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| Let's get ready to rumble! |
This review comes late for a number of reasons. One, during
my first viewing of the film, I was ecstatic: as a DC fan through and through,
I was ready to love this movie no matter what. That first showing gave me a
plethora of DC love, and I ate up every minute of it. I was in a state of
ecstasy, a mindset where I was just pleased to finally see the two titans of
comics in the same frame on the big screen. After the second showing, one where
my emotions were suppressed and my critical side was prominent, I can still say
with satisfaction that this movie is enjoyable.
That doesn’t mean it’s perfect.
In terms of character, those notably returning from Man of
Steel include Superman, Lois Lane, Martha Kent/Ma Kent, and Perry White; each
character is portrayed by Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, and Lawrence
Fischburne respectively. While Ma Kent and Perry are reliable characters
without being given much to work with, it’s Lois and Clark that get the time to
shine. There isn’t much growth from either of them, however. Lois opens the
movie discussing with Clark her fears over if he can be her love and Superman
at the same time, but that specific dilemma is never again addressed. Lois is
simply there to interact with the heroes and villains as a means of explaining
the current motivations of the characters, which is a shame considering the
film has Amy Adams to work with. The character is wasted, and Adams’ talent
fails to shine because of it.
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| The hope from Krypton returns to bring the pain. |
Superman faces a similar dilemma, but at least
he’s used more. With a majority of the plot (and an entertaining montage
covering the ethics of Superman) surrounding whether or not Superman has a
place in our complex world, there’s little indication that Clark is going
through a difficult time. He mopes, going from person to person for a different
perspective on how he should act, but he ultimately doesn’t do anything
different from what he was doing in the beginning of the movie. And to a
further extent, Cavill becomes quite wooden when he suits up. As Clark, he’s
great, he’s human, he’s relatable. When he goes super, it’s like he loses that
humanity. I don’t know if that was a direction given to him, but I do remember
that in Man of Steel, there weren’t
as many sequences where not Clark’s, but Superman’s dialogue was delivered in
such a stilted fashion. It was so noticeable that it can’t be ignored or shoved
under the carpet.
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| The Dark Knight returns with a vengeance. |
But this movie isn’t for our old friends, it’s a showcase
for DC newcomers as well! Batman/Bruce Wayne, Alfred the Butler, Wonder
Woman/Diana Prince, and Lex Luthor all make their debuts in this movie to begin
expanding based on the DC lexicon. The star of this movie really is Batman,
portrayed by Ben Affleck, and for the first two-thirds of the film you begin to
feel like the movie is more about Batman himself than his rivalry with
Superman. Some may be able to forgive the movie of this, especially since we
need to re-establish Batman for this interpretation of the world. Ben Affleck
and Jeremy Irons (who plays Alfred) are a joy to see on-screen together. You
can tell they enjoy each other’s company, and they have some good banter to
exchange. It makes it all the more disappointing that you don’t see more of
their interactions. That’s okay, though, because the Batman sequences are
AMAZING. For anyone who’s ever played a Batman videogame, especially a modern
one, this will feel very familiar. Batman’s tough, fast, resourceful and
merciless with the criminals of Gotham’s underbelly, and his action sequences
are a complete joy to watch. They’re much more entertaining than Christian
Bale’s stilted fight scenes, I’ll say that much. The other newcomers haven’t
been so well-received, but I enjoyed them for what they were. Many were
disappointed in Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Lex Luthor, as he’s a more wiry
interpretation of the character. This Lex is a scattered genius, somewhat
timid, but nonetheless convicted in his goals. His ticks and twitches make him
unnerving to watch, and I couldn’t imagine being in the same room with the man.
Most people won’t like that Lex isn’t as cool or calculating as previous
iterations have been, but I found his erratic nature to be a nice compliment to
the stonefaced heroes we see in this movie.
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| You WISH you were this badass. |
Speaking of heroes, Wonder Woman
makes her first big-screen debut in this movie, and she isn’t disappointing.
Granted, Gal Gadot, the former model who was cast in the role, doesn’t do
anything groundbreaking with the role, but she doesn’t completely botch the job
either. There are a couple sequences where Gadot interacts with Affleck, and they’re
pretty entertaining scenes. Again, however, when she puts on the warrior garb,
she begins to go stale. The personality and the mystique of Diana Prince
disappears when she becomes Wonder Woman. Again, it’s nothing major, as she has
maybe 4 lines as Wonder Woman, but I have to imagine a much more trained
actress could have delivered the lines better.
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| Imagine if Mark Zuckerberg was Lex Luthor. |
Many of the film’s issues lie in the fact that the story is
stilted. The script could probably be divided into five different aspects:
introducing Batman, having the world conflicted over Superman, having Lex be
angry with the government and Superman, having Batman want to fight Superman
(and vice versa), and setting up the formation of the super-team, the Justice
League. There is no single plotline that dominates, with the script instead
seemingly dividing these ideas equally. This results in a sloppy delivery of
essentially a prequel to the Justice League rather than a cohesive dialogue
between Batman and Superman about the morality of being a superhero, which is
the plot that the movie was selling to viewers. The issue with Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is
the issue with Iron Man 2, is the issue with Avengers: Age of Ultron: much of the plot important to the movie at
hand is sacrificed to make way for things to come. This isn’t dissimilar to how
an actual comic book would tell a story, but a comic book also doesn’t demand
two and a half hours of your attention, along with somewhere around $7-15 of
your hard-earned cash. By the end of the film, you realize that the movie is
more Dawn of Justice and less Batman V Superman.
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| Many of the shots in the movie look as great as this photo. |
But there are many moments that can entertain you,
regardless of plot. Director Zack Snyder is a master of cinematography, able to
craft and create amazing sequences with past films such as 300, Watchmen, and even
the previously-stated Man of Steel. Batman V Superman is no different, with
the Batman sequences being exhilarating to watch, Batman and Superman fighting
being a nail-biting (and surprisingly aggressive) experience, and Wonder Woman’s
technique dazzling when she joins the fray. The special effects are top-notch,
and Snyder shoots each sequence as if it were something you would read in your
weekly issue of that comic series you love. This movie was made by a comic book
fan to express his love of these characters in the way he thought best to: by
bringing them directly off the page, and onto the screen. And cynic or not,
these scenes dazzle.
At the end of the day, Batman
V Superman: Dawn of Justice is an incredibly flawed film, especially
considering the stacks it was up against: there was so much potential that
could have been reached, so much excitement to live up to, and a standard set
and unmatched by its contemporaries over at Marvel Studios. While this movie
doesn’t come close to the likes of The
Avengers, there is still enjoyment to be had here if you want to find it.
Not everyone will be able to, though. And even though I, a self-proclaimed DC
fanboy, admit to its faults, that doesn’t mean I still didn’t enjoy what it
gave me, or what is to come down the line. I just wish it had given me more,
here and now.
Rating: 6.75/10
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