The trailers pretty much spelled out the whole plot, so there’s very little I can add to describe what the film is about. In a nutshell: Batman is pissed off at Superman’s lack of accountability and considers Kal-El’s immense power a threat to humanity. After some quick pondering, he decides to wipe him out for good as a preventive measure. Yup.
Batman V Superman is a gargantuan $250 million dollar project with the responsibility of not only recouping its own investment but also kickstarting 4 other films of the DC cinematic universe. Those are HUGE stakes and I believe they accomplished their objectives to the letter. They generated interest, provided a ground to introduce their new characters, and sold tickets like crazy.
At the time of writing, the film has already made $538 million worldwide and managed to rank as the 4th biggest opening of all time. These numbers are even more impressive if you take into account the bad vibes the project picked up from the very beginning, going back to the early negative response to Ben Affleck being cast as Bruce Wayne.
In a film that cost as much as the foreign debt of Fiji, you can’t expect a deep exploration of the human soul in a silent, 10 minute uninterrupted take of a dog taking a sh**. Leave that to Béla Tarr.
The film is not as bad as the early reviews want you to believe. In fact, this could well be the best Superman movie since Richard Donner’s Superman II from 1980. Performances are solid all round and to the surprise of many, Ben Affleck excels in his role. He delivers a rugged, almost cynical portrayal of Batman that we haven’t seen onscreen before.
For a movie with such high stakes, it was interesting how patiently it seemed to develop its plot. The first two acts are solely dedicated to build up the reasons behind Batman’s resentment, and in almost 90 minutes we only see two short action sequences. Comic book buffs especially will have plenty to rave on, as the film is full of Easter Eggs and references to seminal material. There’s even a dash of Man-Bat and plenty of hints that Darkseid will be the villain in the next Justice League movies. And boy, that sequence where Flash travels through time was awesome as hell.
The story itself is a pastiche of bits and pieces from Frank Miller’s critically acclaimed The Dark Knight Returns, The Death of Superman story arc from 1992, and the Injustice: Gods Among Us series.
The main problem with Batman V Superman is that it attempts to appease two vastly different demographics: the hardcore comic book fans and the general movie goer. This ambivalence makes it impossible for the flick to sustain a unified tone and the result is a weakened product. Is this a toned down R or a dark PG-13? Is it a respectful homage to the graphic novels or an origin film intended for a mainstream market?
The problems in tone only start there. While the film tries hard to ground the story in reality, even going as far as featuring cameos by Anderson Cooper and Neil deGrasse Tyson, those elements highly contrast with the cartoony dementia of the main villain and the sudden apparition of a demigoddess thrown into the mix.
The ultra serious tone and the unearned grandiloquence given to a story that is essentially about some dudes in tights make some scenes border on parody. It’s as if DC didn’t take note of what made Nolan’s The Dark Knight so effective. The Dark Knight chose to be a crime film deeply rooted in reality and stuck to that decision to the end. Batman V Superman jumps from realism to fantasy every other scene.
Christopher Nolan has been on board on both Superman projects as producer, which makes me think that either he’s just a name to show off on the posters, or he’s really half-assing it.
For an action film, it’s quite ironic that the fight sequences are the weakest element of the whole narrative. With the exception of the much anticipated clash between the two heroes, which I have to say had a fantastic emotional element and awesome choreography, the majority of action scenes are as dull and boring as watching paint dry. The confrontations are extremely predictable and the excessive motion blur really doesn’t add any value.
Is it just me or does this film overall seemed a bit too dark? I’m not sure if it was an issue with the multiplex’s projector or a stylistic choice but, at the end, I had the impression that everything was too dim and the grading felt extravagantly cold.
The filmmakers gave continuity to the video game look from Man Of Steel, which in my opinion cheapens the production value considerably. In certain moments, you almost feel like witnessing an operatic Twitch stream and not the seventh most expensive film of all time. James Cameron’s Avatar, The Force Awakens and Guardians Of The Galaxy, all had lower budgets and seem in a completely different league in comparison.
Zack Snyder looks like a director with an inverted evolution curve. His first three films showcased a distinctive vision that has gradually degraded as his career has progressed. From a talented promise, he’s slowly, but surely turning into… Michael Bay. And even then, Snyder still has a long road to go because, say what you will about Bay, the guy knows where to place a camera. Snyder at the moment is having trouble even establishing the geography of a scene with precision.
There are many sequences that have no use. How much time was wasted picturing Gal Gadot on a plane? Couldn’t they find a more ingenious way of doing product placement? And what about Lois Lane throwing the spear in the pool only to come back to it three shots later. Was that supposed to be slapstick funny? Oh, did we really need Batman’s origin story told again, TWICE?!
Snyder drags the whole team down the drain of his own flaws. Music in Batman V Superman has very little personality. Can anybody recall Batman’s theme? Did you find anything in there that Zimmer hasn’t already done before? It was all a dull affair, like a lame and disinterested greatest hits album. And don’t get me started with Wonder Woman’s theme… she was presented like a new Doritos flavor in a Super Bowl ad. I guess Junkie XL can be proud of that jingle.
Although Batman V Superman is not as terrible as most critics claim, it’s far from being that second coming of Jesus that some fanboys loudly proclaim. The expected $750 million mark they will achieve in the next few days is not something to shrug at all, yet it remains to be seen if Warner Brothers will be able to meet their 1 Billion plus expectations for a project that features two of the most recognizable characters in popular culture and had little competition at the box office.
It sure has a captivating build up, beautiful production design, and great performances by Irons and Affleck. But whatever virtues they exhibit in the first hour are completely spoiled by a rushed and unmotivated third act. At the end, I think they tried too hard to please their markets instead of focusing on actually doing a good film. But hell, what can I say? That pretty much sums up what blockbuster movie making is all about.
Check out our other review for Batman V Superman HERE.
