Written by Molly Wedgwood
It’s Monday evening and TCL’s Chinese Theater (formally Grauman’s and Mann’s) is packed. No, the crowd isn’t here for a star-studded movie premiere, we’re all here for the special IMAX screening debut of the much-anticipated trailer for Warner Bros’ Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Yes, you read that right; one of the world’s most famous and iconic theaters is packed on a Monday night for a trailer. But surely, the pairing of two equally famous and legendary superheroes is deserving of such a spectacle, right?
I’m even more amused when I learn the trailer had been released earlier that day. Seriously, this is how excited everyone is for the next installment of the Dark Knight. The crowd hushes immediately as the lights dim and the curtains slowly part. Lots of cheering as the trailer rolls and Zack Snyder thanks us all for coming in a brief intro staged before the latest Batmobile.
And then it begins. I’d describe it, but really you should just check out the whole thing online (and you don’t even need to leave your house to do it). Well, almost the whole thing. After the trailer finishes Zack comes back to inform us that several of the shots we captured in native IMAX including the sequence at the end, which isn’t included in the online version.
So just what is this mysterious mystery sequence, you ask? If you guessed an epic confrontation between Batman and Superman you’d be correct. The trailer ends just as the two giants collide. This special ending, a free poster, and a promise of a free ticket to a pre-screening makes the hassle of parking in Hollywood absolutely worth it.
As we all file out, the organizers ask us all how we all feel. One woman responds that “the last five seconds were worth the trip.” Another geek connoisseur raves about the effects being “so much richer in iMax than on the laptop.” Someone else makes a snarky comment that “of course, Zack Snyder would make the Batman with the glowing eyes.” And I believe everyone, or at least myself, was shocked to admit that Ben Affleck actually looked pretty cool as Bruce Wayne and that his bat voice is spot-on. Although it is much too early to tell if he’ll be Heath Ledger good, I am now somewhat convinced that this next installment of Batman will not tank the series.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice invades theaters – even IMAX ones – on March 25th, 2016. Expect many Justice League movies and solo adventures to follow.
