What happens when one person has just too much power and there is no one checking that power?
That’s a question you might expect to associate with this year’s presidential election, but it’s the central theme of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the superhero smackdown opening in theaters on Friday.
It’s hard when watching the movie, which has a major political storyline involving senate hearings questioning Superman’s actions and a senator played by Holly Hunter, not to think about the current political landscape and the 2016 presidential election. And audience members aren’t the only ones with the political in mind.
“One of the things that I say in this movie is, ‘Absolute power corrupts absolutely,’”
Hunter told USA TODAY on the red carpet for the film’s NYC premiere.
“Thomas Jefferson was talking about. We’re talking about that today, very much so. It’s serendipitous that it happens to be so acute right now in current events, but there you have it.”
Ben Affleck, who is making his big debut as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the movie, doesn’t see it quite that simply.
“I don’t see this movie as overtly political,” Affleck made clear when we spoke to him on the red carpet. “I think that would be a mistake. I don’t think you want to get pedantic with a movie like this. I think that’s dangerous.”
But he did note that while it’s a not a “political movie,” it does bring up very thought-provoking political themes.
Article Excerpt [usatoday]
Unbridled power is a highly addictive drug, and the more isolated we become from our so-called leaders the more dangerous they become. Since they have no intention of ‘leading’ in the traditional sense, preferring the safety of their secure bunkers in times of conflict, a little more fear in their lives might stimulate their imaginations. This could conceivably lead them to experience greater empathy with their intended victims, ‘followers’ and ‘enemies’ alike. This done our masters might then discover that what is best for their own interests, and the future of the planet as a a whole, does not necessarily involve the extermination of most of worlds human occupants.