Rating of
2.5/4
For better or worse, this movie is batsh!t-crazy!!
Indyfreak - wrote on 04/23/16
Batman versus Superman: Dawn of Justice has every hallmark of every superhero epic released these days. It features a high-concept premise, stunt casting great actors in supporting roles, bombastic musical score when the action lets up, explosions brighter than the sun, and a climax that inevitably boils down to a CGI rendered slugfest. And when it is just that, BVS:DOJ is solid entertainment and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't cheered on by every minute of it.
But there are problems, GLARING problems that need to be addressed. The script is messy and clunky while the tone is wildly uneven. Again, when the movie hits its stride it's spectacular but there are many moments which beg the question "why?" or "what's the point?". Much of it comes from the unnecessary padding to add references to the Justice League. This results in a two-and-a-half hour running time that is laborious to sit through and it gets in the way of an already interesting story.
Also the villain is one of the most annoying antagonists in a comic-book film in some time. Jesse Eisenberg is not fit to play Lex Luthor and his performance shows it. The evil scheme he has in mind sounds good on paper but coming out of his mouth, he seems no more credible than your run-of-the-mill street prophet in Central Park. The film loses its focus every time he's onscreen with his irritating quirks more suitable for a sitcom comic relief bit instead of not merely a supremely evil genius but one of the great supervillains in all of comics. Yea, he's that bad.
But the rest of the cast works. Henry Cavill is good as Superman while Ben Affleck is outstanding as Batman who's a more brutal vigilante than people might be used to here. Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons, and Laurence Fishburne are good as familiar DC characters Lois Lane, Alfred, and Perry White. Gal Gadot has been much touted as Wonder Woman. She's not in the movie much before the big battle by the end but you are left excited for her own upcoming movie.
The action and visuals are excellent. That is a given in a Zack Snyder movie above everything else. The battle between Batman and Superman is a grueling and dirty brawl. Batman's arsenal and skills as a fighter have never looked better before in a movie. The final battle is arguably unnecessary but it is entertaining.
For better or worse, there is a lot going on in Batman versus Superman. I agree that the movie didn't need to be so complicated and that some creative decisions don't work at all. That being said, it's hardly as bad as critics made it out to be. But I can see where they're coming from. The script brings up some damned good ideas about superhuman characters and their place in our world but it doesn't do more with those ideas. We cut to Jesse Eisenberg eating Jolly Ranchers or a whole scene being set up for a jar of piss. I wish I didn't have to type that sentence. But here we are.
What works in Batman versus Superman is so damn good that it makes the experience enjoyable for me but that's no excuse for stuff like that. But hopefully in the future, DC's superhero films are more streamlined and more focused on the plot at hand. In short, Batman versus Superman is an ambitious if uneven event blockbuster that has plenty to enjoy but there is a lot that doesn't work. The recipe for success is there and the ingredients are already in place for a DC universe on par with Marvel. Let's hope they do not waste this opportunity.
