Black and blue, God versus man, day versus night; there is possibly no simpler sell in the history of cinema than Batman V Superman (ignoring, of course, that the "V" of the title makes no sense). It's the two most iconic superheroes on the planet (sorry Spidey) sharing the screen for the first time ever in the ultimate battle royale. But, just like Warner Bros. quickly grew far too accustomed to the idea of Batman being in the movie and desperately threw in half of the Justice League in an attempt to already sweeten the sugary pot, they're now altering the marketing so it becomes this epic DC Trinity piece instead. I've already established why that's a problem for the film, but what's really damning is the reason why. Compare Batman V Superman's promotion to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was still very much angling its trailers at fans up until a few weeks ago, and what do you see? There's a clear difference in approach here, and the key to it is who the trailers are aimed at; instead of comic and superhero movies fans who've been aware of the movie since SDCC 2013, this latest ad, with its plot overview and obvious lines, was for those who didn't even realise the movies were coming out. Nothing wrong with that of course, but what does it mean? Well, perhaps being the first big release of 2016 (Deadpool comes first, but being R-rated necessitates a whole different approach) has motivated Warner to try and start the wave of hype early so it'll peak the moment everyone's recovered from Star Wars. However, I'd wager instead that they've realised that the film they've made is going to play much better with the broad mainstream audience rather than the die-hard fans, so are chasing that audience as soon as possible. And while that's good for business, that doesn't say much of the finished product, does it? What did you think of the latest Batman V Superman trailer? Do you still hold out hope the movie will be good? As always, share your thoughts down in the comments.
