Zack Snyder's Star Wars Mash-Up Adds New Depth To 'Batman V Superman'!

Star Wars fans worldwide are counting the days until the release of Rogue One, the first ever Star Wars spinoff movie! Breathless with anticipation, all we want to do is talk Star Wars — and it seems even famous Hollywood figures like #ZackSnyder aren't immune to the excitement. In honor of Rogue One, Snyder has revealed an incredible mash-up of Star Wars and his controversially-received #BatmanVSuperman.

Here's the thing; as with everything Snyder does, there's a depth of meaning to his mash-up that actually adds extra depth to Batman v Superman. That's all the more impressive when you consider that Snyder created this two years ago, inspired by J. J. Abrams, and has only just chosen to release it!

Superman's Journey

Reimagined as SuperJediMan, this version of the Man of Steel plays the role of the Skywalkers. On the one hand, he is the 'new hope': the source of the disturbance in the Force that the villains have sensed. Countless shots (and not a little dialogue) carefully parallel him with Luke Skywalker himself, not least when SuperJediMan hovers as X-wings soar around him.

What's interesting, though, is that Snyder emphasizes the emotional turmoil of SuperJediMan. The unseen villains' goal is to turn him to the Dark Side, and the kneeling Stormtroopers are an ominous vision of just what kind of force for evil he could become. In a particularly key moment, the camera shines on the words "FALSE JEDI" painted on the chest of the Man of Steel's statue. Clearly, it is this rejection that threatens to cause SuperJediMan to fall to the Dark Side.

Now compare this with Superman's journey in Batman v Superman. Superman did indeed face a moral dilemma; should he allow humanity's fear and distrust to cause him to retreat from the world, or instead, remain and be a hero? This culminated in a mountaintop moment, where he communed with his father in a spiritual experience and chose to return and fulfil his role as savior. If the parallels hold true all the way, then this decision was also the moment when he rejected the Knightmare future we briefly glimpsed in Batman v Superman.

Batman Embraces the Dark Side

Let's face it, we all know that Batman would make a rubbish Jedi; he's motivated almost entirely by a desire for vengeance. In Batman v Superman, he's essentially fallen under the sway of fear, anger, and hatred; as a result, this version of Batman has no compunction about killing. It's no surprise that Zack Snyder imagines Batman as the Dark Side Knight.

"Anger, fear, aggression. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny."

Some smart editing shows Ben Affleck's Bruce Wayne staring not at the Bat-suit, but at the Darth Vader armor. More smart editing transposes classic scenes with Batman, usually showing the Dark Side Knight in moments associated with Darth Vader. The parallels lessen here, though, with the mash-up showing Batman as the aggressor to an even greater extent than Batman v Superman. I love the twist on the well-known line of dialogue:

"Tell me: Do you embrace the Dark Side? You will."

I won't lie, I was fairly critical of Batman v Superman. That said, I have to confess that I love the depth of imagery you can find in that movie. By making an amusing mash-up of Star Wars and his superheroes, Zack Snyder has highlighted some of the core themes for the critics once again. Nicely done.

(All Images: Zack Snyder / Velo)