Title: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Release Date: March 24th, 2016
Studio: Warner Brothers
Directors: Zack Snyder
Release Format: Theatrical
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a film that had everything going for it. The cast was a solid line up of heavy, A-list hitters, Zach Snyder has had great success adapting comic book-based properties, and it was going to deliver a legendary prize fight that had yet to be captured in live action. It’s a film that in principle should have been fairly easy to depict, but buckles under the bloated nature of the script. Now, before we begin I think it’s important that we quickly address an issue that I’ve seen popping up around other critics reviews. Namely this so-called bias for Marvel over DC movies, or just the comic book genre as a whole. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice‘s problem isn’t that it’s a comic book film, but a movie that fails to deliver anything beyond a surface value. It’s clear that Batman v Superman is not trying to be one of the snappy, colorful Marvel movies that have been flooding the box offices for the past few years and that’s fine. Comic book movies have never needed to follow a certain formula, as they have limitless avenues to tell their particular story in a way that makes sense and stays true to the source material. Though Batman v Superman stays true to the dark nature DC is known for, Snyder clearly forgot to make a movie to go along with his aesthetic choice.
Now DC does have a habit of making some of their stories fairly convoluted, but while this can work in a comic that has years of history behind it the same cannot be said for a movie. It’s important that we understand and separate the two, as we cannot judge Batman v Superman by the comic book counterparts. These characters have cultural history, yes, but the tales in the comics do not serve as the “backstory” for the film. I am not judging Batman v Superman on any other merits than the movie that is presented and the basic ideologies of each hero built around each character through decades of cultivation. As much as some people might not want to believe it, director Zach Snyder is not infallible. Being a comic fan doesn’t give you a pass or an excuse to hide behind when the negative critical reception rolls in. If you make a poorly disjointed mess, you are responsible for the poorly disjointed mess. Normally I wouldn’t have to give such a disclaimer, but Batman v Superman is quite a divided movie already by both fans and critics alike. It’s important to take all of the above into consideration, especially for the rest of this review.
Don’t get me wrong, there is a movie buried somewhere beneath the less than subtle social commentary and set ups for the future Justice League movie. Acting as very much a reaction to the outcry of Superman (Henry Cavill) effectively destroying half of metropolis in Man of Steel, we follow several characters and their perception of Superman. It’s fairly obvious who stands where early on as Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) clearly despises him, Batman (Ben Affleck) thinks he’s dangerous, Alfred (Jeremy Irons) views him as an ally, and the rest of the world is increasingly divided on his presence. It’s not a discussion that should have been the focus of the movie, but one out of necessity. There is a need to discuss Superman’s destructive actions, but the problem is this idea takes over the entirety of the script. Snyder goes out of his way during any major, city destroying fights, to make clear that no one is around to get hurt. Seriously, at a certain point, I thought Batman was going to just look at the screen and reassure the audience no innocent civilians will be harmed during this battle. If you cannot tell by now Batman v Superman is anything but subtle, which is one of my main issues.
When the film wants to discuss the idea of gods among men, the morality of heroes, and the consequences of choice it hardly trusts you to formulate your own opinions. The film is so bold-faced about its messages that it doesn’t even try to lend the audience some semblance of credit. I’ve never seen a movie hold the hand of its viewers so firmly, dragging them along from set piece to set piece, dictating what we should or should not think of these actions. This comes off as lazily written as if Snyder couldn’t be bothered to try and give his movie a sense of depth or subtext. Trying to shoehorn set ups for the future Justice League movie wasn’t helping either, as Snyder feels the need to stop the movie entirely to show footage of all the other members in actions. It’s not organic in any way and truthfully feels like a cheap method to just show off other DC characters for an upcoming blockbuster.
Parts of this film’s plot just do not make sense or seem like a contrived way to push the story forward. At one point Lois Lane (Amy Adams) is tracking down the root cause of a Benghazi-esc issue and the cover up around it, but it just seems to just fizzle out. I get that it’s supposed to be a staging so the distrust in Superman grows, but this moment isn’t the straw that broke the Bat’s back. Bruce Wayne clearly already distrusts, if not outright hates Superman so this served little to no purpose. KG Beast (Callan Mulvey) is for whatever reason in this movie for far longer than he deserves to be and any existential crisis that Superman is having never received a proper and fulfilling end. Batman’s entire objection to Superman is hypocritical as he definitely kills more than 20 people over the course of this movie, essentially betraying the entire notion of what Batman really is. The addition of Doomsday is so forced into this film that you can hear the gears of the movie grinding to a halt in an attempt to explain how this would work. Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) should have been a great addition to the movie, but she is there to literally do nothing but flirt with Bruce Wayne a bit and then make a heroic appearance at the end fight. The script is downright lazy and so poorly done that episode of the cartoon Justice League have more depth and intrigue to them. If it wasn’t for some of the fantastic performances, Batman v Superman would be one of the worst superhero movies of all time.
Affleck dominates as both Batman and Bruce Wayne, giving one of the best on-screen renditions of the Dark Knight ever. He has both the gravitas, charm, and physical presence to dominate every scene he is in, whether it’s as Bruce or Batman. Couple this with the amazing portrayal of Alfred (Jeremy Irons) and you get some glimmer of hope that the eventual solo Batman movie will be leagues ahead of this. Cavill is still as stiff and rigid as ever, making for another rather dull portrayal of Superman. Though we all know the biggest point of contention among fans is and will continue to be Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Lex Luthor. Truthfully I rather enjoyed the energetic, sociopathic nature of Luthor, but that could be due to the rest of Batman v Superman trying so hard to take itself seriously. Eisenberg may not be the traditional portrayal of Luthor, but his unique take gives the character a bit more personality beyond a self-absorbed megalomaniac. His plan is devious and believable, which helps set up for a great moment between Luthor and Superman on the top of a roof. The only complaint is not the fault of the actor, but the script itself as Luthor’s mood swings never seem to go anywhere. Don’t me wrong, I thought it was a nice addition to the character, but it just feels inconsistent with the rest of Eisenberg’s performance
If it wasn’t for some of the fantastic performances, Batman v Superman would be one of the worst superhero movies of all time. Affleck dominates as both Batman and Bruce Wayne, giving one of the best on-screen renditions of the Dark Knight ever. He has the gravitas, charm, and physical presence to dominate every scene he is in, whether it’s as Bruce or Batman. Couple this with the amazing portrayal of Alfred (Jeremy Irons) and you get some glimmer of hope that the eventual solo Batman movie will be leagues ahead of this. Cavill is still as stiff and rigid as ever, making for another rather dull portrayal of Superman. Though we all know the biggest point of contention among fans is and will continue to be Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Lex Luthor. Truthfully I rather enjoyed the energetic, sociopathic nature of Luthor, but that could be due to the rest of Batman v Superman trying so hard to take itself seriously. Eisenberg may not be the traditional portrayal of Luthor, but his unique take gives the character a bit more personality beyond a self-absorbed megalomaniac. His plan is devious and believable, which helps set up for a great moment between Luthor and Superman on the top of a roof. The only complaint is not the fault of the actor, but the script itself as Luthor’s mood swings never seem to go anywhere. Don’t me wrong, I thought it was a nice addition to the character, but it just feels inconsistent with the rest of Eisenberg’s performance.
Of course, I am sure we all want to know how the actual action in Batman v Superman was handled and honestly, I cannot complain. This, aside from some of the acting, was the best part of the movie by far. The showdown between the title characters doesn’t overstay its welcome, fight scenes just involving Batman feel pulled straight out of the comic (minus him totally killing people,) and the big battle between Doomsday and three heroes is entertaining enough. Snyder nails the action, but the problem is the movie doesn’t get much deeper than that, but not for lack of trying. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a movie that is too convoluted and too poorly paced. Its first act is wildly inconsistent with the rest of the movie to the point where it feels completely disjointed. I wanted to like Batman v Superman, I really did. Out of 1500 words, the easiest way to just describe Batman v Superman is a bland, inconsistent, and self-absorbed. Well… at least Suicide Squad looks good.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhWg7AQLI_8[/embedyt]
- Acting: Affleck, Irons, and surprisingly Eisenberg deliver fantastic performances that help carry the weight of a rather boring film. Cavill is as wooden as ever and Gadot is in the film so little that I could hardly judge her acting abilities.
- Cinematography: Following the DC tried and true washed out color pallet, Batman v Superman is as gray and dark as ever. Action is filmed competently and the best thing about the camera work.
- Story: A disjointed mess that is wildly inconsistent. Parts of the film seem completely superfluous to the rest of the plot and the pacing is so poor that it gives Batman v Superman an incredibly disjointed feel.
- Characters: While most of the characters are consistent throughout, others like Wonder Woman and Doomsday just feel shoehorned into the movie. Side note, why would they ever make the principle Batman villain be KB Beast? Could Snyder not think of another more interesting mercenary (of which DC has many) to be the foil for Batman?
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