Batman v Superman Movie Review

FBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Review)

Batman. Superman. The two most iconic superheroes share the big screen for the first time. This isn’t just a movie. It’s an event. A main event, if you will, to introduce us to a larger, cinematic universe populated by the beloved characters from the DC comic book franchise. This is the beginning of that world, hinting at its larger scale.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen), and written by Chris Terrio (Argo) and David S. Goyer (Blade, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) stars Henry Cavil reprising his role as Superman/Clark Kent and Ben Affleck as the caped crusader Batman/Bruce Wayne. Accompanying them are Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Amy Adams as Lois Lane and Jesse Eisenberg with a new spin on Superman’s number one villain, Lex Luthor. There’s also a popup/cameo of the grand, female superheroine Wonder Woman played by Gal Godot.

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Story:

What’s the driving narrative that gets all these big iconic characters together? Well, a lot. The movie opens with an atmosphere setting dream sequence-retelling of the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents, segueing into the battle above Metropolis between Superman and Zod that occurred at the end of Man of Steel. We see the destruction from Bruce Wayne’s point-of-view as he races through the streets of Metropolis dodging cars and debris. Zod and Superman’s chaotic battle destroys Wayne Financials, killing and injuring many inside, and leaving a little girl, saved by Bruce from falling debris, motherless. The main story takes up 18 months later. But the events of Superman and Zod’s battle sets up Bruce Wayne’s attitude toward Superman’s presence on Earth, an alien with the power to “burn everything”. He’s also not the only one casting suspicions at Superman. From politicians to protesting citizens of Earth, Superman is as equally feared as he is loved. Senator Finch (eloquently played by Holly Hunter) tries to bring order to all the talk surrounding Superman. But fanning the flames of suspicion is Lex Luthor. Manipulating everyone from the media, terrorists to frame Superman for violent acts, disabled, ex-employees of Bruce Wayne, and even Batman/Bruce Wayne himself, Lex Luthor creates a smokescreen of distrust to cover the importing of kryptonite found in the Indian Ocean. The only one who can see through his schemes is Lois Lane, as she investigates evidence that Superman has been framed for violent execution of terrorists. Lex’s coordinated schemes lead to the inevitable showdown between Batman and Superman, and even if that fails to leave one or both dead, he has a backup plan. While the story sounds a little more straightforward on paper, its onscreen execution stumbles a bit as plots begin to intersect and the story takes time out to setup future DC installments.

An example of one such problem is that as Bruce Wayne continues his investigation into possible terrorist activities, it leads him to Lex Luthor. It becomes hard to believe that Bruce would be so easily manipulated by Lex if he knows his ties to terrorists. It’s also a wonder why Bruce would blame Superman for a Washington D.C. explosion, when as Batman (a great detective) he should’ve investigated and easily noted Lex’s sudden disappearance from events before the bomb’s blast, especially since the event also included an ex-employee of his. Instead Bruce takes out his anger on Superman, only robbing Luthor of the imported kryptonite to create a spear to kill the man of steel. There’s also the question of why is Bruce so intent on taking down Superman. In the comics, Batman has a right to be suspicious of the metahumans he’s surrounded by on the Justice League. He has to be careful as he’s only a regular human being, no matter how peak his skills are. If his super-powered comrades lose control for whatever reason, he has to be ready. But in the end, he knows they’re good-hearted and good-natured people. And since we’re dealing with an aged Batman, there most likely have been times when his stints at protecting Gotham have led to a great amount of damage of property and lives beyond his control…especially when dealing with The Joker (we already know The Clown Prince of Crime is there and in this universe). Being blind by emotion is not necessarily in Batman’s character. He’s very logical. Even he should know that Superman was battling an actual evil guy bent on really destroying Earth. By the time we get to the big fight, Batman looks like a stubborn a—hole that won’t listen to reason.

Lex’s motivations, showered in religious-philosophical babble, become muddled as well. Like Bruce Wayne, he’s suspicious of a being that can wield so much power. But he both creates a being to battle Superman, and then admits to sending a beacon to one in a far distant galaxy. Why create or hail more beings of power when you’re suspicious of the one already here? He’s also investigating other metahumans, coincidentally, ones that turn out to be good guys. So, is Lex suspicious of people that have superhuman abilities, or does he just not like the do-gooders? This question is focused on at the end when Lex challenges Superman with saving a loved one and killing Batman, but it doesn’t resonate, and the dialogue doesn’t make sense within its point.

Something that also plays with little effect is Clark Kent’s suspicions of Gotham City’s Batman. While it looks as if it flows into their inevitable showdown, considering how Lex ultimately manipulates the two to battle, it’s not needed. The battle between their alert egos is fun to watch, but Clark makes comments on how Batman takes away civil liberties, but Superman handles fights with criminals and super-powered space beings in much the same way Batman handles the ruffians of Gotham. Sure, he doesn’t brand them, but just as much, if not more collateral damage is done, and lives lost with Superman caring very little. Unfortunately, for most of the film, Director Zack Snyder’s flare for action negates the collateral damage/morality issues the film tries to tackle. The action is done for the sake of being cool, and little is paid to what the whole argument is about when it comes to the consequences of Superman (and other heroes) doing battle. It’s what got Snyder in trouble with Man of Steel, and the whole reason there’s a focus on that movie’s end battle sequence within Batman vs Superman. Assuring the audience that sections of cities are empty, or islands deserted, so that super beings can do battle isn’t enough. If one hero doesn’t like the other’s tactics in fighting crime, make it look like they have different tactics with different outcomes.

Character:

The acting is solid, and the strengths and muscle is mostly flexed by Ben Affleck and Jeremy Irons. I was one of the few people that rooted for Ben when he was announced as the new Batman. His approach to an aged, battle-worn caped crusader who’s upped his tactics of fighting crime by branding criminals is fantastic. A little divisive is that Batman kills in this iteration. He has indeed killed in the comics too, but not since the early days of his run has it been so straightforward. It didn’t bother me as much as it did many moviegoers that Batman went against his ‘no kill’ policy, but I can see where it can be jarring to the fan base. It does make you wonder why the Joker is still around if this Batman is so hardcore.

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Jeremy Irons is the best Alfred to date. He wears the role well as he maneuvers through quips, assisting Batman and using and tinkering with the technology, and even the philosophy he instills. Unfortunately, from the philosophy side, the movie relies too much on the audience to know Batman has been through some heavy moments in his crime-fighting career. While we know that policing the crime-ridden streets of Gotham in the way Batman does is possibly taking its toll, we never really see any of that; and much of the philosophy is instilled to thwart a fight with Superman.

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Amy Adams’s Lois Lane is fun to watch as she uncovers a conspiracy to frame Superman, but it also doesn’t make much sense. The terrorists Superman has been framed for killing had been shot to death. Anybody should see using a gun isn’t Superman’s MO. The terrible after effects of the killings, which results in more killings from warlords isn’t much of an issue after it’s brought up.

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It’s a blast to watch Gal Godot duck in and out of scenes, especially knowing that she’s Wonder Woman with her own agenda. Her agenda is a little weak story-wise, and more of a setup to her solo film and the larger DC Extended Universe. Her full-blown appearance as Wonder Woman is the great, big-screen entrance you’d expect from such an iconic character. It does change the movie’s tone from comic book ‘dark’ to something a little more lighthearted. The quirky superhero quips come in when the holy, comic book trinity get together, but it doesn’t bring the movie down, and it makes it look like DC does know how to have fun with their characters instead of all the brooding seriousness. Gadot’s acting is far above her Fast and Furious days. Her speaking is minimal, but adds to the character’s mystique. We’ll have to see if she’s capable of carrying an entire film when Wonder Woman is released next year.

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Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor operates more as a psychotic, twitchy (socially awkward) Batman villain than the suave Superman baddy we’re used to. While it works mainly because of Eisenberg’s performance, to long-time DC fans, it might be a bit off putting.

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World building:

It’s hard to know if references to established DC comic book storylines are less about the movie’s narrative and more about style. There are at least three or four DC comic-inspired stories that are either hinted at or covered. The most obvious story reference is Frank Miller’s 1986 four-part series The Dark Knight Returns about an aging Bruce Wayne coming out of superhero retirement to don the mantle of Batman to extinguish the violence ravaging Gotham City. It was in this epic mini-series where comic book audiences were introduced to the concept of Batman and Superman at odds philosophically, politically and ultimately physically. While this is the main bulk to push toward a showdown cinematically, the movie also takes cues from DC comic storylines such as Doomsday vs. Superman, Flashpoint, Crisis on Infinite Earths, and even the videogame inspired story of Injustice: Gods among Us.

Unfortunately the movie never earns its place to tell them, mostly because these stories come with a deep history concerning the relationships between the characters. This is the second chapter in DC’s move toward a shared, cinematic universe. The relationships between these characters isn’t there within the narrative so it doesn’t carry as much weight, unless you’re a big DC fan and you “know” where they might be going, and you’re happy your favorite heroes are coming together as the Justice League on the big screen. Euphoria is great, but once the drug wears off, reality sets in. Until then, prophetic dreams and visits from heroes on a future timeline feel shoehorned into an already convoluted film rather than perfectly placed moments that hint at the larger story and world we’ve entered. I will admit that I had a huge, boyish grin when the files on metahumans was shown and explored. Wonder Woman’s WWI photo is an odd plot point, but really cool to see. Perhaps the movie’s focus should’ve been on “The Dawn of Justice” aspect rather than the “Batman vs Superman” part of it all. I do have one question, though: Does Lex Luthor hold the trademark for all the superheroes’ insignias?

Conclusion:

Let’s conclude with the elephant in the room. It’s called the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It’s that other comic book universe, and its success is unfortunately the real driving factor for why we’re seeing DC’s finally come to life. Man of Steel was not supposed to be the jump off point to a DC cinematic universe. It was the beginning of a new Superman trilogy created to compliment Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. While Man of Steel was in production, Marvel’s Avengers was successful and DC/WB changed the narrative of its cinematic business plan. All the Easter eggs found throughout MoS, referencing other DC characters, were just sly nods and winks for fans. They weren’t hints to a larger world. That’s why we don’t have a moment such as in the post-credit sequence of the first Iron Man film. There was no larger universe that Superman/Clark Kent was stepping into. But the business narrative changed, and DC/WB has unfortunately been reacting to the MCU’s success instead of being proactive in their game plan to build a coherent cinematic narrative. People can critique the MCU for the negative factors in it, but everyone has to concede to the fact that Marvel is focused on moving forward. DC doesn’t have a Kevin Feige in its corner to steer it, and it’s unfortunate. DC fans deserve better.

Strong acting and great action sequences can’t quite hold the glue together for Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. There are moments where the focus of the current narrative and the larger story is lost. A clunky script and a director that loses too much of himself in style rather than story presentation continues to add to DC’s cinematic fumbling, which undercuts what should be the start to another flavor of comics for the big screen. Like Luke Skywalker using the Force to lift his X-Wing out of the swamp, it’s exciting to see the potential, but hurtful to see the power unable to lift it up. Again, this isn’t just a movie. It’s an event, and it deserved to be treaty as such. Hopefully future installments will level everything out. For now, DC is still not quite there.

7/10.