Reviews Film / Batman V Superman Dawn Of Justice

Critically flawed, but still enjoyable. Definitely worth your time and money.

The biggest problem with this movie is that it should've been a sequel. It spends so much time setting up both its own plot, characters, and relationships and broader setting details that it's honestly kind of a chore in places. Wouldn't it be better if we'd had a movie to establish Lex and his antagonistic relationship with both heroes? And, you know, with all that time, shouldn't they have at least tried to give Lex a little motivation?

No, the biggest problem with this movie is Lex Luthor. In a film of entertaining, impactful performances that both respect their source material and come across as sincere, every second this twitchy, faux-eloquent twerp is on-screen is a pain. A terrible interpretation of the character, and an ill-fitting and annoying performance even considered on its own dubious merits.

No, the biggest problem with the film is the studio. I can tell that, like Man of Steel before it, it got shredded in the editing room, and the problem is made worse with hamfisted, Iron Man II-esque attempts at setting up a crossover. They hurt the film almost as badly as they did in that picture.

No, the biggest problem with the film is Snyder. His terrible instinct for what the fans want to see strikes again, causing an almost constant stream of anti-fanservice, and revealing a critically-flawed understanding of both the source material and the criticism his previous film received.

That said...

It's still a thoroughly entertaining sit, and I recommend it. Choppy editing aside, it's a technically proficient work, with great lighting, camera direction that improves on Man of Steel in every way, music, and sound-mixing. And the action is exciting without being relentless.

And, again, with the exception of Eisenburg's Luthor, everyone does a great job with their characters. Special shout-out to Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, since she does a great job of acting with her face and body language rather than her lines in several key scenes. I also liked the rare subtlety with which the film's most important message, about the negative effects of dehumanization and demonization, was conveyed.

I have my fanboy gripes, of course. Batman may kill people with guns, for instance, though comic book rules often ensure people rarely die in explosions. And he wins his climactic duel with Supes, something DC editorial has always been careful not to let him do, extenuating circumstances aside. Plus, seeing as how the film clumsily attempted to adapt elements of two iconic comics simultaneously, I'm sad we'll probably never get better ones.

But... at the end of the day, this isn't a terrible, unwatchable abomination. Just a potentially-great movie brought down to being merely good by flaws and wasted potential. It is most certainly worth seeing, and I hope that, like the Marvel films its corporate masters are clearly trying to ape, the series it's clumsily trying to launch will improve with time.