REVIEW: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is a Fight Neither Side Could Win
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is a superhero movie fans have been waiting years to see. Iconic DC Comic stars, Batman and Superman are pitted against one another in the ultimate showdown; however, this 150min movie, directed by Zack Snyder, just doesn’t live up to the hype.
The follow-up to Man of Steel, Dawn of Justice is not a sequel nor is it a Batman movie, but more of a jumble mess. Overflowing with an excessive amount of CGI, the movie is too big for its own good and feels, at moments, like you are watching a video game rather than a film. What really makes this film overwhelming is the numerous individual storylines that do not flow into one cohesive story.
The movie is supposedly influenced by The Dark Knight Returns comic series, by Frank Miller, but the only real similarity between the stories is Batman’s stone cold personality. Everything else is a convoluted mess until the final 20 mins. The final minutes are the best part as the audience gets to watch their favorite heroes fighting alongside one another. With that said, there is not enough detail in any of the stories, aside from one, that helps explain what is going on with the characters in the movie.
The only plotline that makes since is the introduction of Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot. Her path and Gal’s portrayal of Diana Prince will have fans extremely excited for her individual movie. Her story was the one shining moment of the movie and you will wish you could have seen more from her in this film.
Ben Affleck stepped into the coveted role of Bruce Wayne, aka Batman and his performance was adequate. In the grand scheme of things, there was not enough story development to make a conscious judgement. There were some good scenes and his scenes with Jeremy Irons’ Alfred were intriguing, but too many unfinished ideas brought up in the movie left one wondering what was going on with Bruce Wayne.
Henry Cavill returned as Superman and did a good job with what was given to him. And like Batman’s story, Superman’s story just didn’t flow well. This movie was also our first introduction to Lex Luthor, played by Jesse Eisenberg. Fans of the character may be disappointed when they watch the movie. This version of Luthor is portrayed as manic and disoriented rather than the evil genius portrayed in the comics. The character felt more like a mix between The Riddler and The Joker rather than Lex Luthor.
Waiting to see this movie until it is out on Blu-Ray/DVD, that way you can fast forward to the last 20 mins of the movie, is a good bet. If you are dying to see this film, see it in IMAX during a matinee showing. Cheaper price, but you are still able to see the film in the way it was meant to be seen.
Grade: C