On the surface, Batman v Superman and Captain America: Civil War had a lot in common. Both included government concern about the destruction caused during superhero battles. Both included heroes who should be friends fighting each other while being manipulated by a highly intelligent villain.
However, the critical responses to these movies were very different. The DC movie received some pretty harsh reviews, while the Marvel movie was praised. One of the criticisms for Batman v Superman was that it was too dark. But what does that mean? Yes it was filmed in the dark. But that is part of who Batman is. He operates in the dark and so any confrontation with Superman would be happening in the dark.
But did people mean that it was emotionally dark? Was it a depressing movie? To be honest, I though Civil War was a darker movie. Batman v Superman ended on an optimistic note with Batman having his hope rekindled and gaining a vision to bring together other heroes.
How did Civil War end? It ended with Iron Man determined to kill the Winter Soldier, even though he knew he was brainwashed. This led to a brutal fight between Captain America and Iron Man that really didn’t end with any reconciliation. I found the end of Civil War to be more depressing than Batman v Superman.
Let me make it clear, I really enjoyed both movies. This is a great time to be a comic book superhero fan. I believe that DC has learned a lot about making movies and that Marvel will be looking to break out from their formula, as successful as it has been. But I do think we need to learn to enjoy them as they are and look forward to great movies from great companies.
