Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

By: John Delia

The highly stylized Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens this weekend. Loosely packed with energy and adventure, the film will have a tough time getting accolades from its fans. Trying to fit the mold of predecessors like The Avengers series with a lengthy story that includes Batman Begins and casting mistakes hurt the film a bit, but that can be overlooked. It’s a good intro to a possible Justice League movie franchise. Will the special effects and CGI save the costly film from losing a bundle? Probably.

The film begins with an excellent display of destruction and mayhem of Metropolis showing Superman (Henry Cavill) fighting off General Zod (Michael Shannon) in the finale of Man of Steel. During the melee, the two bring down buildings in nearby Gotham killing employees of Wayne Enterprises in the process. The people of both cities are tired of the amount of devastation and are calling for a halt to Superman, especially Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) who has lost a great deal. Now that General Zod has been defeated and the fear factor has gone down, the people and government are calling Superman a menace to their society because of all the destruction.

Meanwhile, the crafty Lex Luthor (Jessie Eisenberg) wants to get control of some Krypton to use as weapons against Superman and make him a hero in his own mind. Getting access to it, with the excuse of killing Superman, would give him the power he needs. So begins a war between Batman and Superman with Luthor in between.

I’m not a big fan of Zack Snyder’s high style directing that packs too much into one scene. His production gets very dark, there are long takes on brooding characters and stretches of the script with superfluous dialogue. And his character build up loses impact with dream sequences of information 90% of the audience already knows. That said, his use of CGI (especially in the exciting beginning and the finale when Justice League members go to war with Doomsday) makes the film worth watching.

I suspect the casting comment in my opening paragraph would recall the naysayer’s hesitation of giving the role of Batman to Ben Affleck. They felt it would be a mistake. On the contrary, Ben does an excellent job of portraying the Dark Knight. In fact, he and Henry Cavill are the best the movie has as actors in roles that are awesome in this film. Brooding over the deaths of his employees that happened during Superman’s fight against General Zod, his Batman becomes obsessed with destroying the menace. Affleck was the right choice in my humble estimation. And Cavill continues to shine as the vigilant protector of Earth and rises above his last performance as the high flying hero in Man of Steel.

The addition of Wonder Woman helps sure up a future for the Justice League. I like Gal Gadot as the feisty warrior who uses a sword, shield and a magic rope as her weapons. Fighting off Doomsday with the help of Batman and Superman, I can see a prospect for a whole new franchise for DC Comics and Warner Bros.

Those failing; however, were a disheveled Amy Adams as Lois Lane who sports a few too many pounds and ends up with too much screen time. Sorry Amy, your acting ability is beyond reproach in most everything listed on IMDB, but Zack Snyder has you looking quite shabby in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

In a quite laughable performance, Jesse Eisenberg just doesn’t fit the part of the despicable Lex Luthor. He comes across more like the whiny Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network than the fast talking, boisterous and contemptable Lex depicted in former Superman films. Maybe if they had shaved his head from the introduction of his character, Lex Luthor would have been more ominous looking and believable. You decide.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for intense sequences of violence and action throughout and some sensuality. The film may be a little intense for pre-teens, especially the character Doomsday and “sensual” bathtub scene being a bit racy. So, it’s suggested adults accompany adolescents to the showing.

FINAL ANALYSIS: Reaching for a profitable franchise may be a stretch for Batman v Superman. (C+)