Rating of
2.5/4
A Rocky Start to the Dawn of a Franchise
Chris Kavan - wrote on 04/03/16
The critics may have lambasted Dawn of Justice, but I find it didn't warrant the withering 29% Rotten Tomatoes score it currently sits at. That's not to say Batman v Superman doesn't have issues (it surely does) but it isn't as bad as, say, the Transformers films. If you can stick this one out - the film gives you something good to look forward to but you'll have to wait around for the good stuff.
The main issue with Dawn of Justice is that it jumps around so much yet accomplishes so little in its 2 1/2 hour running time. The opening jumps from Batman's origins, the deserts of Africa to Superman saving a bunch of people to the Daily Planet to dream sequences to Lex Corp - it boggles the mind to try to follow this haphazard yet quite boring series of events. You see, despite the titles of Batman v Superman, most of the film is following one or the other (or Lois or Lex) as they play out their separate ways. When they finally meet, there is finally a spark of a great film - but it takes so damn long to get there, it loses the punch. And don't get me started on introducing Doomsday and Wonder Woman into the mix.
As for new characters, Jesse Eisenberg essentially plays a more evil and annoying version of Mark Zuckerberg from The Social Network as Lex Luthor. I found his voice annoying (though it did make him much more punchable) and his tendencies to meander off onto tangents just as bad. But make not mistake, he did get the evil right. For all his preening and nervous tics, he has the making of an excellent foil - annoying, but excellent none-the-less. Gal Gadot doesn't have enough to do as her part as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince - mainly there for one fight scene and to set up the next film. Jeremy Irons lends some gravatis as Bruce Wayne's butler (mechanic and tech wizard) Alfred, though, like Gadot, is relegated to supporting status at best. Holly Hunter also shows up a a southern cliche as a Kentucky senator.
Returning to the fold, Amy Adams still plays a lovely damsel in distress while trying to act tough as intrepid reporter Lois Lane. Laurence Fishburne is still the ought-as-nails editor Perry White (spouting journalistic nonsense every now and then but utterly useless for the most part) and Diane Lane is barely there as Clark's mother, Martha (though does play a prominent role in the finale).
That brings us to Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill. Affleck actually scores points as Batman/Wayne if only because he plays the weary warrior so well. This is not a fresh-faced Batman, raring for justice, but rather a world-weary soldier, suffering from a bad case of PTSD and a bad case of wanting revenge. You see, he blames Superman for a lot of things - not the least of which is being above the law - something he himself is no stranger to. But he is just a man - whereas Superman is much more - much more dangerous and, if not kept in check, likely to destroy the world as save it.
Cavill is still the weak link as the Man of Steel. He has the look but is just kind of boring. Whether joining Lois in the tub, sneaking into a billionaire's server room or kicking Batman's ass - he just needs some more emotion. Eh, what can you do at this point?
I liked the fact they set up this universe nicely - a short intro for all our new characters The Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher). I just have to hope the upcoming films (including Suicide Squad) aren't so dour and all-over-the-place. The pacing here is inexcusable, even if it eventually leads to a somewhat satisfying conclusion. It's not a good film - it's not a terrible one - but I have to think we deserve a bit more and must hold out hope that the DC universe can get better.
