Directed by Zach Snyder
Starring Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, and Gal Gadot
The best place to start is by saying the waves of hate drowning this film on its opening weekend are not justified. I can't believe I'm in a position where I'm defending a film directed by Zach Snyder, one of the most frustrating filmmakers of our time in my opinion. That said, while I did enjoy Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice, it is not a flawless film. There are problems that have to be addressed, so on we go.
Two year have passed since the events of Man of Steel and Superman's (Cavill) destructive battle with General Zod (Michael Shannon), which laid waste to most of Metropolis. Since then Bruce Wayne (Affleck) has held a deep grudge against him, fearing Superman could one day use his god-like powers to wipe out the entire planet. Getting back into the guise of Batman, Wayne makes it his mission to take him out before he even has the chance to.
Superman/Clark Kent continues with his struggle to find a place in the world, that right now doesn't know wether to fear or admire him. Meanwhile, Lois Lane (Amy Adams) investigates…something, that becomes relevant later on in the film. Billionaire Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) sets out to get his hands on some Kryptonite for his own devices, while Bruce also does some investigating against him. Then we have the mysterious Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gadot) with her own agenda, and sprinkled in between all that are some teases for Justice League….so yeah, a lot going on here.
If you remember The Amazing Spider-Man 2 at all, this is the same problem that film had. The first act is incredibly choppy, and there's a lot of of jumping from plot thread to plot thread. Unlike The Amazing Spider-Man 2 though, all the threads somehow come together in a moment I'm not sure I can share because it's a little spoilerish. That said, until the film gets to that point around the one-hour mark, it's very messy. The Justice League tie-ins while cool, felt very shoehorned in. Thankfully, it all concludes in an action-packed, absolutely awesome third act.
Let's talk about the performances. Henry Cavill, I really like as Superman, but he felt like a plot device in his own movie. Honestly, he barely had any dialogue. It just doesn't seem like Cavill is being given the proper chance to develop this character. My views on Man of Steel have changed since I first saw it (Seriously I was too kind in that review) but Cavill/Superman was almost treated a similar way in that film as well. Ben Affleck is awesome as Bruce Wayne/Batman, playing him with the perfect amount of charisma and gruff. Guys, Ben Affleck might be our best Batman yet. I am absolutely in love with Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, and I cannot wait for her solo film next year.
Amy Adams is perfect again as Lois Lane. Jeremy Irons is so cool as Alfred. Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor….oh my god. So many times I wanted to scream "Shut up!" at the screen. His performance is just odd, cringeworthy, and downright annoying. I think there was only one or two good scenes where I actually enjoyed him as Lex. Hopefully going forward in the DC Extended Universe, be it Justice League or a straight Man of Steel sequel, we see very little of him.
Zach Snyder….oh, Zach Snyder. You can direct some really great action pieces but you just can't stop yourself from over-stylizing shit sometimes can you? His biggest offense in this category is a flashback to the deaths of Bruce Wayne's parents. Yeah you get to see that again. Then there's a scene where Superman performs a rescue at a Day of the Dead festival, and the end of it is just so….silly. It's been shown in most of the trailers. I'm talking about this:
Doesn't look any better on screen trust me. That said, most of the action scenes are incredible. The titular showdown between Batman and Superman isn't as grand as you'd expect it to be, but it's still epic. The showdown between Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman against Doomsday is pure awesome. Oh by the way, Doomsday looks like shit. Literally. Like a humanoid piece of cat poop. Last thing, the music for this film is amazing and has been on repeat in my house ever since I got home from the theater.
So to conclude, I find Batman V. Superman to be a solidly entertaining film, that manages to get where it needs to despite some pretty outstanding flaws. Who is to blame? I don't think Zach Snyder deserves all the discredit. The screenwriters? Perhaps. The studio heads who laid down the law? I mean more than likely. The blunt cynic in me wants to say that at base level this is just playing catch-up to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. "Boooooo!!!!" Oh shut up!!!!
Anyway, was there a better course to take for the DCEU? Yeah sure. A direct sequel to Man of Steel, push the Wonder Woman film up further, maybe-but-a-not totally necessary standalone Batman film, and then this film? Who knows? I don't have the power to offer a Plan B. I'll just look at the film we got, which isn't great, but is definitely not terrible. This a case where you have to stop listening to the critics, get to the theater, and make your own opinion. I guarantee you won't be totally disappointed with what you see.
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