(Minor Spoiler Alert – I won’t reveal the big plot points
but will discuss my reaction to it as well as give a general gist of the
different plot lines throughout the film but other than that, it will still
only provide my viewpoints on the film as a whole)
With Marvel having a tight grip on cinemas with their
successful string of films financially and/or critically, there had to be
competition sooner or later and whom better than Detective Comics with Warner
Bros. to challenge the dominance of comic book films. This begins with the push forward for Zach
Synder, David S. Goyer, and the same creative team after the reasonably
financial success yet critically divisive reboot of the iconic hero from DC,
Superman called Man of Steel team up again
to bring together two of the most recognizable heroes of the DC Universe,
Batman and Superman in live action form.
It brings those heroes and a slew of not-so subtle hints of a larger
world/universe being developed for real in Batman
V. Superman: Dawn of Justice. The
question on everyone’s mind is whether or not the film can be the cinematic
universe starter for DC Comics’ fans and moviegoers were hoping for or if it
lands with a resounding thud, could it give pause to the overall game plan for
future installments on the horizon?
Let’s get into and discuss the film properly in all of its aspects,
starting with the plot for this throw down, team up comic book adventure.
This starts off with an origin story of Batman (Ben Affleck)
explaining his ideology of dealing with criminals and his weariness towards the
world as we see the death of his parents in front of the Monarch Theater. We get the first of many dream sequences
where Bruce ends up in a bat cave after his parents are placed in the family
crypt and is surrounded by it, only to be lifted up from the ground from a
tornado as if to symbolize in a heavy handed way, his ascension from boy to
man. This leads to him dealing with the
destruction and civilian casualties of citizens and his employees on the day
Superman (Henry Cavill) had his explosive fight with General Zod (Michael
Shannon) in Metropolis. Bruce Wayne is
shocked and devastated by the destruction that transpired only to see in the
horizon, the battle between Superman and Zod in the distance which plants the
seeds of doubt and fear that will motivate him back into the cowl once more to
bring justice to this unknown alien from above.
About 18 month passes, (because an entire city can be
rebuilt in that time frame along with a monument for Superman despite his role
in the city’s destruction) where Batman is deploying brutal tactics on
child/immigrant smugglers, sexual predators, and criminals in search of
Superman by branding certain criminal deviants to be brutalized and indirectly
get them killed in prison. Clark Kent
gets a wind of this and starts to investigate who this vigilante is while
dealing with the heavy responsibility of being a god like figure to the world
that loves and hates the presences of Superman.
This is also the crux of his inner conflict of whether he should truly
accept this responsibility as a public heroic figure or remain in the shadows
to help people without the glory or public’s approval. He intervenes in the public affairs of other
countries and it has caused controversy with the public about the need for such
a being of extraordinary capability. In
the middle of all this, Alexander Lex Luthor Jr. (Jessie Eisenberg) discovers
through his contacts in CIA and shadow groups that a particularly meteor was
discovered near the world engine remains from the Indian Ocean that turns out
to be Kryptonite. He wants to get his hands on it, to use as a deterrent
against Superman and any meta-humans that might utilize their power for
destructive intent. This eventually gets
all of the principal characters with side characters like Lois Lane (Amy Adams)
to play a deceptive cat and mouse game that will drive both of these
mythological individuals of ideologies into a showdown that could very well bring
about a war that may do more harm to the world than good.
That is the slew of major plot beats present in the film so
far and that does not count the plethora of side plots and out of context
scenes that really eat up the run time with the anticipated showdown taking
place in the last 20-30 minutes of the film.
This is a major problem right out of the gate with the juggling act
being performed with this film’s narrative.
There does not seem to be any clear focus on any one of these plot lines
and it leads to a lot of much needed continuity to be missing throughout this
film. This could be addressed in the
extended cut but this issue surrounds this theatrical cut of the film and this
comes down to the questionable, disjointed editing that is apparent throughout
this entire film. This means that there
seems to be an emphasis on visual metaphors and symbolism to develop each of
the character’s fears and anxiety for why they are trying to fight one another,
which unfortunately comes across as heavy handed and surprisingly goofy in its
execution of these ideas. That is
ultimately the tragic disconnect with this film that can be summed up as
ambitious and exceptionally inventive with its ideas but the overall approach
with the direction of them are half-heartedly done and just confused with what
kind of film it wants to be as a whole.
There seems to be 3-4 different films fighting for time here
in tone and delivery but it ultimately is a Batman film with a mini Superman sequel
pushed more into a secondary role as well as a setup for the overall DC
Cinematic Universe and it utilizes too much of the runtime to do this instead
of being a well-rounded, standalone film.
It has to be said though that the first act is a strong opener and
really is effective in introducing Bruce Wayne/Batman into this universe as
well as empathizing with his anger and desire to take Superman down. The problems start to show up though as each
new plot line is introduced and fighting for time to be developed only to be
dropped without any form of resolution (we are talking major plot beats as well
particularly no repercussions of a certain bombing that only served to shock
the audience with sudden violence). This
is interrupted constantly with abrupt dream sequences that really added nothing
to the main plot other than pretentious symbology and an ill-conceived attempt
to serve as setup for their planned sequels to be made in the future. There are good, thought provoking moments
that aspire for greatness or expand this universe in an interesting matter but
it rings hollow throughout the film and it comes across as corporate
interference at work here especially with the next element of this film that
brings down the overall enjoyment of it.
That story element is tone and this film does not know which
one to settle into as it competes with the myriad of plotlines that do not gel
together. It is consistently dark and
disturbing throughout the whole film that can border on being mean spirited and
obsessed with its grim dark nature. Then,
there are moments when it becomes a big, b-movie monster experiment film that
borders on being campy to the extreme while trying to maintain a sense of
grounded reality to this world which leads to clear contradictions as to what
these filmmakers and storytellers want to establish with the DC cinematic
universe. This is exacerbated even more
with dialogue that is completely inane in its delivery and writing as well as
reeking of self-importance and sheer childish quips/insults that does not allow
these actors to make these characters their own. It is for that reason that while it does
maintain a very dreary, palpably grim tone throughout the film, it is mixed
with extremely campy/goofy elements from the writing, acting, and direction
that only serves to confuse viewers and really expose how unfocused this film
really is in allowing the viewers to really care about the world these
characters have to live in and save from evil.
Now, we get to the actors/actresses of this cast along with
the characters they played and the development of them in the writing process
from David S. Goyer and Chris Terrio (with some uncredited possible
collaboration with Ben Affleck regarding the rewrites). It seems only fair to start with the main
positive of this cast with Ben Affleck taking up the mantle of the Dark Knight
himself. It is safe to say that he not
only gives it his all in becoming this character physically but also in
portraying both Bruce Wayne and Batman effortlessly with complete focus. He is one of the finest adaptations of the
character so far despite the hackney writing and messy, contradictory approach
to his origin story as well as developing this older version of Batman. Despite the material that eventually
underutilize him in regards to his actions in the narrative as well as making
conveniently moronic choices with his investigative and aggressive methods,
Affleck really portrays the Dark Knight with honesty and completely embodies
this character with an ironic sense of realism when you factor his personal
life into his performance.
This leads us to finally talking about the individual
characters as some of them are being introduced for the first time and share
little to a huge amount of screen time to develop them into the interpretations
that will be prevalent in future installments.
While Affleck is tremendously memorable in the role of Batman, the
character written and displayed here is quite brutal and downright homicidal
albeit in an indirect way but still, kind of psychotic if you reflect upon his
action scenes throughout this film. This
would not be a problem if there was a reason for it but they merely shrug at
the moral conundrum of his violent ways as if we are meant to celebrate it but
it serves to shock and horrify how merciless he is against criminals that it
conflicts with the little references to his backstories and past history as
Batman. He does get called to tasked by
Alfred Pennyworth (Jeremy Irons) who is snarky, kind of dickish in his older
years to Wayne about his violent streak but it is completely left unanswered,
leading us through this story with a crazed vigilante that does all this for
sheer spectacle with little regard given to morality, justice, or even
life. This is ultimately Batman being at
the mercy of lazy/insipid writing that he can either be smart or dumb according
to the script, making him really into a very unpleasant person that believes
that violence and vengeance is the only way to force the world to make sense.
With the Dark Knight fully examined, we lead in with the Man
of Steel himself portrayed by Henry Cavill who returns into the role of DC’s
first superhero. He was merely fine and
serviceable for the character and it is clearly a completely different take on
this heroic figure that is insecure and unsure of his purpose in this world. Unfortunately, the script gives him very
little to work with, that it is not surprising that his performance lacks any
sense of personality or humanity to it, making the romance between him and Lois
Lane ring falsely as well as being awkward to watch. He does not exhibit any emotional depth that
he attempted to convey in the previous film which unfortunately makes him a secondary
character to the one this film seems more interested in developing which is
Batman. An interpretation that has its
own set of problems and honestly makes this conflict between Batman and
Superman sort of redundant but Cavill does okay in the role even though his
performance does not leave much of an impression.
As for the character of Clark Kent/Superman, he has suffered
so much regression in character arc and ultimately feels like a complete
antithesis of what the character is that he ends up being just another version
of Batman but with superpowers instead of gadgets, physical combat skills, and
money. There are numerous times in this
film where he questions his role as a hero at every corner and eventually walks
away from it, to confusingly reflect on his choices while threats in Metropolis
get more perilous and the world calls Superman into question for his actions as
well as his role in the destruction of that city 2 years ago. He is written to be very selfish and quite
egocentric towards only his love Lois and his surrogate mother Martha Kent
(Diane Lane), which only makes him unlikable in the process and really difficult
to call him a hero at all, more like a subjugated vagabond that only does good
for his loved ones and everyone else be damned.
Hence, he has become another version of Batman that has his own set of
parental issues and cannot seem to be the original incarnation of hope,
optimism, and moral values that made him the main leader of the Justice League
and the hero everyone can aspire to be like as kids and adults.
As for the rest of the cast, they are either only there to
drive the narrative forward which characters like Lois Lane, Perry White
(Laurence Fishburne), and Martha Kent or are just there as a walking, talking
cameo/teaser for future films like the introduction of the Amazonian hero
Wonder Woman/Diana Prince (Gal Gadot).
While their performances are perfectly adequate throughout the film,
they are written very shallowly to drive a plot point in a very forcibly
unsubtle way or just to inconveniences the conflict for added tension or drama
(Lois Lane and her questionable actions throughout the film particularly in the
climax). Her characters suffers the most
in this rather large, labyrinth of a plot where she seems to be a pro-active
reporter in one part of the story and ends up being a useless, pretty damsel in
distress as the story is about to wrap up. The other cast members are just there to
sprout different character motivations or moral conflict that which both Perry
White and Martha Kent do throughout the little screen time they are given,
already feeling like the odd people out of this already huge cast of
characters.
There is not much to write up on with Wonder Woman other
than the costume design as well as the hint of her character in the minor role
she has in this film. Gal Gadot seems to
be a bit wooden though particularly in her exchange with Bruce Wayne during the
middle parts of the film. While she
might be concerning in regards to her acting chops in her origin story film
coming soon, her physicality as well as her demeanor in action is actually refreshingly
fun to see as if there was a small bright spot within a very stormy, dark cloud
that hangs over this entire film’s tone.
Despite the gripes with her line delivery, she really seems capable to
handle the character well and it does give some level of intrigue with how she
will do in the role in about a year or 2.
This is nothing compared to what is arguably the most
drastic, completely different changes made to one of the most prominent
characters in the DC universe in casting/performances and writing, it is the
main villain of the film Alexander Lex Luthor Jr. (Jessie Eisenberg) with a
villain that seems both comically and diabolically confused about his
motivations for taking out Superman and Batman.
His interpretation is going to be seen as very divisive but in this case,
it is a complete contrast and contradiction to the tone of this story
constantly by relying heavily on mannerisms to convey just how awkward and
crazy his character is with people too close minded to understand him. He hams up the performance to the extreme and
it comes across like a joke in in this case which is the result of questionable
direction given to Eisenberg over his portrayal of the character. His performance was out of place with the
other characters and incredulously miscast and placed with the other actors
that he makes this character more like a joke rather than a credible threat to
these heroes.
The way the character is written is highly questionable and
makes very little sense as to why a younger version of this character is
inclined to go up against these “mature” heroes. His motivations is all over the place
starting with jealously towards Superman, defying god, has abusive daddy
issues, and wanting to control the world to his will. This is yet again another insecure,
psychological train wreck of a human being trying to content with his
inadequacy against these Meta Humans and it feels like two characters mashed
into one. This felt more like an
imitation of another villain called The Joker rather than the cold, smartly
calculating businessman that has been predominant in other interpretations of
the character in comics, games, and animated shows/films. It is a far cry to how this character is
written in previous incarnations especially with the most iconic interpretation
in animated form, voiced by Clancy Brown which makes this new version of this
villain all the more lackluster with the final performance we saw in the film
along with the convoluted writing on display here for this character and many
other elements of this film.
As for Doomsday (revealed in the trailers), he is brutish
dumb lug of a monster that is only in this film to have a climax that was
non-existent in the film until someone had the idea to bring in a monster film
to bookend this story. His creation is
by far the most inane, ludicrously moronic use of plot convenience on display
especially with placing every element needed to create this threat placed in
one location. As for the climactic set
piece with him, it is loud and confusing with numerous explosions on display
for the majority of the time fighting him that it is honestly difficult to
watch with any sense of danger or care for the characters at all. The way it is wrapped up is the most
contrived, asinine narrative choice ever used for adaptation on film that it
feels unearned and meaningless in what it was supposed to convey in that moment
(that’s just the overall thoughts on the ending without spoilers,
hopefully). In other words, they managed
to duplicate Marvel’s cinematic formula all right and that means we may have
the first of many forgettable, goofy as well as generic brute like villains
that do not leave much of an impression by the end of a film.
Which leads into the action set pieces for the film which
are present but do not actually dominant the majority of the run time here
surprisingly since the film relies more on dialogue and exposition rather than
actions from character to inform or drive the story forward. When the action does go down, it does look
relatively big in scale and concept as well but it is in the execution of the
set pieces where the film does run into problems to be entertaining. While the fisticuff battles do look hard
hitting and the actors/performers are on point for each of the fights, it is
surprising just how brutal each conflict is with its excessive approval of
brutal violence and the unfortunate body count from both Batman and Superman
(the terrorist leader possibly in the beginning acts) that is present
throughout this film. There is also a
sense of stiffness to the fights particularly with Batman that while
choreographed well enough, it is the shoddy editing along with sound design failing
to capture the kinetic energy needed for the action especially with the hand to
hand combat.
The car chase sequences in
this film are completely excessive in its destructive stunts and explosions as
well as the lack of purpose for them as it just makes the characters really
look like idiots for even racking up the damage and body count in the first
place (Batman places a tracker on a vehicle yet he seems compelled to get into
a battle with that very same vehicle and its escorts before learning of its destination,
very stealthy). These action set pieces
will satisfy on a visual level but it lacks any form of emotional engagement
for the character’s motivations to get into these battles in the first place.
This brings up the very last point to make with the action
set pieces before we get to the other technical aspects of this film and that
is the main showdown between Batman and Superman. It seems like it is a spiritual successor to
the comic book battle featured in The
Dark Knight Returns with Batman’s use of every trick in the book to
slow down and disorient Superman from Sonic Blasts to Machine guns and finally
deception. However, the way they get
into this battle is not only lazy in its execution but it truly showcases how
the script has to make each character into a gullible moron when it is convenient
to get these characters to fight. The
fight is nothing more than a squabble that almost escalates until darker territories
until one single piece of information allows both characters to set their
differences asides to take down the real villain. When this moment happened, it is hard not to
roll your eyes at this very point in the film as well as being one of the most
questionable written plot points in the film thus far. From this perspective, this fight was flashy,
destructive, and ultimately anticlimactic when there could have
been more at stake instead of being a very forced, tensionless squabble.
Now, this is where the film really does shine in quality
with its inspired cinematography as well as the music score of the film to a
certain extent. Each of the shots
throughout this film are like living works of art come to life by really
creating that visual decorum of what we may have read in the comic books. There are some really unique designs with the
locales especially with one dream sequence out in the wasteland as well as the
world feeling very grounded with the appropriate look of the film feeling very
much real. There is also a changed in
Director of Photography with Larry Fong taking helm and it clearly shows as the
shots are now stable and clear to see in comparison to the frantic,
disorienting look of the previous film.
There are still some use of the shaky cam mainly in the action set
pieces near the end but it is more visible and allows the shot compositions to
be seen. So, the film does at least look
visually lovely and enamored in being a comic book film brought to life with
the real world.
As with the previous film, Han Zimmer returns to score this film along with Junkie XL after their collaboration with a previous Superhero film called The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as well as XL’s solo work on the post-apocalyptic action adventure reboot/sequel Mad Max: Fury Road. The score seems to utilize a blend of acoustic and synthetic sounds extensively by shaping and warping familiar instruments like the violin to something ethereal. The standout is Wonder Woman’s theme which is great mix of guitar riffs and classic orchestral allowing for the music to be distinctively owned by that character allow just like the previous themes from the last film fits Superman (which is underutilized here again). It does work to the action beats as well as certain dramatic moments but on its own, it lacks any sense of character or reason for it to heard out of context of the main film.
It is finally time to get more in depth with the overall editing
of the film and how it dictates the pacing present in this theatrical cut of
the film. Many of the problems with the
narrative structure in this film is both the result of a compromised script and
the choices made here for each scene that leads into one another. There are constant uses of hard cuts to black
and it is used so often that it feels like chunks of this film are missing that
could connect each plot point to each other.
Because of these cuts, there is an extremely loose connective lines with
each scenes that jumble up the development of characters as well as not really
making the geography of each scene clear.
An example of this is how it seems like Gotham City and Metropolis are
one in the same as far as cityscapes go and any interesting visual
characteristics that could be seen in showcasing these cities is lost because
the film is more concern about its spectacle rather than making sure the plot
points develop each other. It is
unfortunate that this cut of the film is disjointed, lacks any sense of structure
to each scenes, and feels completely all over the place with each plot line
that either get underdeveloped or dropped completely from the rather thin,
directionless story.
The last thing that has to be addressed is the sheer
violence and brutal, dark nature of the film as well as its appropriateness for
children that go see this film. There
are numerous deaths that occur throughout this entire film that are out of
character and compete contradiction of their supposed traits known by fans of
these characters from the comics and other incarnations. The problem is that they treat this kind of
vigilantism violence as a triumph and heroic when it comes across as being
oddly grim and horrific to see how the film just revels in each of these so
called “heroes” brutal actions with those lingering shots during the car chases
after the Batmobile directly shoots and blows up numerous cars with bad guys inside them as well as
Superman punching a terrorist through 3 sets of concrete wall for touching a
hair on his lover, Lois Lane. There is a
clear disconnect with the character development of these heroes as well
as the need for sheer spectacle out of violence which means that a kid might
actually get startled by what they may see throughout this film. It does not help that you have hints of torture,
prostitution, sexual abuse, war crimes, suicide, bombing, and justification of Vigilantism
paint a very ugly, exceedingly cruel view of the world within this story that
it does sap any kind of entertainment to be had in this film on top of the characters
being one dimensional caricatures that do not get a chance to convey any sense of
humor or humane connection with any of the other characters for viewers to be
invested in.
If this felt overly long and drawn out, the film does a perfectly good job of that by taking the most iconic superheroes of the past 80 years and making this extremely overstuffed, confused messy film. For DC’s attempt to bring their own cinematic universe, they utilized one of the most divisive takes on the iconic Superman and used that world along with its darker tone for the foundation of a team that has to represent the best ideals of humanity in each of these heroes. However, it is made difficult to really be excited for future installments when our protagonists are incredibly indecisive, moronic when the plot needs them to be, and just unlikeable or selfish for their own needs and we expect them to really become the heroes we are supposed to follow. It was described best that this is what Synder’s previous film from a while back called Watchmen, another adaptation of a DC comic book series where the world is cynical towards the time when superheroes were more than just stopping the bad guys and saving the day but really, that our heroes are just as flawed as us mere human being. These heroes are psychologically complex and motivated for different, personal reasons to dress up and play hero to the world which is what this film seems to get perfectly but it ultimately feels out of place with characters that have been around for a long time and part of the public culture for close to a century.
This means that this film was going to divide people from the get-go and there are always going to be spirited arguments from both sides regarding the merits and quality of the final cut. But in this case, Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice is a very disjointed and extremely shaky start to the DC cinematic universe that juggles with 4 different types of films at once with Batman being the main focus but ultimately the most memorable part of this film as well as changing the fundamentals of every one of these characters (with the exception of Wonder Woman) to fit this darker, grounded take of these iconic characters. There are times when the story does have some value of themes and character building to give insight to how they have been developed in this incarnation but it has been compromised by the shoddy editing along with the deficient script that lacks any substantive content to allow characters to be developed or have motivation for their actions by putting the set pieces and visual overload of CGI/comic book imagery first with complete disregard for simple storytelling writing to give reason and purpose for it. The performances are relatively fine from everyone with Ben Affleck really bringing his A game to the role of Batman and Jessie Eisenberg being a cheesy, unintentionally laughable version of Lex Luthor but are let down by the lacking, mediocre screenplay from Goyer and Terrio as well as director Synder not putting in some form of attention to the acting talents to really make these characters into their own. This was simply a film that does too much with very little conviction in the material and has too many creative elements that feel compromised to satisfy both comic book fans and filmgoers, only to end up dividing everyone critically as a result.
Addendum For Extended Cut
This is an addition to the review to express the overall thoughts on what was added and fixed in the Extension of the runtime. The major changes are seen in the beginning into the middle act, with very little changes to the big CGI climax of the film. It adds further context to the call to arms towards Superman and his powers, from his continuing interference in world events from saving lives from natural disasters to providing assistance to potential dangers. This is expressed from Luthor's thorough attempt to pin the war crimes on him as well as manipulative attempts to force a conflict between Batman and Superman. The investigation of Batman and Superman is provided more time to breath, especially Supes using his Clark Kent persona to learn more about Batman via Gotham City. There is also more brutality and violent moments throughout the film to further extrapolate Luthor as a dangerous mastermind and further provide better understanding for Superman's choices in the story. As for the last changes, it involves more dialogue references, corny joke monologue from Jon Stewart as an awkward world building transition, and it barely changes the bloated yet incomprehensibly over the top final battle with Doomsday.
Overall, it provides a better and more concrete setup to the story pieces that eventually move and transpire in the main film. There is a clearer context to the character actions, specifically Batman and beneficially, Superman as they investigate each other and commit to actions that lead to their eventual showdown. However, it doesn't either further clarify or enhance the fundamental creative choices made in the theater cut to make it an overall better film. It still leads to one defined end and arcs to each character in the cast, still feels overly crowded with sub-plots and references that now lead to nowhere or disappointing results in future films, and that doesn't make the climax better at all, as it still remains rushed, contrived, and falls flat emotionally. While the extended cut does make an effort to fix what was wrong with the connective tissues of the film (not as many cut to blacks in this one at least), it still can't fix what is fundamentally wrong with the film's interpretation of these iconic characters as well as escape its deconstructive, satirical critique of the genre as a whole.
Score: ** out of *****
Score ** out of *****
Batman V. Superman:
Dawn of Justice is a very big, ambitious attempt to jumpstart the cinematic
universe for DC that ultimately end up being visually inspired but vapidly
hollow and lacking on a narrative/emotional level for the story and action set
pieces when it comes to its adaptation of established comic book classics with
these two iconic heroes. The cameos and
references to other films on the slate to develop the Justice League feel
forced and convenient for the sake of setup that it ultimately does not allow this
film to do its own story justice. The performances
are commendable (Affleck really shines in this film) but ultimately fall flat particularly with the majority of the supporting
cast, Superman, and Wonder Woman from the unfocused direction and writing on
display here. The script tries to do too
much and ends up mishandling any interesting story elements that could have
worked under a more attentive, skilled director regarding storytelling through structure and visual interpretation. It is disheartening to see this clearly
manufactured piece of pop culture imagination in comic books come to fruition and
ultimately be middle of the road overall which does not instill enthusiasm or
care for what lies ahead in this series of films.
