considered to be the best compromise. The home movie market is different. It was Kevin Costner's 'Dances With Wolves' in 1990 that put the longer movie back on the market as they'd almost completely died off by that time but today everything seems to be getting longer.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I think its for the better that its started bring back longer films, end of the day we are going for the ultimate in viewing experience to see the movie as intended on the big screen, like martin scorcese stated most films now are like fair ground rides, which is true.
@@The_Knight_Rider1980 I have concerns that cinema may not be able to survive the latest onslaught of streaming movies from the web. As an example, I won't go to a local cinema any longer to see a movie' because so often the video projection is sub-standard. So I only see a film if I can get to the West End of London and even then I will no longer go to the main premiere houses unless they are screening a film print. The BFI IMAX is the exception but even for a title such as the new Top Gun I haven't felt desperate to get up there as I think it will be out on disc in a few months so I can wait that long.
I don't know what the future holds for cinema but a few blockbusters running for about 100 minutes that really pack 'em in would be good for everyone because one big movie success enables the funding of other movies. If a film like Last Night In Soho can't get an audience then something has gone wrong. I doubt it can all be blamed on the pandemic.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 I know what you mean, I do feel the same way oddly enough. I also believe the technology has a lot to with it also, without sounding like an old man lol we went to the cinema not just for the movie but also for the sound and for the big screen. Nowadays we have the opportunity to enjoy films ourselves with a luxury sized hdtv and surround sound system without the need of the cinema. One of the things I hated about the cinema was 1) noisy muppets that wouldnt shut up and were on there phones regardless off the warning. 2) People standing up in distracting your view from the film. 3) Being in uncomfortable seats. 4) Not being able to sit where you like to watch the movie especially when packed. All these reason were why I didnt go to watch The Batman ontop of that it was coming out on streaming a month later so I could enjoy it at home without issues or distractions.
@@The_Knight_Rider1980 That is the perfect summary of the dilimma - and possibly crisis- facing cinema today. To see the Leicester Square Theatre as a whole in the ground only to return as a couple of basement studios and even worse, to learn that the glorious Empire Leicester Square had been split into two auditoriums told me that something serious was occurring. The Batman had the UK premiere at the BFI IMAX and that is certainly not an ideal location to maximize publicity as it's in a roundabout that requires you to access through an underpass.
John.
#RestoreTheSnyderVerse
I think it's already been done. I remember reviewing the Zack Snyder version of the Justice League film anyway. John.
This is one of those films whose name just screams 'conceived by committee'. Batman v Superman v Alien v the T-Rex from Jurassic Park, etc.
To be fair, the comics did have this premise years ago and it might have been repeated a few times down the years since. I can't imagine Batman every wanting to actually kill Superman though so that might have been a step to far in this movie.
John.
Need to watch Justice League the butchered version by Joss Weedon and the retcon Zack snyder cut!
Joss Whedon's good so that might be interesting. Everyone seems to be telling me to watch the four hour version which is a bit of a bummer as I'll have to drink a lot (of tea!) to get through that one.
John.
@@moviecollector5920 Joss Whedon and the studio butchered it... The 4 hours is amazing! It is in chapters so you can bite size it :D
@@OliverHollingdale He'd have had instructions Oliver. People won't sit through four hours in a cinema. The home video market is different.
@@moviecollector5920 He didn’t need to fire Junkie XL as the composer. Danny Elfmans score in the theatrical cut doesn’t work. And I’m happy Znyder brought back JXL.
It’s a flawed film but better than Man of Steel anyway
I agree. But I suppose both films are comic books brought to life for a younger audience so shouldn't be taken too seriously. John.
Absolutely dreadful movie, especially Ben Affleck who is just as unbelievable as Bruce Wayne as he is Batman, what really puts the last nail in the coffin is the way it was decided that Lex Luthor more resembles Jim Carrey's Riddler in batman Forever than he does Luthor, this is not as bad as Batman and Robin but its very very close!. I am sorry I am sure it looks amazing and Iam aware this has a fan base but I just didn't get it, except from a few neat concepts this just fell into transformers territory..
The genuine IMAX sequences make this one stand apart really Ethan. Even if the rest of the film is considered total crap it's worth watching for the representation of what some lucky people saw at a genuine IMAX cinema. It's not comparable with the 1989 film, nor is it comparable with the Christopher Nolan films but it does have those four IMAX sequences.
John.
"I don't normally like 3D"? **Unsubscribe**
But I often do. If you've ever seen Omnimax 3D with liquid crystal glasses then you'll understand what I mean. Polarized 3D doesn't stand up to it.
Zack snyder doesn't know how to build character all his movies are kinda boring because all his characters have the same personality.
I suppose the overriding aim of the three superhero films he made was to appeal to youngsters so they'd hand over the money at the box office in droves. Children tend not to be concerned by anything other than being entertained so in that regard he probably nailed it each time. I haven't seen Justice League yet but I did make the mistake of looking at the trailer and it's obvious it's not aimed at an adult market so it does seem to indicate the market being targetted. The box office take for Batman V Superman confirms he succeeded with this one. Mission accomplished I suppose.
John.
Superman returns is boring 🗑
it wasn't on the big screen Matthew. To be fair, it's target audience back then would have been for a more adult audience so probably replicated the original Superman films when youngsters had moved onto wham, bam computer games so probably wouldn't appreciate the old school film making.
John.