‘Batman v Superman’: Not much fun in the fight
Once upon a time, Batman and Superman used to be fun ... in the way that many of the Marvel characters have been in their movies. The DC Comics universe definitely began going for the darker side in its screen ventures. Rarely is that more evident than in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which doesn’t exactly put the heroes in league with each other. That’s much of the problem with the film, which HBO shows Monday, May 27. Though there was a long and anticipation-packed wait for it, the movie frequently seems like a really long tease for others that would come later in the franchise. Here, we get Ben Affleck’s Bruce Wayne/Batman resenting Henry Cavill’s Superman for aftereffects of the climax of “Man of Steel,” which also was directed by this film’s Zack Snyder. That’s principally where the title’s “v” comes into play. Even politicians are on the case of Krypton’s favorite son, including the one played by Holly Hunter. They’re concerned with what the immense power of Superman could mean destructively, rather than positively, for the world – and along with the familiar scheming of Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg, who’s ideal for the part), it’s enough to make a superhero reconsider saving humanity. The same goes for Batman, though he’s working on a more localized level, his focus and abilities being more earthly. As one of many Caped Crusaders to inhabit the screen, Affleck has the brooding down perfectly, if indeed there must be this much brooding. And Cavill continues to fill his often-airborne suit admirably, both physically and in acting terms. The freshest breath here is Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot, who later got her own movies (the first of those, in fact, was in production at the time this one was released). Amy Adams is back from “Man of Steel” as Lois Lane, and Jeremy Irons makes a terrific butler Alfred. Of course, the special effects are up to par, as they must be in a saga of this nature. Particularly interesting is the envisioning of Metropolis and Gotham, legendary locales we never saw juxtaposed before this (at least not in this series of films). In the same way their respective icons have their differences, so do those cities, and making that point visually is very much to the credit of the picture’s artistic team. However, for all that does have, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is sorely lacking one element: joy. And, in more ways than one, that’s a very serious flaw that not even a superhero can withstand.