Thoughts on BvS Ultimate Edition

With Suicide Squad soon to be released, I thought I'd offer another look at DC's previous film, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. However, what I want to focus on is the new version of the film (the "Ultimate Edition), which extends the film's running time to three hours. I reviewed the theatrical release earlier this year and stated how I felt it was a disappointing mess, so how does this new, R rated version stack up against it?

One of my main gripes with the theatrical release was how imbalanced the motivations of Batman and Superman were. There are clear enough reasons why Batman hates Superman, but the film never dedicated enough time as to why Superman should hate Batman. In the Ultimate Edition, the balance is restored somewhat by having more scenes of Superman (as Clark Kent) investigating Batman's "reign of terror" in Gotham. Two new scenes help to show how Batman's brand of justice has effected the residents of the city, with Clark even meeting the partner and child of one of Batman's victims. She warns Clark that Batman cannot be reasoned with, and that the only way to stop him is "with a fist". We see the influence this has on Superman when he confronts Batman towards the end, as he quickly turns to violence after failing to negotiate with him. Had this been expanded on further throughout the film as the reason why the two heroes end up battling, it would have made for a more satisfying altercation, as there would be genuine motivation for both characters to confront one another. Like in the theatrical release, however, Superman only engages Batman in a fight because Lex Luthor threatens to kill his mother, which is a much weaker idea than having them fight over a clash of morals and principle.

There is also more of a focus on Lex's plan to frame Superman, which in turn makes Lois Lane's role in the film bigger. Whilst these new scenes help to shed some light on how Lex has staged these events, the plan is still a confusing mess, and I was still scratching my head has to what his ultimate goal is. I was happy to see more time devoted to developing the story, but it any improvements over the theatrical version in this area are moderate. This, along with the Clark Kent investigation scenes, is where the majority of the new scenes are included, which is an overall wise decision as they where the two weakest aspects of the the original cut.

As far as action, there's not a lot of new stuff included. The main conflict between Batman and Superman has the odd extra punch thrown in, but that's about it. Thankfully, I'm pretty sure no new footage of the battle with Doomsday is included, as that scene dragged on and on in the original cut. With the new R rating, I was expecting a more drastic change in the violence presented in the film. I don't think having the film be more bloody would be an improvement (the film has to also appeal to young fans as well), but I still felt cheated given how the change in rating is so drastic. The scene where Batman takes down a room of thugs (arguably the best scene in the film) has some blood added in and an implied moment of Batman either killing or severely wounding one thug who stabbed him in the shoulder. This is the only instance where the violence feels a lot more adult The other action sequences, particularly the one at the end, still feel like standard superhero stuff.

I'm at a loss as to whether this new cut of the film greatly improves on the theatrical release. On the one hand, we get to see some of the better ideas that were not included which helps to make the confusing plot slightly more coherent. On the other hand, these added scenes tease us with "what could have been" had they been more significant, rather than having them lead into the disappointing motivations of the characters we saw in the theatrical release. I can't say I recommend it, but it at least means we get to see the complete version of the film. I'd much rather see what Zack Snyder fully intended us to see (even if it still isn't good) than a chopped up mess that was seen as either too long or too violent by censors.

Manchester United: The Five Weirdest Louis van Gaal Tactics/Decisions

And now for something completely different. Rather than a film review, I thought some fresh content about one of my other interests would change things up a bit. One thing most people know about me is that I supported Manchester United Football Club, and I am greatly anticipating the upcoming season under new manager Jose Mourinho. Whilst looking back at the previous campaigns, which were by in large disappointing, it got me thinking about all the strange occurrences we endured under the management of Louis van Gaal. Off the pitch, van Gaal was known for his amusing quips and on again/off again relationship with the press. The happenings on the pitch were equally up and down, with us winning the FA Cup this year, but failing to qualify for next season's Champions League. I've thought long and hard about the moments on and off the pitch that left me most puzzled by this unique individual, and in no particular order, here are the top five:

5. Phil Jones taking corner kicks

A phrase that became something of a summary of van Gaal's approach, this was one of the most unpredictable (and unwanted) tactics in the two seasons under the Dutchman. With plenty of talented players good enough to deliver a decent corner kick, van Gaal opted for defender Phil Jones, a player with little-to-no experience of delivering at set piece situations. Whether this was an attempt simply to puzzle the opposition or he genuinely believed he had finally found the right man to take corner kicks remains a mystery. Needless to say, the decision didn't last long, and fellow Dutchman Daley Blind was appointed to deliver corner kicks for the whole of the 2015/16 season.

4. Selling Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez in the same transfer window

Whilst perhaps not the strangest decision, this is the one that angered me the most, as these two were my favourite United players. In the summer of 2015, Javier Hernandez returned to United after a season-long loan at Real Madrid, adding to our striker options after we had decided not to purchase loanee Radamel Falcao on a permanent basis. During this time, Robin van Persie was sold to Turkish club Fenebahce after suffering his weakest season at United, scoring only 10 goals in all competitions. Whilst I was sad to see him leave, I was pleased to see Hernandez get another chance in the team, making substitute appearances against Newcastle and Club Brugge. After missing a penalty kick against Brugge, Hernandez was almost instantly sold to Bayer Leverkusen, where he scored 26 goals in all competitions. To further rub salt in the wound, van Persie rediscovered his scoring touch (despite not appearing as regularly as he perhaps would have wanted), netting 20 goals.

3. Angel Di Maria = Striker?
United broke the British transfer record when exciting playmaker Angel Di Maria joined for £59.7million. Primarily a winger or centre-mid, Van Gaal decided that the best way to utilise this talent was to play him up-front, making Di Maria ineffective in any game he played in that position. Di Maria lost confidence and finished his first season at the club with 4 goals in all competitions. His United career came to a swift end upon refusing to join up with the team on a pre-season tour of the United States, and he was sold to Paris Saint-Germain soon after.

2. Super-sub Nick Powell
After a dismal display in the 2015/16 Champions League group stage, United had to deliver a massive performance in Germany against VfL Wolfsburg in their final match. It was a must win situation, and the game was a crazy affair, with United taking the lead only to eventually concede 3 goals, with the game finishing 3-2. In this must-win game, van Gaal gambled on youngster Nick Powell (who had only scored one goal for the club and was continuously sent on loan throughout his United career), replacing Juan Mata towards the end of the match. Whether Powell actually touched the ball in the game is lost on me and, to the surprise of everyone except van Gaal, he made no impact in the game. Such was the difficulty of Powell finding a place in the first team, that he was released by United upon expiry of his contract. 

1. Miss a penalty, back of the queue
If there's one tactic I expect Mourinho to never consider, it's this one. Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata all fell victim to van Gaal's methods of who takes penalty kicks, with the rule being that if you miss, the next in line takes your place. The penalty kick is one of the most nerve-wrecking situations for players and fans, but van Gaal thought it would be a good idea to increase that pressure by having this stupid system in place. Van Perise was the first victim, missing what would have levelled the score against West Brom in the 2014/15 season. That same campaign, Rooney missed against Liverpool, though United won the match thanks to two Juan Mata goals. The Spaniard enjoyed a good run from the spot, but eventually missed against FC Midtjylland in the Europa League. Most teams stick to one player taking penalties, but United have seen several players take them under van Gaal, with only Mata doing well under the Dutchman's management. Here's hoping Mourinho chooses one player to score from the spot. Someone like new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, perhaps?