Batman decides to kill Superman to ensure that he will never turn on
humanity, while Lex Luthor creates a vicious monster to kill them both. ACTION/SCI-FI
|
Batman v Superman:
|
When the first trailer for DC's epic mashup debuted, I was tremendously excited. Then, when the second trailer debuted, the doubts began to surface. How can DC juggle this many characters at once with no longtime development? Can Zack Snyder pull this off or will the Justice League never see the big screen? When the film came out and the terrible reviews started flooding in, I knew it was over. Then, I saw the film for myself. This may not be the DC Comics movie fans have been waiting their entire lives to see, but it has enough fan service to be mildly successful amidst a slew of issues.
First of all, I want to extend an apology to Ben Affleck. None of us gave him a chance before we descended on him like a pack of rabid dogs. He's the quintessential Batman, the one we've wanted from day one. He's rough, battle-worn, and willing to do anything to protect Gotham City, even from the Man of Steel himself. Affleck has finally redeemed himself for Daredevil and is definitely the right man to be the DCEU's Dark Knight. Henry Cavill needs to inject Superman with some personality pronto. His performance in this film is even more wooden than the one he rolled out in Man of Steel. I know Supes is a tough character to write, but he shouldn't be the most boring part of the movie. I'm also looking forward to seeing Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in the near future. She knocked it out of the park. Jesse Eisenberg was terribly miscast as Lex Luthor, and he is by far the worst part of the movie. He plays Lex as an insane, obsessed maniac who is willing to kill millions if it means killing Superman in the process, which is expected. Unfortunately, he's also a milennial hipster tech genius whose plan makes zero sense. Hopefully in the future, Eisenberg hams it down a little bit. The fight scenes against Doomsday were fantastic, with the creature itself looking like a grey Ninja Turtle at first but following several transformations, finally looked somewhat like the vicious monster we all know and love from the comics. The film was not as overstuffed as I expected. Every character had their own chance to shine, with Aquaman, The Flash, and Cyborg having only brief cameos to show their existence in this world. I guess this film can be viewed as DC's strike two. Batman v Superman is a disappointment to the fans, but it sets the tone for the evolution of DC's cinematic universe. They have a long way to go before they start to rival Marvel, and they need to boot Zack Snyder to get on the right path with their biggest characters. I look forward to seeing more epic crossovers and the eventual formation of the Justice League. Snyder better step it up with the JLA movie or he's gonna have a riot on his hands come 2017. |
Shortly after massive amounts of excitement following the announcement of two of comics biggest superhero duking it out, there would be a sudden change in attitude towards Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. With a trailer that seemed to spoil everything and harsh reviews upon its release, my initial excitement had considerably died down. Going in with low expectations, I had ended up walking out pleasantly surprised. This film was a blast and I look forward to seeing how DC's cinematic universe shapes up.
First off, even though I'm fully aware none of the actors are reading this review, I still want to sincerely apologize for my concerns regarding the casting choices. Each actor is perfectly cast in their roles and do an outstanding job of bringing DC'c most iconic characters to cinematic life. Henry Cavill continues to show why he's the man to portray Superman, stepping up his game and showing us a more conflicted hero. Ben Affleck completely took me by surprise, showing he will go down as one of the definitive Batman's. His portrayal of an older, world-weary Batman who has no issues killing is on point. I look forward to seeing more of him in the role. Gal Gadot leaves a great first impression in her limited amount of screen time as Wonder Woman, getting me even more excited for her solo film next year. While his performance appears to be divisive, I highly enjoyed Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. He does great at portraying a more psychotic version of the character, at times reminding me of Gene Hackman's iconic portrayal. The reason I think people are having issues with him is that his performance is admittedly over-the-top in what is an otherwise super serious film. With the onslaught of casting news and what the film was intended to achieve, I was initially concerned that this would be an overstuffed film with very little cohesion. Luckily, I was wrong as director Zack Snyder pulls off the multiple storylines smartly and organically. The cameos involving Cyborg, The Flash, and Aquaman are well done and have me excited for their respective solo films. Also, seeing the iconic Trinity on screen together for the first time is, hands down, one of cinema's greatest moments. As for what brings these heroes together, Doomsday turned out better than I expected. While his initial appearance was lackluster, he eventually transforms to his more recognizable look, causing the sort of bombastic destruction I expect from this character. Finally, the title battle of the film. Snyder does a knockout job of the two heroes fighting each other, with my only complaint being it felt too short. I'm happy to report this movie is much better than the critics are giving it credit for. The actors do a great in their roles, the title battle is glorious to behold, and Doomsday has finally been brought to the big screen. Zack Snyder proved he is indeed the man for the job in bringing DC's cinematic universe to life. With hints and nods to upcoming films, I look forward to seeing what DC does with this. Batman v Superman is a awesome movie that shows Marvel may soon be facing some serious competition in the near future. Marvel vs. DC, anyone? |