Zack Snyder’s second foray into the DC comic cinematic universe, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” is not a good super hero film. There, I said it.
I’d like to start by saying there are glimmers of hope for this universe sprinkled throughout what is otherwise a phenomenal mess of a movie.
First off, Ben Affleck’s take on the beloved Batman/Bruce Wayne character is arguably the best we have seen on film to date. This interpretation is scary, unapologetic and borderline maniacal.
There are times in the film where one can tell that Batman has had to deal with so much stress and evil that he has reached a breaking point that leads to an otherwise benevolent hero mercilessly murdering thugs and bad guys, and it is surprisingly a joy to watch.
For most fans of the character, this will not sit well, and I would be lying if I said it was perfectly OK with me. There is almost enough nuance weaved throughout the film to allow the audience to understand why this aging Batman has gotten to this point – “almost” being the key word here.
It is never made explicitly clear why Batman’s moral compass has been so compromised, and a bit of dialogue explaining why he has come to the conclusion that murder is the only option is sorely needed.
All in all, the performances in this film are generally acceptable. Henry Cavill does a commendable job once again of portraying this tortured and conflicted version of Clark Kent/Superman and Gal Gadot, while only showing up briefly, does similarly as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. Likewise with Affleck, Jeremy Irons’ Alfred may be the most interesting and fun Alfred we’ve seen to date.
Secondly, this film has some very nice visuals and fans of the holy trinity (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman) will be nothing but giddy to see these iconic characters suit up and work together to take out the impending doom that comes toward the end of the film.
The film’s action, while needlessly brutal at times, is visually interesting, well shot and, even though the first few big action scenes are a little slower paced than my personal preference, do what they were supposed to in delivering a monumental extravaganza of super human abilities that most people are dying to see.
Sadly, that’s where the positive features of this film end.
Though the acting spans from decent to great, it is only when we get to Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor that the ball is proverbially dropped. The casting choice was odd to begin with, and Eisenberg’s twitchy, psychotic performance comes off as a desperate attempt to mimic the Joker rather than pinpointing the calculating and intelligent evil that makes Luthor such an interesting character. Every scene the actor performs is awkward, puzzling and downright cringe-worthy.
Additionally, the film’s writing, while at times shows some brilliance, mostly falls under the “Wait, what?” category. Endless plot holes, questionable character motivation, a lack of any motivation at all when it comes to Luthor, and a complete void of characterization of our main characters makes for a weak and uninteresting plot.
The film shoves so many important moments of the comic mythology into this one installment, and it comes off as an embarrassing reaction to the success of Warner Bros.’ rival Marvel Studios. There is a specific, pivotal moment at the end of the film that lacks much emotional depth or attachment simply due to the fact that they did not give it enough time, care, and set up to really earn the reaction that its iconic source material deserves.
There are also moments in this movie that only exist to set up future films, and these moments, while kind of cool, seem out of place and ooze desperation as Warner Bros. foolhardily attempts to play catch up with Marvel.
“Batman v Superman” is a disappointing, disaster of a film that does not earn the pedigree that it is begging for. While some moments will satisfy mega-fans, there are too many others that are either dishonorable to the source material or flat out nonsensical.
Warner Bros. best have some tricks left up their sleeves if they ever hope to reach the success of Marvel, but if “Batman v Superman” is any indication, much to my disappointment, this franchise was dead on arrival from the moment it hit the screen.
