Review: ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice’
Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice is the movie that comic book fans have been waiting to see for years. Sure, Marvel has given us the textbook versions of the superhero movie, but DC — for some reason — is being stuck with a higher standard of comic book film. Christopher Nolan delivered a Dark Knight trilogy that pretty much set the standard for realistic superheroes, so DC is trying to stick to that, but also reaching out to what fans know most about the fun of the medium.
Recently, I’ve been on Netflix watching some Justice League/Justice League: Unlimited, and what I’ve noticed is what critics have been bitching about in Man of Steel: Too much destruction. This is bullsh*t. I’ve even written about it in a HuffPo article that went viral after I saw the first film. Each episode is pretty much full of cities getting heavily damaged. Do you think people with superhuman powers fighting in a city won’t throw a car at the other? Are you stupid? This happens in the first film a lot, and then in this film, it’s heavily used as a reason for Batman to be pissed off. It’s a fantastic lead-in to this film. We didn’t need a stupid post-credits thing to make us want to see the next movie. That’s what you do when you made a bad movie that relies on a formula that makes each film not be able to stand alone.
Now, let’s get to Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice. I’ve been pretty psyched about it since it was first teased a few years ago. Batman fighting Superman on the big screen? How the hell are they going to pull off that? And how the hell can Marvel compete with two of the most famous superheroes of all time battling each other? As the reports of a ballooning budget kept coming in, that gave me pause since the more a movie costs, the more it will need to make to even make sure that this whole universe DC is creating can even be a thing.
Premise: Fearing the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on the man of steel, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs. With Batman and Superman fighting each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is created by Lex Luthor. It’s up to Superman and Batman to set aside their differences along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex Luthor and Doomsday from destroying Metropolis.
What was weird about the movie is that it sort of felt like two movies. Part of it felt like a political thriller, and then the other part felt like a comic book action film that really destroyed a lot of stuff. If you thought that Man of Steel causes destruction, wait until you see what happens in this movie. Even Michael Bay would loosen his collar.. and then fire an assistant because she asked if he wanted a bottle of water.
Ben Affleck as Batman was so much fun to watch on the screen, but he didn’t really have what Bale had when he had to be the public Bruce and the real Bruce. It was hard to see Bruce Wayne and not see Affleck the entire time. Remember how Batman had that moral code where he doesn’t kill? Yeah, none of that going on here. On one hand, it really made me wish he would’ve stuck to his one rule. On the other hand, the filmmakers don’t have to be tied down to an aggressive Batman who will do whatever it takes. One scene where he ambushes a bunch of baddies is practically a horror movie. Yeah, they’ll live… but they’ll be living in one of those wheelchairs that talk robot for the rest of their lives.
Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman was a scene-stealer. The moment she comes on the screen for battle, you could feel the collective mouth-breathing of internet nerds come to a halt. She doesn’t just fight, she loves to fight. What will surprise you is how little she’s actually in the movie as Wonder Woman, but I think that’s a good thing.
The action scenes were all beautiful things to watch. You could really see where the bulk of the budget went when you see it all unfold. When it comes to action scenes being a work of art, you can count on Zack Snyder being able to pull off some pretty damn memorable stuff. However, when it comes to the plot that films the in-between plot, it’s iffy, like it was is Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice. At around 2/12 hours, there were a lot of scenes that could definitely have been taken out of the film to make it shorter. 2 1/2 hours is a lot of time to sit and watch a movie, but when an easy 30 minutes could be cut, it takes away from the film. The pacing was obviously stunted by this, and a lot of it had to do with Lois Lane being useless, the political aspect of whether Superman is bad or not, and A lot of weirdness displayed by Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor. I’m not sure what he was going with in his depiction, but it really felt like he was the OCD kid you sat next to in elementary school that twitched a lot and made up stories that never really happened — all while being touchy-feely.
What really has changed in all of this is Superman. Why is he always so pissed off. When he uses his laser eyes in this film, he looks pissed off. From what I remember from reading The Dark Knight Returns, Superman knows Clark, doesn’t want to fight him let alone hurt him. They’re friends. This just feels like pure hatred on both sides. I get that they are facing off against each other, but it still feels weird that they’re both acting like — well, more so Superman. Batman has obvious reasons.
What we get this movie is less than a standalone film and more of a set-up for future films. Would I suggest seeing it in the theater? Of course I would. It’s Batman fighting Superman! But do I expect you to walk out a little bummer or depressed (especially with the last half hour)? I doubt it. If it wasn’t such a high-profile movie that you should see on the big screen, I’d say wait until it comes out for you to watch at home. ALSO, if you’ve seen the trailer with the big reveal. You’ve already seen the movie. What a blunder in releasing a trailer that was.
Grade: 6/10
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action throughout, and some sensuality. It’s in theaters everywhere March 25th.
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Jeff Sorensen is an author, writer and occasional comedian living in Detroit, Michigan. You can look for more of his work on The Huffington Post, UPROXX, BGR and by just looking up his name.
Contact: jeff@socialunderground.com