Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice
They’ve been a number of blockbuster disappointments over the last twenty years or so. ‘Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace’ immediately comes to mind and more recently Peter Jackson’s return to Middle Earth in The Hobbit trilogy are two shining examples of major “Fandom” letdowns. Well now you can add ‘Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice’ to that list because director Zach Snyder and Warner Brothers Studio have successfully blown up large wards of money on the big screen and can merely shrug in response.
Before focusing on its faults, let’s briefly go through what the film does right. Firstly, Affleck absolutely nails the reclusive and savvy contractions of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego. During the films few spectacular moments, Snyder’s Batman is at the heart of it and is a worthy addition to the character’s extensive lore. Speaking about spectacle, Cavill once again brings us a stellar representation of Superman for the big screens. There’s a bit more Clark Kent this time around and he brings a subtle honesty to the role without overdoing it. The suit looks a lot better as well and the mystical awe of this god-like figure in a contemporary setting is a tremendous achievement. It is then no surprise that when these two pop-culture icons finally do face off - it is very well done, more than worth the ticket price alone. So what is the film’s glaring faults then? Sadly, the answer to that is everything else.
Let’s start with the plot. In the aftermath of Superman and General Zod’s destruction derby fight in Metropolis from ‘Man of Steel’, the world remains undecided on what Superman’s role should be. Is he a political solution or peace-keeping nightmare? Is he the ideal representation of God or is he simply another one of his creations and if so, what does that make us? The first act of the film deals with these issues well and follows up the thematic discussions we all wanted to see after the clumsy but well-thought through ‘Man of Steel’. Yet Snyder and co simply throws it aside for needless franchise set-ups and the following acts stumbles its way to another messy conclusion. Adding Batman to the mix seemed like a masterstroke at first but as the film runs confusingly forward - even he gets lost in the cacophony.
Our primary antagonist this time around is the famous egomaniac Lex Luther (Jesse Eisenberg) and this version is ludicrously bad. Like almost every Lex Luther from previous adaptations, he is hunting for Superman’s only known weakness - Kryptonite. There’s no reason given to why he wants to simultaneously want to protect the world and drive it into chaos, he’s simply jealous that Superman is treated like a God and he wants none of it. His story is weak, confusing and Eisenberg plays him like he has a mental disorder that is more annoying than frightful.
Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman also shows up but instead of organically integrating her into the story-line, she’s simply a tool to foreshadow the introduction for DC’s Justice League films. If fan-edits of the film cut her out completely, nothing of value will be lost. It was a rushed, needless addition and it shows. Sequel baiting and confusing foreshadowing is problematic when Marvel films do it but it seems that even the latest DC adaptation gets it thoroughly wrong. Having the first proper introduction to this new Batman in a ham-fisted dream sequence (that turns out to be a Justice League set-up) will have the majority of the audience scratching their heads in confusion.
I don’t want to give away the film’s final act but depending on your tastes, it could either be the highlight of the film or the final nail in the coffin. It’s better paced than the horrendous middle section in which nothing really much happens and lacks any of the themes the first act was setting up. Regardless, It is loud, bombastic and maybe the year’s biggest spectacle. I’m still split on it though. It definitely contains the film’s best moments but by the end, each of my five senses was begging for reprieve. The destruction and mayhem was a bit too much, all happening way too quickly and when it ends the audience wasn’t clapping in applause at my screening but merely sighing in relief that this continuous assault to the senses was over.
Blockbuster films like this need to put aside a time for reflection, moments of respite to humanize these characters so the audience can at least relate to them. They weren’t making a risky independent production and a film with both Batman and Superman should have never felt so overbearingly mediocre. Warner Brothers was so busy thinking of the competition with Marvel, they forget these characters have been beloved and cherished for over a half a century. Batman and Superman may be fantastical at their heart but their humanity always made them so relatable. Both lost their parents at a young age so they fought to understand their world and make the best use of their abilities to improve it. In ‘Batman V Superman’, they’re both distant, border-line sociopaths who are in desperate need of psychological help.
It’s hard to recommend a film with so many flaws but it is still mildly entertaining. The amazing CGI work and the massive action scenes might come far too long into the film’s runtime but they’re worth the wait. If those things interest you, then absolutely go check it out. Just don’t forget to take some aspirins, you’ll need it.