Henry Cavill on Man of Steel Mediocrity, and Batman V Superman Development
Yes, we all know the reviews for 2013s Man of Steel – director Zack Snyder’s first foray into the DC Movie Universe – were a little on the ‘iffy’ side. Yes, the $668-million it earned at the worldwide box office was pretty respectable, but the critics refrained from offering a comparable level of respect. Henry Cavill, star of the aforementioned film and the latest actor sheathed in a currently underwear-free Superman uniform, weighed in on the mixed, Man of Steel reception in a recent interview with our friends at Cineplex.
“The reception of my first Superman movie, from what I’ve read, was fairly mixed,” Cavill mentioned during a phone interview. “Everyone I’ve spoken to enjoyed the movie, but [not] unlike if you’re going to meet a stranger in the street, they’re not going to badmouth you to your face.” Something worth noting: Henry Cavill is equally intimidating without the Superman costume, hence the lack of criticisms presented in person. Hmmm.
Batman V Superman very cleverly continues the open-ended narrative started in Man of Steel. Superman’s city-mashing battle with Zod blew up a ridiculous amount of real estate, which ended up landing on a ridiculous amount of innocent passersby. Mass destruction + an incalculable death toll = a very confused, very angry, very vindictive public. One especially capable individual, Bruce Wayne, witnessed the destruction and reacted appropriately, reclaiming an anger he may have recently misplaced. Of course, this injection of anger galvanized Master Wayne’s return to the life of a certain criminal-crushing, caped avatar of deserved, violent vengeance. Because of the terrifying destruction rendered by two immensely powerful, seemingly inconsiderate alien beings, the Batman was born anew!
So, what is Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, exactly? A chance to salve the discrepancies of Man of Steel by appending it with additional story elements, or the second chapter in DC’s new expansive, inclusive movie universe? Henry Cavill offered Cineplex his opinion on that very subject.
“There’s no intentional move, I don’t think, in Batman v. Superman to address any issues that people had with Man of Steel,” he said. “It’s just a continuation of that storyline and they continue to develop that world and introduce new characters.”
Cavill was also asked about his perspective on Superman, stating that he still enjoys discovering the “wonderfully rich” layers of Superman.
Having portrayed the legendary character for two major motion pictures, Cavill is still very excited about the character’s future and its development in Batman V Superman. “There’s so far you can go with it; if you really, really delve deep into the character, there’s so much you can do,” he explained. “It’s just about exploring it within the vehicles and finding what you want to do. He’s going to have some very interesting character development in this one.”
Debuting March 25, 2016, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice stars Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg, Amy Adams and Laurence Fishburne. Oh, and probably a lot of unhappy citizens caught in the crossfire when Superman and Batman indulge in a pee-pee contest.