1. New Adaptation of anExisting Source -
For the secondanalysisof two adaptationsI havechosen tolook at the Dark KnightReturns
graphic novel, where the infamousBatmandisappearsbutfinally returnsto combatanother
threat, and Batmanv Superman: Dawnof Justice, in which Batmanand Supermangohead to
head andsoonafter join forces tofight a commonenemy. I havechosen these two
adaptationsbecauseI enjoyedthe graphic novel andits own animated adaptation, and
enjoyed the movieas well as it didhave someaspects of the original graphic novel.
Comparison of the Two –
Althoughnotnecessarily a oneto one rendition of the original graphic novel, the movie’stitle
andstory does incorporatethe Batmanwe know from the graphic novel. The biggest clue
thatit is somewhatbased from the graphic novelis the fact thatBatman’ssuititself is heavily
inspired by the Batmansuit from Dark KnightReturns, including his metal suit. Never the less,
despite the story being different with small similarities, there is onemain scene, which both
adaptationstacklein a very different manner.
The scene previously mentionedisthat of the fight between the Dark Knighthimself and
Superman, oneof the most iconic partsof bothgraphic noveland movie. To begin with, I will
look at the graphic novel to be able to compare the original to the new. To startoff, the setup
for the fight is almostsimilar in both
adaptations, withSupermanessentially
being forced to stopBatman’svigilante
actions. The fight essentially begins in
exactly the same fashion andthen
proceed to take their own routeuntil the
end of the fight, with the movie fight
havinga different approachso as to fit
with the story and to be flashy for the
movie industry. Whereasin the graphic
novel, the fight is muchmore centred on
the dialogue with the occasional clash
between the two characters, which forces
the reader to play the fight out in their
headsrather than visually seeing a fight
sequence take place, soin a way the fight
in the graphic novel hasmuch more
meaning. During the fight in the graphic
novel, there are also a few other panels
thatshow other thingstakingplace at the
same time, like what happenedto the Bat
Tank and Robin, andone of the most
iconic partsof the graphic novel; Green
Arrow. Previousto the fight, the reader
finds outthat a similar thing happenedto
Green Arrow, andhis right arm was
unfortunately rippedout of his body by Superman, whichmakes hisappearance in the fight
muchmore impactful, especially as we see hisappear and takea shotat Superman. This
importantpartof the story is notshown in the moviehowever, andinstead it just focuses on
the Batmanand Supermanfight, rendering the meaningof thisclash between manand God
essentially noneexistent. Finally, at the end of the fight in the graphic novel, Batmanexecutes
an elaborate plan in which once he has Supermanby the throatand havingwon the battle, he
2. proceeds tofake his own deathand endingthe legacy that is Batman, or sowe think until the
last page of the graphic novel.
On the otherhand, the movie versionplaysoutmuch more differently, andas mentionedhas
been executed in a more flashy and film industry like, so as to appeal tothe audiences that
watch movies, as well as the fact thatthe movie follows a slightly different story, despitethe
similarities. Like previously mentioned, thesetup
to the fight is pretty muchthe same in both
cases, except there is a lot less character
developmentin the movieversion, removingthe
Green Arrow, Robinand the importanceof
Alfred from the story, andinstead focusingon
the fact thatBatmanbrandshis ‘victims’. During
the fight, there’sa lot more actionand fighting
thaninteresting dialogue, with a goodchunk of
this sectionin the story simply being mindless
fighting, showcasinga variety of Batman’s
gadgetsand how he usesthem to defeat an
almostunbeatablesuperhero. The whole ‘You
will remember me as the man who beat you’
deep meaning behindthe fight is also
completely ignoredfrom the film, andinstead
the fight is riddledwith witty commentsand
dramatic shotstomake nothingintosomething.
Finally, the ending of the fight hasno
significance in any manner either, because
whilst the graphic novel endedwith the deathof
Alfred and the faked deathof Bruce Wayne(and
the end of Batman), the movie’sbattle sequence
is interrupted by one name andeveryone
instantly forgets aboutthe clash thatBatman
andSupermanjust had. So overall, whereas the graphic novelshoweda deeper purposed
throughthe fight scene of two of the greatest DC superheroes, the movieadaptationof the
epic fight was nothingmore thanflashy cinematography andfiller for the next sectionin the
movie, where an even bigger enemy appears.
Critical and Commercial Success –
Being one of the mosticonic Batmangraphic novelswith a uniqueart style andstory, Dark
KnightReturnshas gainedbothgood andbad reviews from a numberof critics in its’ time. An
example of the successcan be seen from the ratingsgiven by ForbiddenPlanet, which placed
the graphic novelat one of the “50 Best of the Best Graphic Novel” andthat it hasbeen called
“arguably the best Batmanstory of all time”. Meanwhile, others havecommentedthat both
“there is nocentral plotto the comic” and how the big fight between the two heroes is not
explained in any way makingthe fight meaningless. Inthe end, the graphic novelreceived a
goodamountof profit and positivefeedback from avid readers, and the novelhas since then
almosta sort of cult following becomingone of the best“thought-provokingactionstories”.
As for the successof Batmanv Superman:Dawnof Justice, it is visible from the box office
ratings thatthe movie hasmore thandoubledits budget, from a budgetof $250 millionto a
total of $873.3 millionin boxsales, thusmakingit a commercial success in the industry.
Another example of its success is the amountthatthe film grossedon its worldwide opening,
which was the fourth biggest of all time standingat $422.5 million. Asfor the movie’sratings,
3. it can be saidthat it received a fairly negative responsefrom the audience andmany critic
websites. OnIMDB, the moviehas been given a 6.7/10 whichmay be the highestscore it
received from moviereviewers, as can be seen on RottenTomatoesandMetacritic’s scores
of 27% and44%. Many reviews also statethat the film was “humourlessandoverdone”and
“prioritizes shareduniverse setupover developingstory and characters”. Overall, it can be
said thatdespite the huge profits it received, the movie was one of the mostdisappointingfor
2016, anddefinitely its’ flaws.
Legal and Ethical Issues –
All music composedfor Batmanv Superman:Dawnof Justice was done so by JunkieXL and
Hans Zimmer, the same composerof the score for ChristopherNolan’sBatmantrilogy.
Zimmer explained how he foundit to be quite challenging tonot remake the themeshe had
some sopreviously for the character of Batman, andthushad Junkiecomposemajority of
Batman’smaterial. As I have also stated, one of the movie’smainaction sequences almost
comes straightfrom the graphic novel Dark KnightReturns, butsince the film has almostno
relation to the graphic novel, it is hardto say that they did in fact use any of the material used
from the original adaptation. Forthis reason, there would be no issueswith the production
company includinga clash between the two heroes in a similar fashion tothe graphicnovel.
Likewise, the film is a productof Warner Bros. who essentially own DC Comics, andwould
have noneed to purchasethe rights to create a film aboutthe heroes. However, the one
thing thatmay have been necessary to do wouldbe toadd the name of the original creators
of Batmanand Supermanin the credits, ashomage.
There are a numberof argumentsconcerningthe true age rating for the film, with the version
initially released being a PG-13 dueto the intense violentaction sequences, the amountof
destructionvisible andsome possibledisturbingcontent. Despite this however, the movie will
be given an R Rated ‘UltimateEdition’ version, in which it includes muchmore intense
sequences of violence.
