'Batman v Superman' Cinematographer Opens Up About Impact of Film's Criticisms

More than two years after its release, the cast and crew of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice are [...]

More than two years after its release, the cast and crew of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice are still struggling to come to terms with the endless barrage of insults the film has received, despite subsequent films Suicide Squad and Justice League also enduring similar criticisms. The film's cinematographer, Larry Fong, recently detailed the impact those criticisms have had on him in the years since its release.

"It kind of hurts because, you know, I put almost a year of my life, including my whole crew, you know living away from our families, making a lot of sacrifices to make a movie like that," Fong shared with the ComicBook Debate podcast. "And, everyone has their opinion. Does everyone have to love the movie? Of course not, but it's like your baby; you put a lot of work into it."

In Fong's defense, few of the criticisms of the film were inspired by the work he contributed, but, rather, many audiences were underwhelmed with the overall dark and somber tone of the experience.

The cinematographer even admitted that not all of the interactions he has with fans are inherently negative, with his work on the film receiving some praise amid the backlash.

"You know, visually I feel like me and my crew killed it, so when you hear things about it, it kind of hurts," Fong noted. "But, to be honest the weirdest thing -- I've never really talked about this -- but the weirdest thing, and this has happened a lot, I'll have a stranger come up and say, 'You know, Batman v Superman really sucked, but don't worry, what you did was great. It looked really good. It wasn't your fault.'"

Despite receiving personal praise, the cinematographer feels a sense of unease when it comes to accepting the compliments, detailing that bringing such a massive film to life was an incredibly collaborative experience.

"And I listened to that for a while and was like, 'K, well thanks.' But then the more I thought about it I thought I'm not going to accept that," Fong professed. "Because everyone's working towards a common goal, right? And [director] Zack [Snyder]'s my brother, I'm not gonna go, 'Oh yeah, you know, he did a horrible job, but I didn't! I just did my job. That's right!' I don't accept that. If you make a baby together you're proud of that baby. And you can't really divide it up."

Despite any criticisms the film faced, it still went on to earn more than $870 million worldwide.

Upcoming DC Extended Universe films include Aquaman on December 21st and Wonder Woman 1984 on November 1, 2019.

[H/T CinemaBlend]

4comments