Released: March 25, 2016
Director: Zack Snyder
Rated PG-13
Run Time: 151 Minutes
Distributor: Warner Bros
Cast:
Ben Affleck: Bruce Wayne/Batman
Henry Cavill: Clark Kent/Superman
Jesse Eisenberg: Lex Luthor
Amy Adams: Lois Lane
Diane Lane: Martha Kent
Jeremy Irons: Alfred
Holly Hunter: Senator Finch
Gal Gadot: Diana Prince/Wonder Woman
Laurence Fishburne: Perry White
In case anyone hasn’t noticed, comic book movies are a thing in today’s cinema. While there have been comic book movies in the past such as Superman: The Movie, which was released in 1978, they really didn’t get noticed much until Bryan Singer’s X-Men came along back in 2000. That movie re-ignited the entire comic-book movie sub-genre. X-Men proved that we can have a truly compelling story with compelling characters based on comics. There has been a major influx of comic book movies over the past 20 years. Marvel has been pumping out multiple movies a year since Iron Man in 2008. Here’s the thing: Most of them have been really good. There have been a few bumps in the road along the way, but it’s turned into a very successful genre of film. DC Comics and Warner Bros tried to capitalize on the new age of comic book movies with Superman Returns back in 2006, but the reaction was…meh. It was Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy that pushed them in the right direction. We finally come to Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Opening during the battle between Superman and Zod from Man of Steel, the film follows the destruction of Metropolis through the eyes of Bruce Wayne, who is trying to get his people out of harm’s way. After saving the life of a security guard and a little girl, Wayne ultimately blames the city’s destruction on Superman. 18 Months later, Lois Lane is interviewing a rebel general when mercenaries attack the terrorists and leave when Superman shows up. In Gotham City, a couple of cops discover a room with women who were about to be trafficked when they say that Batman saved them. Finding the trafficker with a brand on his chest, one of the cops sees Batman and opens fire. Both Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne are eventually invited to Lex Luthor’s mansion for a dedication ceremony of some sort. Lex Luthor, however, has plans to ruin Superman’s reputation and end his life. When Batman V. Superman was released last Friday, the film got slammed by critics for having way too much going on in the film. While I’m usually good at following plot threads, there really WAS too much going on. There were too many sub plots that didn’t really go anywhere meaningful. They also brought in elements from different comic book stories such as Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns and The Death and Life of Superman. I know exactly where they are going with the Justice League movies, but this was NOT the best way to start off this particular trilogy. This is a follow-up to Man of Steel, but it is NOT Man of Steel 2.
On the surface, it seems like the story is focused on Superman, and for the most part, it is. Here’s the thing: The film is essentially from Batman’s perspective. Why? He gets more screen-time than Superman, and the character of Bruce Wayne is fleshed out a bit more. He’s older, he’s more experienced, and he’s less likely to show mercy to certain kinds of criminals. What made him this way? We see a lot of little elements in Bruce Wayne’s cave that serve to illuminate his cynicism. He’s lost friends and allies to the criminal element in Gotham City, and he’s not going to take it anymore. Superman is basically being held accountable for his role in the destruction of Metropolis and all the events that he’s been a part of since that battle. Batman V. Superman is a hodge-podge of story elements that just don’t fully gel in the long run. Yeah, we get a lot of cool ideas and great visual effects, but the narrative of the film is a train-wreck. This is an issue that some Marvel films have had in the past: Too much going on to fit into the run time. The inclusion of Doomsday was and I think still is a bad idea. Why? Because it feels like they just threw him into the mix for Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman to fight. It feels forced, and the creature’s design is an absolute disaster. This is Doomsday:
This is not:
As you can see, Batman V. Superman has some serious problems. But it’s not all doom-and-gloom. Let’s get into the stuff that works. Ben Affleck is absolutely fantastic as Bruce Wayne AND Batman. He can pull of the charming playboy billionaire as well as The Bat. In fact, Affleck’s Batman is the best I’ve seen since Michael Keaton. He is truly intimidating and scary as Batman. He’s also very brutal as he uses guns and kills people. If Affleck’s Batman had any moral qualms about killing people, he abandoned that a long time ago, and genuinely makes for a more compelling character. Henry Cavill is still really good as Superman. He’s gotten more comfortable in the role, and there’s actually some internal conflict with the character. Amy Adams is still good as Lois Lane. One point of contention that a lot of people had with the film was Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Initially, I was VERY skeptical, but having seen the film for a second time, I’m actually somewhat on board with it. Another issue was with Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. For the amount of screen time that she has, she is amazing. I would never have picked Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, because she doesn’t really have the body for the character, but she really gives it her all. When she showed up all decked out in her outfit, the entire theater cheered. She was great. I’m really looking forward to her stand-alone film next year, I think it could be really great. We also get cameos from Aquaman, The Flash, and Cyborg as well. I’m not sold into how that worked out, but I’m really curious as to how these guys factor into the next movie.
The action in the film is awesome. The opening action sequence takes place during the final battle of Man of Steel, but from a different perspective, and it’s intense. Bruce Wayne hops into a car and chases through the city while explosions are going and buildings are falling down. It’s nuts. I loved it. When Batman gets into the Batmobile and chases people around, that’s also pretty exciting. This thing is a combination of the tumbler from The Dark Knight Trilogy and the vehicle from Tim Burton’s films. He crashes through buildings, ships and lands on top of cars. It’s pretty fun. I will say this for Zack Snyder, he knows how to do action. A lot of people were rightfully anticipating the big dust-up between Batman and Superman. It does not disappoint. It. Is. Awesome. It’s brutal, too. In fact, the entire last half of the movie is great as far as action goes. Yeah, I don’t like the design of Doomsday, but that particular fight is spectacular, nonetheless. As an action movie, Batman V. Superman is pretty damn good. The music by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL is disappointing however. It utilizes some of the themes from the far superior soundtrack to Man of Steel, but there’s no real identifying theme here.
Does Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice deserve all the abject hatred that it’s been getting? No. Not really. But are some of the complaints about the film legitimate? Sure. Doomsday was shoehorned in, a lot of the story threads really go nowhere, and Wonder Woman didn’t really need to be here. It’s just filled to the brim with story but the run time doesn’t really allow for those threads to be explored, and I’m hoping that the Director’s Cut of the film will flesh those out. The Director’s Cut of the film is supposed to be about 3 hours long, so I’m really curious to see what was cut out. As a result of the film being overstuffed with tons of cool elements, the narrative takes a major nose-dive and ends up not really being memorable. I think the film will be vindicated in time when watched as part of the Justice League movies, but right now, it’s a hot mess. I recommend you see it in theaters at least once. It’s a big movie and deserves that at least. My final verdict for the film is a 7.5/10. It’s a real mixed bag, and that’s unfortunate. I’m hoping that Justice League will be handled a bit better.