"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is finally out on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday. If you were left underwhelmed by the theatrical release, Warner Bros. has put out an R-rated extended cut of the film which adds another 30 minutes to the movie.
Is the three-hour version of the movie worth it? Is it better?
While it certainly may clear up some confusion you have about the film, most of the extra 30 minutes is unnecessary. There's much more to the Middle Eastern scene at the film's beginning complete with horses and drones and sideplots with characters who didn't need screen time to begin with. Overall, it feels long, dragged out, and Batman and Superman don't start fighting until the second hour of the film. It's just exhausting.
For a version of the film that's being touted as an "Ultimate Edition," it's disappointing there isn't even a commentary from the director. There are just some special features with behind-the-scenes looks at the Batmobile, Batcave, and characters which don't deliver any earth-shattering commentary. This is supposed to be a collector's item for fans, but if you're a fan of DC Comics, you know most of this or have seen a lot of it online or in other interviews.
However, there are some highlights in the Ultimate Edition. Keep reading to see what's different in the R-rated version of "Batman v Superman."
1. You get verification that a character at the film's start is iconic DC character Jimmy Olsen.
Remember that photographer with Lois Lane at the film's start who gets murdered at gunpoint? In the theatrical release we don't learn his name, unless you stayed around through the credits, but here he introduces himself to Ms. Lane as photographer Jimmy Olsen.
Olsen was turned into a CIA operative instead of Lane's photographer, perhaps a nod to his CIA role in Mark Millar's 2003 comic, "Superman: Red Son."
Director Zack Snyder explained the character change to Entertainment Weekly.
“We just did it as this little aside because we had been tracking where we thought the movies were gonna go, and we don’t have room for Jimmy Olsen in our big pantheon of characters, but we can have fun with him, right?”
2. It's clearer that Lex Luthor orchestrated the events of the entire movie early on.
Maybe Warner Bros. didn't want to make this reveal too obvious, but while you're watching the R-rated version of the film it's more clear that Lex Luthor knows the identities of both Batman and Superman early on — something which otherwise may take two watches to piece every detail and hint together.
The entire film revolves around him pitting the two against each other, something which doesn't become obvious in the PG-13 rated film until later in the film. Here, it's much clearer that it's Luthor inviting both Bats and Supes to his gala to meet each other. We even learn a woman who talks to the senate near the film's start is in cahoots with Luthor before he has her thrown in front of a train. Yikes.
3. There was a Jon Stewart cameo!
One of the finer moments that was cut from the film is one which will probably find itself online after today. Stewart is still hosting "The Daily Show" and takes some shots at Superman.
"So apparently Superman doesn't want us to think of him as American anymore," Stewart says in a broadcast segment. "And really, why would we? Aside from the red and blue costume. And, I don't know, the fact that he has one-third of the USA's initials on his chest. I assume the only reason he's not wearing the Declaration of Independence as a cape is... He thinks it's too on-the-nose."
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