"Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice", 2016 - Dir. by Zack Snyder
DC comics has been struggling to keep up with Marvel in the film universe for some time now. Marvel has been basically printing money, while DC has managed to churn out three decent Batman films, and some pretty cool TV shows ("Arrow" and "The Flash"). Then we had the reboot of the Superman saga with "Man of Steel", and now we have "Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice", which will all know is a bridge from "Man of Steel" to "The Justice League."
I so badly wanted to love this movie. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are some of my favorite comic characters. I grew up with them, and followed their exploits. I checked out a lot of the 'alternate universe' tales like "Gotham by Gaslight" and "Red Son" and various other stories like "The Killing Joke" and "The Death of Superman". I really wanted to see these characters together on the screen. Well, I got that and while parts of the movie got my inner fanboy very excited, overall, sadly, the movie left me very disappointed.
I'm not going to go long on describing the plot, what there is of it, because that's not something I do, so I'll just say that our story opens with Bruce Wayne witnessing the battle between Superman and General Zod that levels most of Metropolis at the end of "Man of Steel". This triggers the chain of events that leads to the showdown between our two heroes. (Well, there's ANOTHER event later on that also contributes to it, but I'll mention that atrocity later.) Incidentally, we are also treated to another viewing of the event that leads to Bruce Wayne becoming Batman, because, you know, at this point, there are people who still don't know that Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered in front of him.
I so badly wanted to love this movie. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman are some of my favorite comic characters. I grew up with them, and followed their exploits. I checked out a lot of the 'alternate universe' tales like "Gotham by Gaslight" and "Red Son" and various other stories like "The Killing Joke" and "The Death of Superman". I really wanted to see these characters together on the screen. Well, I got that and while parts of the movie got my inner fanboy very excited, overall, sadly, the movie left me very disappointed.
I'm not going to go long on describing the plot, what there is of it, because that's not something I do, so I'll just say that our story opens with Bruce Wayne witnessing the battle between Superman and General Zod that levels most of Metropolis at the end of "Man of Steel". This triggers the chain of events that leads to the showdown between our two heroes. (Well, there's ANOTHER event later on that also contributes to it, but I'll mention that atrocity later.) Incidentally, we are also treated to another viewing of the event that leads to Bruce Wayne becoming Batman, because, you know, at this point, there are people who still don't know that Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered in front of him.
Here begins the spoiler free portion of our review!
Overall, I did NOT hate this movie. I know a lot of critics did and they are being unfair folks. The movie has a lot of problems, but it's basically an enjoyable film if you are willing to let some things go. I wanted to love this film, but I ended up only liking it. I am generally willing to suspend disbelief and to ignore a few plot holes and plot lines that go nowhere because that happens with every film. However, sometimes the plot holes and nonsensical plot details pile up to the point where I can't ignore them any more, and that's what happens with Batman v Superman.
The good points.....Ben Affleck was EXCELLENT as Batman/Bruce Wayne! I remember the wailing, and hand wringing and gnashing of teeth when Affleck's casting was announced, and it was completely unwarranted. I need to think about it some more, but I think he might be my favorite Batman. Affleck does an excellent job portraying a Bruce Wayne who is growing weary of being Batman and because of this, his tactics AS Batman are growing more and more violent, which sets off even more internal conflict.
Gal Gadot suffered the same rage when her casting was announced, and she was great as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman's appearance on screen is one of the coolest movie moments I've seen in a long time, and she is BAD ASS! Again, I wish she had more to do. I can't wait to see what they do with her in the Wonder Woman standalone film and in The Justice League. Jeremy Irons also turns in a great performance as Alfred, and I ended up wishing he had more screen time.
Henry Cavill plays the same Superman he did in "Man of Steel". Brooding, morose, and unsure of his place in the world, which is fine, as this is the direction Snyder and the writers took with "Man of Steel" and they simply continued it here. Cavill does the best he can with the material he's given.
The film itself is beautiful. One thing I will say about director Zack Snyder, he knows how to set up a shot. The score and sound editing are phenomenal as well, as are some of the sets and props. The new batmobile and batwing are pretty cool, and I like that they stuck with vehicles that were a little more realistic, as in the Christopher Nolan Batman films. The batcave was cool too...more modern than in the past.
Overall, I did NOT hate this movie. I know a lot of critics did and they are being unfair folks. The movie has a lot of problems, but it's basically an enjoyable film if you are willing to let some things go. I wanted to love this film, but I ended up only liking it. I am generally willing to suspend disbelief and to ignore a few plot holes and plot lines that go nowhere because that happens with every film. However, sometimes the plot holes and nonsensical plot details pile up to the point where I can't ignore them any more, and that's what happens with Batman v Superman.
The good points.....Ben Affleck was EXCELLENT as Batman/Bruce Wayne! I remember the wailing, and hand wringing and gnashing of teeth when Affleck's casting was announced, and it was completely unwarranted. I need to think about it some more, but I think he might be my favorite Batman. Affleck does an excellent job portraying a Bruce Wayne who is growing weary of being Batman and because of this, his tactics AS Batman are growing more and more violent, which sets off even more internal conflict.
Gal Gadot suffered the same rage when her casting was announced, and she was great as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman's appearance on screen is one of the coolest movie moments I've seen in a long time, and she is BAD ASS! Again, I wish she had more to do. I can't wait to see what they do with her in the Wonder Woman standalone film and in The Justice League. Jeremy Irons also turns in a great performance as Alfred, and I ended up wishing he had more screen time.
Henry Cavill plays the same Superman he did in "Man of Steel". Brooding, morose, and unsure of his place in the world, which is fine, as this is the direction Snyder and the writers took with "Man of Steel" and they simply continued it here. Cavill does the best he can with the material he's given.
The film itself is beautiful. One thing I will say about director Zack Snyder, he knows how to set up a shot. The score and sound editing are phenomenal as well, as are some of the sets and props. The new batmobile and batwing are pretty cool, and I like that they stuck with vehicles that were a little more realistic, as in the Christopher Nolan Batman films. The batcave was cool too...more modern than in the past.
Now....on to what I did not like. I am not sure where to even begin.
I have no problem with the fact that Zack Snyder wants to go in a different direction with Superman. Instead of the bright, heroic figure that we've had for what, 70 years? We have a dark, brooding Superman who, as I mentioned above, is still unsure of his role on Earth. The problem with this is I think it goes a bit to far. I LIKE my heroic Superman, who does stand for truth, justice and the American way. I realize this is just personal preference, but this is my review after all! Perhaps I am not articulating it well, but I guess this Superman is just not likable for my taste. He seems almost to have contempt for mere humans. An alien being unsure of his role or destiny is one thing, but this Superman is less a symbol of hope and more a symbol of destruction wherever he goes. At some point, we need to get past this "Well, this is what happens when superbeings fight," and get to a point where Superman actually cares about the thousands of deaths that happen around him all the time. We can't just keep excusing it as "Well, he just doesn't understand his destiny yet!!" Wait, isn't that what Pa Kent was teaching him for 20 years?
OK, enough about that. Jessie Eisenberg as Lex Luther was simply NOT good. I don't think it was his fault, as he has a terrible script to work with, but he reads more like a Joker or Riddler than the criminal mastermind that Lex Luthor is supposed to represent. Again, I have no problem with the fact that they wanted to go in a different direction with the character, but it's just not executed well.
Amy Adams' Lois Lane is completely useless in this film. Again, it's not Adams' fault, as she's dealing with the same poor writing. That's all I am even going to say about that.
The script in general is just very poor. The overall plot is fractured and disjointed., and there are too many plot holes and sub-plots that just go nowhere. I wonder if they even had a script editor. The editing is bad in many places as well and as a result is that the movie is very jarring in places and the story jumps all over the place.
Again, I need to make this clear. ALL movies have plot holes and other issues, and I am generally willing to ignore them and just enjoy a film, but sometimes they pile up and I can no longer just let them go. I'm sorry (wait, I'm really not), but a story, even a superhero story, needs to make some kind of sense. Oh, and the dream sequences and hallucination sequences didn't help matters. I found myself thinking, "What the hell was that?" more than once.
I have no problem with the fact that Zack Snyder wants to go in a different direction with Superman. Instead of the bright, heroic figure that we've had for what, 70 years? We have a dark, brooding Superman who, as I mentioned above, is still unsure of his role on Earth. The problem with this is I think it goes a bit to far. I LIKE my heroic Superman, who does stand for truth, justice and the American way. I realize this is just personal preference, but this is my review after all! Perhaps I am not articulating it well, but I guess this Superman is just not likable for my taste. He seems almost to have contempt for mere humans. An alien being unsure of his role or destiny is one thing, but this Superman is less a symbol of hope and more a symbol of destruction wherever he goes. At some point, we need to get past this "Well, this is what happens when superbeings fight," and get to a point where Superman actually cares about the thousands of deaths that happen around him all the time. We can't just keep excusing it as "Well, he just doesn't understand his destiny yet!!" Wait, isn't that what Pa Kent was teaching him for 20 years?
OK, enough about that. Jessie Eisenberg as Lex Luther was simply NOT good. I don't think it was his fault, as he has a terrible script to work with, but he reads more like a Joker or Riddler than the criminal mastermind that Lex Luthor is supposed to represent. Again, I have no problem with the fact that they wanted to go in a different direction with the character, but it's just not executed well.
Amy Adams' Lois Lane is completely useless in this film. Again, it's not Adams' fault, as she's dealing with the same poor writing. That's all I am even going to say about that.
The script in general is just very poor. The overall plot is fractured and disjointed., and there are too many plot holes and sub-plots that just go nowhere. I wonder if they even had a script editor. The editing is bad in many places as well and as a result is that the movie is very jarring in places and the story jumps all over the place.
Again, I need to make this clear. ALL movies have plot holes and other issues, and I am generally willing to ignore them and just enjoy a film, but sometimes they pile up and I can no longer just let them go. I'm sorry (wait, I'm really not), but a story, even a superhero story, needs to make some kind of sense. Oh, and the dream sequences and hallucination sequences didn't help matters. I found myself thinking, "What the hell was that?" more than once.
WARNING!! THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THIS SECTION. SKIP TO THE END IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ THEM!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!
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As I stated in the previous section, all movies have some plot holes and some sub-plots that end up leading nowhere, but Batman v Superman simply had so many that they ended up being distracting for me.
One of the biggest ones for me was Lex Luthor's entire story arc. Not only did I not like his portrayal as a twitchy, nervous psychopath, but his motivations for wanting to destroy Batman and Superman made no sense to me, beyond the fact that maybe they represented a potential threat to his criminal activity? Also, the fact that the writers felt the need to have Lex kidnap Clark Kent's mother in order to get him to fight Batman was just ridiculous. The entire point of the fight is that Bruce Wayne feels that Superman is an out of control threat that must be dealt with. There was NO NEED for the "Ma Kent is kidnapped" storyline other than the writers simply wanted to do it.
Speaking of the Batman vs Superman showdown, the fact that Clark Kent's mother has been kidnapped should have ended the entire fight ten seconds into it. All Superman had to do was shout "Hey! They kidnapped my mother! Help me!" Instead, Batman and Superman beat this shit out of each other until we get to the point where Batman is about to kill Superman with a spear made of kryptonite and then.....THE SINGLE DUMBEST THING OF ALL TIME!!! Superman utters his mother's name, and for some reason, this prevents Batman, who is apparently psychic, from killing him. Not to mention the fact that Lois Lane magically shows up, and without having heard anything that was said, tells Batman that Martha is Superman's mother's first name. "Wait, your mother's name is the same as my mother's name? Buddy!!! Let's team up! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? Of all the reasons why Batman and Superman would team up to defeat a common enemy, that's the best the writers could do? Not only that, but why in the world would Superman say "They're going to kill MARTHA" as opposed to "They're going to kill my MOTHER"? It was such a letdown that the rest of the movie could have been an A+ and that bullshit alone would have dragged it down.
There are many other plot points that made absolutely no sense or were just otherwise crappy.
The way Jimmy Olsen was handled was a travesty. I have no issues with the writers or director going in a different direction with the story and characters, but what they did with him was a disgrace. If you've seen the film, you know what I am talking about, and Zack Snyder's excuse, given in an interview, "Well, there are too many characters to deal with...." is just laughable.
As I said before, Lois Lane comes across as completely useless. She repeatedly gets herself into trouble through sheer stupidity, and thankfully, Superman magically shows up every time. There are other scenes with her that made no sense. "I think I'll throw this spear into a pool of water........wait, now I need that (for reasons I do not know), so let me try and go back and get it!" Seriously?
Again, Lex Luthor's actions make no sense. What was his plan with Doomsday? He created a monster that immediately tries to kill him, which then proceeds to level half the city. What did he think he was going to do with this beast after Batman and Superman were dead? Also, why in the world would a supposed criminal mastermind discuss any of his plans with a US Senator? Please don't tell me he needed her to sign the documents allowing the kryptonite to be brought into the country. He's a goddamn criminal!! Since when do they ask for permission to do anything?
Superman's powers are used very inconsistently. He can hear Lois in trouble thousands of miles away in Africa, but he can't hear a bomb in a wheelchair 20 feet away? He can hear Lois drowning, but he can't heat his beloved mother being kidnapped when she screams for help?
There are many, many other plot holes that just pile up. How is it that Clark Kent has never heard of Bruce Wayne? There's a Wayne Enterprises building in Metropolis! Why does everyone think that Superman killed all those people in Africa? They are terrorists that shot each other with bullets, but people somehow think he is responsible?
EVERYTHING about how journalism works is completely wrong in this movie, and Perry White is the worst editor of all time.
Superman can barely get the kryptonite spear out of the water without passing out, yet he can fly it directly at Doomsday?
Why does the Kryptonian ship allow Lex to control it, even after it has determined that he is, in fact, Alexander Luthor?
I could go on and on and on, as there are a lot of them. Sorry folks, but after a while, I just couldn't let it go.
One of the biggest ones for me was Lex Luthor's entire story arc. Not only did I not like his portrayal as a twitchy, nervous psychopath, but his motivations for wanting to destroy Batman and Superman made no sense to me, beyond the fact that maybe they represented a potential threat to his criminal activity? Also, the fact that the writers felt the need to have Lex kidnap Clark Kent's mother in order to get him to fight Batman was just ridiculous. The entire point of the fight is that Bruce Wayne feels that Superman is an out of control threat that must be dealt with. There was NO NEED for the "Ma Kent is kidnapped" storyline other than the writers simply wanted to do it.
Speaking of the Batman vs Superman showdown, the fact that Clark Kent's mother has been kidnapped should have ended the entire fight ten seconds into it. All Superman had to do was shout "Hey! They kidnapped my mother! Help me!" Instead, Batman and Superman beat this shit out of each other until we get to the point where Batman is about to kill Superman with a spear made of kryptonite and then.....THE SINGLE DUMBEST THING OF ALL TIME!!! Superman utters his mother's name, and for some reason, this prevents Batman, who is apparently psychic, from killing him. Not to mention the fact that Lois Lane magically shows up, and without having heard anything that was said, tells Batman that Martha is Superman's mother's first name. "Wait, your mother's name is the same as my mother's name? Buddy!!! Let's team up! ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? Of all the reasons why Batman and Superman would team up to defeat a common enemy, that's the best the writers could do? Not only that, but why in the world would Superman say "They're going to kill MARTHA" as opposed to "They're going to kill my MOTHER"? It was such a letdown that the rest of the movie could have been an A+ and that bullshit alone would have dragged it down.
There are many other plot points that made absolutely no sense or were just otherwise crappy.
The way Jimmy Olsen was handled was a travesty. I have no issues with the writers or director going in a different direction with the story and characters, but what they did with him was a disgrace. If you've seen the film, you know what I am talking about, and Zack Snyder's excuse, given in an interview, "Well, there are too many characters to deal with...." is just laughable.
As I said before, Lois Lane comes across as completely useless. She repeatedly gets herself into trouble through sheer stupidity, and thankfully, Superman magically shows up every time. There are other scenes with her that made no sense. "I think I'll throw this spear into a pool of water........wait, now I need that (for reasons I do not know), so let me try and go back and get it!" Seriously?
Again, Lex Luthor's actions make no sense. What was his plan with Doomsday? He created a monster that immediately tries to kill him, which then proceeds to level half the city. What did he think he was going to do with this beast after Batman and Superman were dead? Also, why in the world would a supposed criminal mastermind discuss any of his plans with a US Senator? Please don't tell me he needed her to sign the documents allowing the kryptonite to be brought into the country. He's a goddamn criminal!! Since when do they ask for permission to do anything?
Superman's powers are used very inconsistently. He can hear Lois in trouble thousands of miles away in Africa, but he can't hear a bomb in a wheelchair 20 feet away? He can hear Lois drowning, but he can't heat his beloved mother being kidnapped when she screams for help?
There are many, many other plot holes that just pile up. How is it that Clark Kent has never heard of Bruce Wayne? There's a Wayne Enterprises building in Metropolis! Why does everyone think that Superman killed all those people in Africa? They are terrorists that shot each other with bullets, but people somehow think he is responsible?
EVERYTHING about how journalism works is completely wrong in this movie, and Perry White is the worst editor of all time.
Superman can barely get the kryptonite spear out of the water without passing out, yet he can fly it directly at Doomsday?
Why does the Kryptonian ship allow Lex to control it, even after it has determined that he is, in fact, Alexander Luthor?
I could go on and on and on, as there are a lot of them. Sorry folks, but after a while, I just couldn't let it go.
SPOILERS OVER
OK, so in closing, as I said in my opening, I really wanted to love this film, and I didn't hate it. It has a lot of good things, but the story just made no sense, and there were just too many script problems to ignore.
I LOVE movies and I LOVE superhero movies. I also don't go into a movie with a critical eye. I just watch the movie and then later on I think about it and write down my thoughts, nothing more. I encourage everyone to see the film and judge for themselves. For me though, overall, the movie was a letdown. I wish that was not the case, but it was.
I LOVE movies and I LOVE superhero movies. I also don't go into a movie with a critical eye. I just watch the movie and then later on I think about it and write down my thoughts, nothing more. I encourage everyone to see the film and judge for themselves. For me though, overall, the movie was a letdown. I wish that was not the case, but it was.