Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Movie Review

Zack Snyder returns to the director’s chair with his follow-up to “Man of Steel”.  “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is arguably the most anticipated comic-book film adaptation to date.  How could it not be?  The new film pits the two DC comic titans against each other and promises one hell of a battle.  Unfortunately, the audience must sit through more than two hours of nonsense before the moment we have all been waiting for finally arrives.

“Batman v Superman” is not just bad, it’s REALLY bad.  I wasn’t expecting an award winning film, but with everything the studio has riding on the success of the franchise, I would think they would want to do a better job ensuring that they would be delivering something that the audience could enjoy.  With the exception of a few elements, “Batman v Superman” is a bigger disaster than Metropolis was at the end of “Man of Steel”.

I know many were worried about Ben Affleck’s casting as the Dark Knight.  Let me say that he is one of the very few things here that actually works.  Affleck delivers a much different but effective Bruce Wayne/Batman than we have seen in previous films.  Jesse Eisenberg also fairs quite well as Lex Luthor. This is a very different Lex than we are used to.  Eisenberg really gives an energetic performance and makes Lex fun to watch. I just wish the character was given something more interesting to do than basically playing a puppet master.  Cavill’s Superman/Clark Kent is definitely more defined than he was in “Man of Steel”, but when up against Affleck’s Batman, he seems even more dull than before.

I want to keep this review as spoiler free as possible, so let me stay clear of as many story elements as I can.  There are so many issues with “Batman v Superman” that it made enjoying the moments that worked harder to enjoy.  It feels like the studio tried to shoehorn as many characters as possible in order to build their cinematic universe.  There is really no solid reason for Diane Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) to be involved at this point.  The other cameos included feel forced.

Running at about 2.5 hours, “Batman v Superman” is bloated and filled with so much spectacle, that I felt like everyone involved were trying their best to distract me from how absolutely stupid the story was.   When we finally get to the battle however, I will admit that it is one hell of a brawl and quite a bit of fun. Unfortunately as you may have seen in the trailer, Doomsday makes an appearance so that the two heroes can join forces and stop it (with the assist of Wonder Woman).  This is clearly in all the trailers, so I don’t feel that I have spoiled anything for you.

Will my disappointment in “Batman v Superman” diminish my excitement for the forthcoming “Wonder Woman” and “Justice League” films?  Not quite.  I will always go into these films with an “S” on my chest, because after all, it’s the symbol for hope.

By: Marc Ferman