Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Review

Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Gal Gadot, Scoot McNairy, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa

It's only March, and what may as well be the most hotly anticipated film of 2016 has been released. Yes, for years DC and Warner Bros have been dominating Comic-Cons and headlines with slow reveals. First, it was that the movie was even being made, as "Batman vs Superman" was never something fans anticipated. Then it was Ben Affleck as the Caped Crusader, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, and it kept our interest. Until in the last month or two they decided to dump everything on the internet and dominate TV commercials. I knew every plot twist going into Batman v Superman and the surprises simply weren't surprising. From the opening scene, to the closing credits, the basic gist of the film was revealed. If you haven't heard, this movie has received terrible reviews. It seems like every critic has something scathing to say about Batman v Superman. After seeing the movie, I understand why. It's not a bad movie. It's actually pretty good, even though it has major flaws. All around, most of the cast turns in great performances. The problem is the script. There is no plot, and six different stories fighting each other with no clear connection. The movie utterly smothers itself while playing catch-up to Marvel, who has great movies, two Avengers films, and a loyal fanbase. Nonetheless, this is not as horrible as the reviews would have you believe. Here is what works, and what doesn't work.

First, Ben Affleck is a very good Batman. If you were worried about that, he does fine. He's no Christian Bale, but his version of Batman, a grizzled and unhinged hero, is very convincing. I have my own problems with the treatment of the character, because he carries guns and shoots and kills people, but for what was written for him Ben Affleck does a great job. Superman is a problem. I've never liked Superman that much, and I had a pretty horrible experience watching Man of Steel. I think the character has not aged well or evolved, and when director Zack Snyder tries to make him serious and dark, it just doesn't work. In Batman v Superman, he mopes around a lot. When Batman is beating the snot out of him, he could end the fight so easily by telling him his alibi, yet he doesn't. There's no reason Superman has to be this cryptic and moody and it needs to be fixed. The last member of DC's Trinity, Wonder Woman, is easily the most consistent character. Gal Gadot makes a huge impression as the Amazonian hero in all of her scenes. As a viewer, you are anxiously awaiting when she arrives in battle with her shield and lasso of truth, and it's probably the most epic moments the film has to offer. I'm incredibly excited to see what Gadot has to offer in the solo Wonder Woman film next year. What surprised me the most was Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor. He looked campy and ridiculous in the trailers and ads, but he gave a pretty menacing performance as Superman's archenemy. He played more of a Joker than a Lex Luthor, with his psychotic and anarchist behavior, but it worked. This proved to me that DC is better at developing villains than Marvel is. Marvel has given us only one memorable villain (Loki) out of a dozen films. If DC can pull off it's huge reveal with the Justice League, and they keep casting great actors, they will always hold this over Marvel.

Here's the huge problem. There are six stories. Plot 1: Batman's origin. This is very rushed, and I felt it was unneeded if Snyder was re-inventing the character. While his origin is iconic, it was too much in a crowded film. Big failure. Plot 2: Superman answers for his crimes. I wish the movie had the guts to blame Superman for the carnage and destruction at the end of Man of Steel, but it makes up another incident to blame him for. While it's a cop out, it was fascinating to watch Holly Hunter's intense performance as a Senator out to nail Superman. There's one scene in the Capitol with Hunter and Superman that is one of the best superhero movie scenes I've ever seen. She sells it so well, and it's sad the movie falters after such a great scene. Plot 3: Batman v Superman. The fight is amazing, but the reason is confusing. Lex Luthor wants Superman to kill Batman to free his mother, but Luthor's own motivations are never revealed. Plot 4: Lex Luthor's shenanigans. Eisenberg is great, but the side quest of building Doomsday to fight the Trinity is so forced. Doomsday is literally in the movie for 10 minutes, and it feels tacked on. The selling point was Batman v Superman, so the switch in enemies was eye-rolling bad. Plot 5: Lois Lane's side-quests. Amy Adams is so horrible in this movie it's depressing. Lois Lane was not needed. They tried to give her something to do, but it's so stupid and ridiculous. Plot 6: The Justice League teases. This could have been cool. It's a little exciting, but the method and placement is so strange. They're forcing the Justice League down out throats and it doesn't even look like it will work.

There is so much potential in this film, so that's why I feel it's a letdown. But even if it doesn't live up to expectations, it still has great moments. Like I stated earlier, the Senate hearing is impeccably filmed. It's the kind of quality that stands out in a movie filled with explosions. It's little moments that made me wish the entire film had that kind of quality. In Man of Steel, Superman has no regard for human life when he fights Zod. They destroy buildings and wreak havoc, causing more harm than good. This film opens with Bruce Wayne on the ground, looking up to see Superman in his battle. This view is unlike anything Man of Steel had to offer. It really puts into perspective the dangers of Superman's abilities. That storyline is great. Even though I loved what Eisenberg brought to the character of Lex Luthor, I think his storyline of bringing Superman against Batman, and then creating a monster for no particular reason was confusing. Doomsday had no place in this film. He looked amazing, and the Trinity's fight against him was great, but in a film that's 2 hours and 30 minutes long, they could have cut the running time down. It could just as easily been a Batman v Superman fight, but they cut that short to make room for Doomsday! It just doesn't make sense.

I apologize for this being a little long, but there was a lot to talk about. I actually enjoyed Batman v Superman. It's flawed, but it's a fun popcorn movie. And there's no doubt it will make back its budget and from what I've heard, people are enjoying it. There's a lot of stuff shoehorned into one movie where it's unnecessary. Playing catch-up to Marvel doesn't always pay off.

Rating: