As Sundance dominated the news cycle this morning, the superhero hype machine continued to grind along. This morning, it spat out a new trailer for the upcoming DC crossover tentpole Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and it just might be the darkest (in terms of deficient lighting and overall tone) yet. The eternal philosophical struggle of men both Bat- and Super- rages on, incapable of finally resolving because both Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne are inside all of us. Henry Cavill’s ridiculous costume glasses: What do they symbolize? Man’s inability to hide his true self, always exposing his nature through non-conscious gestures? Or perhaps they are just a symbol of bad glasses?

In all seriousness, this fourth trailer offers more of the self-serious moral ambiguity that the first three trailers delivered. Under a certain set of political ideals, the Batman is an unregulated vigilante who must be stopped. Under another set, Superman is an unchecked power capable of causing widespread devastation who, also, must be stopped. They will do war with their lethal opinions on the separation between personal liberties and liberties of the state, and also their fists, on March 25 when the movie goes into wide release.

Adding a pair of X-factors to the proceedings are Jesse Eisenberg as a stringy-haired, delectably awkward Lex Luthor and Gal Gadot making her big debut as the one and only Wonder Woman. This battle royale will unofficially kick off blockbuster season earlier than ever by moving the starting line to late March, though only time will tell if this project can generate box-office draws to match its titanic ambition.

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