"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" Review

People are talking about superhero fatigue nowadays. Personally, this is something that I am not experiencing. Marvel have been ruling this section of the market for years now and they have kept me consistently entertained. However, I am also a comic book fan and my favourites characters do not come from Marvel, but from arguably their largest competitor, DC. It's fair to say that DC having been doing well in television, with shows like Arrow and the Flash being very popular, but have struggled to an extent in movies since the conclusion of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. Even their first movie in this new DC Cinematic Universe, "Man of Steel," was met with mixed reactions. Now, 3 years after the initial announcement, and after endless controversial casting choices and strange decisions, the next step in this universe comes in the shape of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," pitting two of the biggest superheroes in the world against one another on the big screen for the first time. Somewhat unsurprisingly, this has also been met with mixed reactions and my thoughts are similar. There are sections and pieces that I loved, but then there are also sections which not only made me lower my score, but raise my concerns for this universe in the future.

Let's start with the acting and characters in the movie. I am still a fan of Henry Cavill as Superman. Yes, I would have liked to see another solo Superman movie first to develop the Clark Kent character and wrap up the story left from Man of Steel, but I was still satisfied with the emotional conflict Superman faces throughout the movie. This not only allows Superman to become a much more relatable character despite his alien heritage, but also provides an interesting dynamic that is going to keep being explored as more metahumans and superheroes enter this world. Amy Adams also does a good job as Lois Lane, despite not having much to do. However, let's talk about the big casting that had fans, including myself, really concerned: Ben Affleck as Batman. I am completely prepared to eat my words here as Ben Affleck has provided one of the best on-screen Batman performances ever. Brutal and unforgiving, this Bat gives audiences a reason to be scared, striking from the shadows and doing some things that may anger some fans. However, it's Affleck's portrayal of Bruce Wayne that sold me on this version, as the emotional insight we are given at the beginning with regards Wayne's hatred of Superman is understandable and makes sense. Another bit of casting met with some raised eyebrows was that of Gal Gadot (most notable for the Fast and the Furious franchise prior to this) as Diana Prince AKA Wonder Woman. And just like Ben, she knocks it out of the park as far as I am concerned. OK, so she is not a main player in the story but the small sections she does appear in are excellent, particularly through her interactions with Bruce Wayne and when she finally appears as the iconic heroine in the finale.

"Well, here I am"

However, for every yin there is a yang. For every heads there is a tails. Thus, for every Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot, there is a Doomsday and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. The villains are a serious issue here. Doomsday's inclusion has been concerning fans on the Internet for months now and, after seeing the movie, these concerns were justified. The effects on Doomsday are atrocious and were quite right to be met with the outcry they received.  However, Doomsday is not the main villain. Look, I actually enjoyed Eisenberg's performance for the first half of the movie. A mix of insane and extremely intelligent, he initially seemed a match for Batman and Superman. However, then he started trying to be intimidating. Safe to say, I was laughing in my seat watching Jesse Eisenberg trying to scare Henry Cavill. At least there weren't any sinister real estate schemes this time round.

DC's Trinity finally united

One of the main concerns critics have continuously raised is that of the messy story. While I do not think it is a complete mess and is so fast paced that I cannot understand what is happening, there does appear to be at least 5 movies in here: a Man of Steel sequel; a Batman v Superman movie; a standard Superman/ Lex Luthor story; a political thriller in the Lois Lane side plot; and a Justice League prequel. While some of these go quite well together, others do not.  For example, you may have heard online by now that there are rumours of a few cameos from certain Justice League members to set up that movie next year. While I am not going to spoil these for you, what I can tell you is that these are so strange and so out of place in this overly dark story that any immersion you may have had will be completely broken. It seems like Warner Bros had a lot of good ideas for these movies but are so determined to catch up with Marvel and do their team-up movie that there just threw it all together.

"You should not pick a fight with this person..."

On the other hand, while director Zack Snyder may be criticised for his story direction, one thing he cannot be faulted on is his action sequences. These are some beautiful sections in terms of effects and cinematography, with everything moving at just the right pace that it seems real, but is not so fast that it is difficult to see what is actually happening, like lots of other modern action movies. The Batman/Superman fight itself is of course one of the main events of the movie. While a bit shorter than I would have liked, the fight is well done and looks incredible. However, writers Chris Terrio and David Goyer do not waste any opportunity to pull at your heartstrings, with the conclusion of the battle being just as satisfying as the fight itself.

Still scarier than a real estate agent

Another detail worth noting is the score for the movie, both emotional and booming when appropriate. Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL have done a great job here, particularly in composing iconic new themes for two famous superheroes - Batman and Wonder Woman -  which will have to be used in all of their on screen appearances. The costume and production design for the movie is also excellent, especially with Batman. The details on the suit not only show rough this version of the Dark Knight is, but also his history as a crime fighter, while his version of the Batcave may be my favourite design for this location yet.

Introducing the fifth Michael Bay Ninja Turtle!

There is no doubt that "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is a mixed bag. The movie is weighed down with both Doomsday and Eisenberg's over-the-top portrayal of Lex Luthor, as well as too many storylines to effectively balance, including a Justice League set-up guaranteed to irritate fans of the source material. However, there is still a lot to like here, not least Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill as the titular heroes (especially Affleck) and the highly entertaining action set pieces. If you weren't a fan of Man of Steel, I wouldn't recommend giving this a watch. However, if you are a fan of the genre and don't mind a dark tone and some twists on familiar characters, then Dawn of Justice will be an interesting - as well as worrying - next step into this new universe.

Pros

• Ben Affleck as Batman
• Action sequences
• Emotional in between the action
• The score

Cons

• An overabundance of subplots 
• Justice League set-up
• Eisenberg's Lex in the second half
• Doomsday

Rating: 7/10

Release Date: 25th March, 2016

Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Jeremy Irons, Gal Gadot, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Holly Hunter