'Batman vs Superman:Dawn of Justice' review

'Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice' Review

WARNING: This review contains some spoilers for the film and other DC comics and movies. If  you haven't seen the movie and want to go in blind, then watch the film before reading this.

There was a vast number of people, myself included, that were under the impression that 'Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice' was never going to come out. Since it was announced at Comic Con 2014 , its had it's release dates switched multiple times and was finished being filmed over a year and a half before it was finally released, leading many fans to be concerned that the final product was going to be a chopped up mess of a movie that has been thrown together haphazardly. However now all these rumours can be put to bed, as the movie is finally here. Any movie that pins two of the most iconic comic book characters ever known against each other is going to attract a lot of attention and pressure from fans, as they really just want to see this epic clash of 'Son of Krypton vs Bat of Gotham' done well, and for the most part this movie is just that - done well.

The plot is a little more elaborate than the classic "Who would win in a fight between..." it may appear as on the surface. As a direct follow up 'Man of Steel' (2013), Metropolis is divided by their opinions on Superman. Some think he's a hero for saving them from the Krypton invasion and a symbol of hope, others see him as responsible for the destruction of Metropolis during his battle with Zod. Batman falls in the second category, and sees Superman as a violent threat to mankind who needs to be stopped before he "wipes out the entire human race." However, Bruce isn't alone in his hatred for Superman as behind the scenes Lex Luthor has been pulling the strings to make Superman look like the villain he's perceived to be and to make sure Batman has ample means to destroy Superman.

The cast is a mixed bag. Ben Affleck is a terrific as both Batman and Bruce Wayne. He definitely has me excited for his solo Batman movie, which I wasn't before I saw this movie. Some of the supporting actors are excellent too; Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) is a brief but welcome addition and sows the seeds for her own solo movie, Jeremy Irons is a tremendous Alfred Pennyworth and Amy Adams does a great job as Lois Lane. 

However, not all members pull off the roles. Jesse Eisenberg to his credit gives his all to the role of Lex Luthor, but it just doesn't work. Lex Luthor is supposed to be the 'greatest criminal mastermind of all time' and able to match the superior intellect of both Batman and Superman. However in this movie, he's comes across as a psychotic maniac who gives very little thought to his plans, has melt downs during public speaking and leaves jars of his own urine in court rooms. For example, Lex Luthor realises that his plan to trick Batman into killing Superman isn't going to work, so creates Doomsday from the mutated Krypton genes of Zod. But say his plan worked. Doomsday defeated Superman. What would happen afterwards? Lex didn't have any control over the monster he had created. Doomsday would have just destroyed the entire planet, including Luthor himself. I'm also not completely on board with Henry Cavill as Superman. I like Cavill as an actor, and don't thinks its fair to blame my dislike for Superman in this current DC universe on him. It's more so the writing for his character. I can appreciate that Superman is the leader of the Justice League and is more solum and mature than some of his fellow heroes, but in both 'Man of Steel' and 'Dawn of Justice' he spends most of his time sulking and being miserable. Other than Superman initially realising he could fly, there is very little comedy associated with his character. The rest of the time he's snapping necks or blatantly killing people, which I dare say doesn't do his reputation any good.

The pace of the movie is a complete contrast to other DC movies, and most super hero movies in general. The action is almost constant, and provides very little down time between action. While I personally think this is a welcome change, especially in the context of the story, I can see how it may overwhelm people, as some scenes (particularly the first 10-15 minutes) do tend to jump around and switch a little too quickly and may confuse someone who either isn't familiar with the source material and/or hasn't seen 'Man of Steel'. In addition, although I enjoyed the dream sequences throughout the movie, particularly Batman's nightmare of what would happened if Superman went rogue and became a vicious dictator, they did at times feel a little out of place and as though they had just been  shoehorned in to promote future properties we may see.

The action in the film is  exceptional, which you would expect from a movie with a budget of over $250 million. I particularly liked the scene where Batman clears a room of 30 thugs single handedly using the element of surprise to his advantage - which is probably the most Batman thing we actually see him do. My only problem was the actual fight it's self. Don't get me wrong, the morbid part of me loved seeing Batman and Superman beat the crap out of each other - I just wanted more of it. In a film that runs for nearly 3 hours, the main fight of the movie lasts maybe 20 minutes tops, leaving me desperately wanting more. Personally I feel the movie could have done without the inclusion of Doomsday. Just keep 'Batman vs Superman' between Batman and Superman and leave Doomsday for a future project, e.g. the Justice League.

My gain concern with this movie (which may not even register with some people) is the characterisation of some key roles. As I mentioned before, Lex Luthor doesn't work, but I also wasn't pleased with Batman. Ben Affleck did a outstanding job of portraying the character he was given, but that character wasn't Batman. Or at least a comic accurate version of Batman, which fans have been crying out for. One of the most iconic comic book characters of all time has had his persona almost completely rewritten. 

Batman has three hard and fast rules that he lives by; 

1)Don't kill anybody

2)Don't use guns

3)Don't drink 

In 'Dawn of Justice' we see him break all three of them. Several times. 

I'm all for changing the comics - everybody's adaptation is going to be different - but Zach Snyder has completely changed the motives and reasoning behind Batman. After his parents are murdered, Bruce swears to make sure no one in his city is ever hurt in the way he was and uses his childhood fear of bats to instil fear into the hearts of his enemies. Other than his sneak attack on the warehouse, we see non as this as it's replaced with Batman shooting guns and bedding women. I can understand him killing in a dream sequence when he's fighting super soldiers, but when Batman starts snapping the necks of street level thugs, something is seriously wrong. 

Overall, I don't hate this movie. There is a lot to like about it. Most of the cast do a terrific job; the action is stupendous and its infinitely better than the last entry in this current DC universe. However, as much as everyone wanted this movie to be amazing, it's not. The reasoning behind their fight starts off pretty strong but ends up as a pure misunderstanding which could be eradicated by either hero simply asking the other what was going on, the fight its self is underwhelming and far too brief and Superman is vastly underused ... again. If you enjoyed 'Man of Steel' then certainly see it as it covers a lot of the same ground and continues the story. If you didn't enjoy 'Man of Steel', maybe still give it ago because it's much better than 'Man of Steel' and is by no means a bad movie. However it has left me quite disappointed and now more cautiously optimistic than excited about future DC projects.

2/5 Stars