BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE film review

– Film Review By Cate Marquis –

‘Batman V Superman’ is superhero showdown long awaited

Batman versus Superman – it is a comic book showdown long in the making. While Superman was the original, Batman is the far more popular superhero now. Still, comic book fans wonder how this is a fair fight – Batman is a rich guy with a lot of technology but Superman is essentially a demigod, an alien with enormous power. The battle should last about 10 minutes.

Director Zack Snyder brings this long-anticipated battle to the big screen with “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Henry Cavill returns as Superman/Clark Kent and Ben Affleck plays Batman/Bruce Wayne., with Amy Adams as Lois Lane and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.

Snyder is the man behind the Superman reboot “Man of Steel,” which was widely criticized for its casual loss of life, “collateral damage,” that marked its non-stop city-destroying battles – something out-of-character for the morally-upright Superman. The director attempts to right some of that wrong with his sequel “Batman V Superman,” which begins with Bruce Wayne stuck in traffic beneath “Man of Steel’s” final battle. Wayne frantically calls his corporate headquarters in an office building in the line of fire, urging them to evacuate, but they do not all make it out safely. Enraged, he vows vengeance on Superman.

The motivation is not entirely convincing, one of many problems with this sequel. Like “Man of Steel,” this film is dark, more in Batman’s brooding world than Superman’s more optimistic one, and is packed with architecture-destroying CGI battles, as well as pretty much devoid of humor. Still, some audiences may find this sequel better than the first film, with more story behind the endless CGI destruction and more sensitivity about innocent humans in the way.

Ben Affleck does a better job as Batman than expected, but Jeremy Irons is a real delight as his butler Alfred, a sharp, funny character who is more the technical brains behind Batman than merely his servant. Affleck’s Batman is more brawny and angry than introspective. There is an unneeded rehash of Batman’s origin story, and several dream sequences that add little more than atmosphere.

Henry Cavill as Superman remains opaque, although Amy Adams’ resourceful Lois Lane helps soften the character. Still, there is not a lot of chemistry between her and Cavill.

Although Batman has this seething resentment towards Superman, he does not bother to tell Superman why. Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White (the over-qualified Laurence Fishburne) relentlessly pounds on Superman in his paper, despite Lois’ efforts to explain Superman’s actions.

Strangely, both Batman and Superman come off a bit like muscle-bound dim bulbs in Snyder’s humorless action film, which makes it all the easier for Jesse Eisenberg as madman villain Lex Luthor to manipulate them into a show-down. What is going to make that battle a fair fight is – you guessed it – kryptonite.

The plot is revealed in a series of scenes, including a rescue mission involving terrorists gone wrong for Superman, and another with Batman stealing data from Luthor’s database during a swanky dinner party, which alternate with CGI fights. The over-long fight sequences have a certain sameness to them, leaving viewers waiting for the next bit of plot as interest wanes..

Snyder sprinkles in frequently references to struggles between god and man, giving the film a kind of mythic or religious undertone, with imagery that turns a bit more specifically Christian in the end. By the time we get to the final battle, which has some more interesting effects, Snyder concocts a new threat but redeems the situation with surprise appearances by new characters.

Comic book purists or fans of “Man of Steel” may not care for this sequel but those put off by Snyder’s first Superman effort may find “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice” an improvement. The ending clearly sets up a third movie, and a hope for new characters and interesting directions. Now, if only someone can inject a little humor into this grim franchise.

© Cate Marquis / The Current