Teaser Trailer Analysis #2 - Batman vs. Superman

·         The teaser trailer for Batman vs Superman has a darker tone than the first Batman and Superman films made in the 1970s and 80s. The director has put in darker colours to the costumes. The effect of this is that the target audience is now more mature, whereas before it was more aimed at children. They went from a very colourful patriotic theme like in Captain America to one which is darker and grittier. The actors playing Superman and Batman are not depicting them as amazing human beings, in some cases they are depicting them flawed, and as a threat. In the next film in the DCEU, Suicide Squad, the director has decided to show the criminal's point of view when facing Batman, rather than Batman’s own point of view. Ben Affleck's Batman has taken a much darker turn, and he is no longer seen as the force of good, they are starting to question his morals and to even present him as a villain.

·         Another change of tone is how the characters have developed their personalities.  They have become less friendly and are more guarded than in the original movies. In the original Superman and Batman films there was a general depiction of all heroes as good, despite having a few flaws. In this case, superheroes are seen to be questioned morally both by each other and the government, and the conflict seems to be more internal than directed at an obvious villain. This has become trends in superhero films at the moment.

·         They have also put in voice overs in some scenes on what other people are saying about Superman. The effect of this is to display a darker take on the superhero genre and the voice over makes it darker because it makes the viewers question the motivations of the characters, and you’re not sure who is speaking. They have voiced over what Batman says to Superman saying “Tell me, do you bleed?”

Low key lighting is used in that scene to establish that quite a few people hate him and some people even hate him and have a rebellion against him. The red graffiti is used to establish negativity and hatred and it contrasts with a colorless, lifeless statue. This reveals a small detail that hints at the plot, but in general the teaser is thematic and focuses on the tone of the film.

This teaser trailer is detonating sequences when the character has moody faces.Which is a far cry from the original movies, which would usually have characters smiling and speaking to the public openly. In the new films, they make these iconic superheroes more shy, and not so open as there predecessors.  

This is a still of  Ben Affleck's batman suit in Zack Snyders 2016 Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. This suit has the same layout, dark colors with a utility belt and a bat symbol. This is different to the Michael Keaton batsuit because the utility belt is much darker and the batman symbol is in very dark colors, not in a circle, it just shows the symbol and its much bigger and stands out more, despite the very dark colors. 

This is a still of Michael Keaton in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman. This suit is mostly black, but has very bright colors to make it stand out to everyone. For example, the Batman symbol is bright yellow, with a black bat drawing on it, and Batman possess a gold utility belt on his chest. This looks like a more childish and less realistic theme, compared to Ben Affleck and Christian Bale's take on the Batman.