Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice was one of the most anticipated movies of the past decade, but opened early this spring to an intensely polarizing response. It seemed like a sure-fire hit starring DC Comics' big three heroes. Directed by the visually expressive Zack Snyder, and written by Chris Terrio (Argo) and David Goyer (The Dark Knight), Batman V Superman was critically panned for "smother[ing] a potentially powerful story," and dismissed by large chunks of comic book fandom for misrepresenting DC's most famous heroes.
Previous reports about an R-rated "Ultimate Cut" of Batman V Superman, which is scheduled to be released this summer, stated the cut will include plenty of extra footage from the film. Some fans have theorized that this new cut could fix some of the disjointed elements of the film's plot and remedy the upsetting lack of Jena Malone, resulting in a better overall film. It turns out this may not be the case.
Batman V Superman cinematographer and longtime Snyder collaborator Larry Fong took to Twitter to set the record straight about how viewers will react to the Ultimate Cut of the film:
Those of you who are fans, will dig it. If you hated it, you'll still hate it.— Larry Fong (@larryfong) June 2, 2016
For fans of the movie, there's a lot to look forward to, with the apparent inclusion of Barbara Gordon (played by the aforementioned Malone) and a more "intense" fight with Doomsday. While Fong may not take every criticism of the film into account, it's true that most detractors had more problems with what was in Batman V Superman, than what wasn't in it.
The film's, perhaps cynical, take on heroism and overall tone are likely to only be enhanced by material that lends to an R-rating, so those disappointed by a murderous Batman (Ben Affleck) or a stoic Superman (Henry Cavill) are unlikely to be moved by more of the same. For those who did dig Snyder's dark take, it's nice to know Warner Bros. isn't making customers wait, or forcing a double-dip on the new cut.
How do you feel about Dawn of Justice getting even grittier? Did you dislike the theatrical cut but still hold out hope that the Ultimate Cut will give you what you were expecting from the film? Sound off in the comments section!
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Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice's “Ultimate Edition” will become available on Digital HD on June 28th, 2016 and Blu-ray on July 19th, 2016.
Suicide Squad will hit theaters on August 5, 2016, followed by Wonder Woman on June 2, 2017; Justice League Part One on November 17, 2017; The Flash on March 16, 2018; Aquaman on July 27, 2018; an untitled DC Film on October 5, 2018; Shazam on April 5, 2019; Justice League Part Two on June 14, 2019; an untitled DC film on November 1, 2019; Cyborg on April 3, 2020; and Green Lantern Corps on July 24, 2020.
Source: Larry Fong