Batman v Superman v Itself

Batman v Superman Review
-Batman v Superman v Itself.

Three years ago, Snyder took the stage of the 2013 San Diego Comic Con to announce that the next movie in the DC Universe would be Batman v Superman. While the announcement attracted much excitement, it also invited in loads of skepticism. Many disliked Man of Steel and questioned whether that same director could not only fix his mistakes with Superman, but also juggle the introduction of arguably the biggest character in the DC Movie Universe, Batman. As the years went by, bits of details leaked, set photos were released, costumes were revealed and the hype continued growing. It was this hype that grew into such an extremity that BvS was never going to be what fans wanted and expected. Sadly, with the release of this movie, it is safe to say that it wasn't that hype that did this movie in; it was itself.

What was revealed as a Man of Steel sequel turned out to be more of a Justice League prequel. In Snyder's superhero epic, the early relationship between Batman and Superman is explored, allowing fans to watch as the two go head to head, both physically and symbolically, with an eventual conclusion of friendship.

On paper, that seems like the perfect Batman versus Superman movie but unfortunately, Snyder and his team never quite delivered on the promise of what could have been the greatest superhero movie of our generation.

Another unfortunate telling came straight from the marketing team. With arguably the most spoilery trailers ever seen for a superhero movie, anyone who made up their mind after watching these trailers, will have a hard time changing their mind via this movie. What you've seen is what you're getting.

The film utilizes the climactic battle between Superman and Zod that occurs during the tail end of Man of Steel to introduce us to, what I believe, the best Batman ever portrayed on the big screen. Played by Ben Affleck, this Batman (and subsequently SPOILER ALERT Bruce Wayne) is brooding, angry, destructive, and brutal. He's a Batman that's been through the ringer time and time again, and we see that through Batman's vicious physicality and Wayne's constant wariness. Batman sees Superman as a threat, an alien, worshiped on Earth as a God and as a figure of power that he cannot trust and, as a result, must take down.

Superman, on the other end of the bay, sees Batman as a threat that must be stopped too. In Superman's eyes, Batman is an outlaw. He defies the law-abiding morals of Superman by taking justice into his own hand, often in a relentless manner with no regard for the civil rights guaranteed to all, even criminals.

It is this relationship between the two that opens the door for the likes of alternate-universe Zuckerberg ala Lex Luthor, played by Jesse Eisenberg, to manipulate the playing field.

Meanwhile, Diana Prince, played by Gal Gadot, is playing her own game of cards. She hides under the guise of rich beauty, always there but hardly noticed. As the movie runs on, her motives are never quite revealed. The audience knows who she truly is (thanks again to the trailers) and when that moment comes, it is hard to plot the points that got her there.

This is how much of the story plays out. During the far-too-long two and a half hour run time, Batman, Superman, Diana Prince, and Lex Luthor are all doing things. Some of these things pan out and some come off as contrived but dropped story lines. The problem with all of these story points though is that after arriving, it's tough to say how you got there. Up until the third act, these story points largely consist of characters brooding or moping (you can guess who does what), talking with someone who's advice they probably won't take, and occasional bursts of action sequences that fall short only because we've seen them in trailers already. It's in the third act that you'll get what you want: a visual feast of action.

Leading up to this third act, BvS could easily be described as a character-driven drama more satisfying to the psyche, rather than your veins ready to release that sweet adrenaline movies like this have done before (shout out to Marvel and the Dark Knight trilogy). It's here that the movie might lose its standard fan-boys/girls, but those more invested in the characters rather than their fists, are in for a treat.

 It was Snyder's dive into the minds of Superman and Batman that I felt most satisfied by. Yes, his depictions are different but that's no reason to write them off. What Snyder has done with these characters is differentiate them from portrayals of the past. Cavill's Superman struggles, kills, and ultimately fails to maintain the image of perfection in the world's eye, something new to the silver screen Superman. Affleck's Batman punishes, crushes, brands, and destroys his enemies, a telling fortune of a seasoned Batman; also something new to the silver screen.

It's partly Snyder's fault that audiences expects the action the title guarantees (a more fitting title: Batman and Superman discuss directly and indirectly the problems they have with each other using menacing voices before fighting for a few minutes). With a name like Batman v Superman, it's tough not to imagine that this movie won't be a fisticuffs of the two greatest heroes. Instead, we get a psychological analysis of the characters, which is awesome in it's own right, but not what we were promised.

Speaking of characters, when we do arrive at a scene with Batman, he steals the show. As I've already said, this Batman is beautifully brutal and Affleck certainly proves that he deserves the title of this comic book champion. He's the perfect concoction of bachelor playboy and obsessed autocratic, culminating into the ultimate Bruce Wayne/Batman combination.

The amount of detail that went into the creation of this Batman almost indicates a secret desire in Snyder to create a Batman movie. From the suit, to the car, to the cave, to the voice, to the combat, to it all, this Batman is damn near perfection (by far the best Batman we've ever seen in a movie).

Batman for the most part drives the plot forward (this movie should have been a Batman movie), but Cavill's Superman is what allows the audience to be a part of the story. It's near impossible to sympathize with Batman, or even understand what drives a man to the point of acting as a hellish vigilante, but Superman is always the connection we as humans can make to superheros, and that's no different this time around. In BvS, Superman strives to be a force of good and change in the world, but every action comes with a reaction. Sadly, for Superman, some of the reaction is not in his favor. There's a sequence of action that occurs in Africa that is used to drive this negative reaction towards Superman forward, but what seems like a worthwhile subplot, ends up being a way to make a setting for the most surprising scene in the movie (I'll be honest...I jumped).

Cavill tries hard, really hard (have you seen those arms?), but ultimately fails to convince me that he is Superman. He's wooden and lacks true conviction like his counterpart Affleck does when he's in his suit. Maybe it's bad writing or maybe it's poor acting, but Cavill is not my Superman. He's good enough though so for the time being, he's what myself and the audience will have to work with.

Alongside Cavill is Amy Adams, back again as Lois Lane. She seemingly hasn't grown at all as a character since we last saw her in Man of Steel, but fortunately, bringing to the table the same dish as last time isn't always a bad thing. Like in Man of Steel, she's hardened but kind, determined and beautiful, and stands proudly by her man, or rather, Superman (I'm sorry...). She brings the "human" factor of this movie full circle, acting as a mere mortal forced to face the consequences of loving a God.

As I said earlier, Snyder nailed everything and anything Batman, even Alfred. Jeremy Irons uses his little screen time to shine and tease the capabilities this new take on Alfred has. He's certainly not a butler but a caretaker to Batman nonetheless. I'm excited to see him alongside the Caped Crusader years down the road when the inevitable Batman solo film is released.

Smack dab in the middle of Affleck and Cavill is Gal Gadot. She pans out to be an excellent choice as Wonder Woman but ultimately, fails to matter in the story that Snyder is trying to tell. Patty Jenkins is spearheading the coming Wonder Woman movie, and the little glimpse we got of Gadot's portrayal wet my appetite enough to guarantee that I'll be seeing that movie in theaters.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. While different, his take on Luthor is a memorable one and ultimately, a decisive choice. This Luthor is still a business mogul, but rather than relying on greed and power to drive his decisions, Eisenberg's Luthor might have a legitimate psychological disorder. It's a controversial decision for sure. Some will love it and some will hate it.

 It's during the third act that the audience will come to agree on one thing with this character: his motivations don't add up. At first, he's a powerful man who wants to prevent a potential threat from becoming an actual one. As the film rolls on though, he becomes a lunatic who's essentially adopting a dead alien (going so far as making sure they're "blood" family), resurrecting him into a frankenstein-like form, and unleashing him onto Metropolis. In simpler terms, what I just wrote is "a man scared of the damage an alien might cause, resurrects an exponentially-more dangerous alien and unleashes him to cause damage." Sure, maybe this creature will kill Superman, but does Luthor remember he wants Superman dead because of the threat he serves to possibly be? Superman has nothing on the threat Luthor's creation poses. It's here where I believe Luthor isn't a man set on saving mankind from Superman, but rather, a man who hates all that Superman is and stands for. It's here that I believe this Luthor suffers from some obsessive disorder, but unfortunately, all that was translated from Snyder to the audience was poor storytelling, so for now, we don't really know.

BvS does take a break or two from its psychoanalysis to finally (an hour and a half in) let Batman and Superman fight. This fight is what we were promised by the title. It's brutal, painful, hard-hitting, and nicely sourced straight from the pages of Miller's TDKR. Had the trailer kept this part of the movie a bit more secretive, it would've been even better.

BvS also slows down to pointlessly and forcibly introduce some future Justice League members. I won't say how it's done but it is lazy. Our glimpses at Ezra Miller's Flash are nice, but obvious and predictable, and Jason Mamoa's Aquaman falls somewhere in between awkward and intimidating. Ray Fisher's Cyborg takes the short end of the stick though as his cameo feels more YouTube than it does million dollar cinema. In the end, these introductions could have easily been cut from the film. They're there to create the "Dawn of Justice" subtitle but they serve to create a more "yeah, one day I bet something will happen with them of Justice" subtitle.

BvS is thankfully focused on Batman and Superman, which leaves me thinking that while Gadot crushed it has Wonder Woman, she could have easily been saved for a more proper introduction ala the upcoming 2017 Wonder Woman solo film. In fact, Snyder should have removed the Justice League cameos and the inclusion of Wonder Woman, and called this movie Batman v Superman.

While it is nice to see the DC Trinity on screen together, it is underwhelming to say the least. When you see that shot (yes, the one from the trailers), Superman at that point hasn't said a single word to Wonder Woman and Batman, although having spent adequate time talking to her, doesn't understand her arrival to the scene. Together, they fight as a cohesive unit, but only as cohesive as three heroes can be without having a relationship that makes fighting together meaningful. It's for this reason that the climax that should have fired on all cylinders, fails to get the engine started.

Overall, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has enough good in it to warrant seeing it in theaters. What's good is really good, and in Batman's case, near perfection. What hurts this movie most though is that what's bad, is really bad. The action sequences are great, the dialogue is well written, but it's Snyder's execution that ultimately fails this superhero epic. The story aimlessly wanders from point to point, and the lack of try demonstrates a laziness present throughout. The blueprint of this film is excellent; it's the step-by-step instructions that keep this movie from ever reaching greatness.

Final Score: 6 out of 10.
5 is the score for an average movie and this movie has enough going good for it to place it above average. It fails though to reach beyond good into anything great. For this reason, the movie doesn't reach 7 or anything above. It falls right in between 5 and 7 as a standard 6.