Zack Snyder's alternate world political fantasy
-
Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Marvel/DC
GreatWhiteApeofBarsoom — 9 years ago(December 02, 2016 09:45 AM)
For the first time I saw this movie last night. I didn't think it was horrible but did feel it was an unbalanced movie trending strictly toward dark melodrama with nothing even remotely resembling lightheartedness at any point to ease the claustrophobic morose nature of the film. Ultimately neither Batman nor Superman is a likable character, each being an avatar of unrelenting anger and morose solitude. That took the movie down a few notches for me. At least in its sequel, Suicide Squad, the characters occasionally seemed to have fun though that movie had its own problems.
In any event, I noticed a rather unsubtle political fantasy in the film I felt was unnecessary. Given when Batman v. Superman was filmed, I don't think this was at all coincidental.
The movie went into production in 2013 and 2014, right at the time of Barack Obama's second midterm. The most prominent political race of that cycle was the Kentucky Senate race between Senator Mitch McConnell and Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes.
Naturally Batman v. Superman features a female Kentucky Democrat Senator with a thick Southern drawl. Essentially Snyder fulfilled Hollywood's fantasy of seeing Grimes defeat McConnell by putting a version of her played by Holly Hunter into his film. Grimes lost badly in that election though she remains Secretary of State to this day.
The inclusion of Hunter's character into the film isn't exactly a subtle one to political junkies.
To be fair, the film does include real-life Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) for likely apolitical reasons. While Stabenow represents a state the movie was filmed in, Leahy is a lifelong fan of Batman and has previously appeared in Christopher Nolan's Batman films.
Even so, the inclusion of Hunter's character as a Hollywood wish fulfillment of a Grimes victory over McConnell is noteworthy to political junkies like me.
Whether there was a political subtext behind the fate of Hunter's character I have no clue
Requiescat in pace, Krystle Papile. I'll always miss you. Justice was finally served. -
Jovi13 — 9 years ago(December 02, 2016 11:53 AM)
I think you are giving Snyder WAY too much credit. I'm not sure that anyone really thought that Grimes had much of a chance in that election, even the liberal's in California. Kentucky is a solid Republican state and hasn't voted for a democrat since Clinton. How else would McConnell still be in office.
-
GreatWhiteApeofBarsoom — 9 years ago(December 02, 2016 01:31 PM)
I wasn't saying anyone other than maybe Alison Lundergan Grimes thought Alison Lundergan Grimes could win. I was just saying the political Left wanted her to beat McConnell and incorporated that outcome as wish fulfillment into this film.
Requiescat in pace, Krystle Papile. I'll always miss you. Justice was finally served.