'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' - goes on until dawn!
As everyone who reads my reviews knows, I am a comic book geek since I could pick up the tattered pulp pages of 'Action' comics. There has been very few adaptations of comics to the screen that I have been able to find fault with. Since I was a kid, absorbed in the fantastic tales of Superman, Batman, Spiderman, Captain America and all of the others, I dreamed of seeing my favorite story lines make it to the big screen. A few, in the 70's and 80's actually did (and they were awful); it wasn't until as recently as 2008 (the first Iron Man) that the technology was able to live up to my very vivid imagination. What's more, the early (as well as current) Marvel movies always remain faithful to the comics I know and love. Morality tales that mirrored real life but only powered by superhuman good guys and bad guys, with the good guys always winning.
For some reason, DC Comics, as they did in the publishing world, can never seem to measure up to or match the Marvel magic. Such is the case in the overblown, far too long and often incomprehensible 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'. Loosely based (and I do mean loosely) on a DC Comics storyline including Frank Miller's 'Dark Knight' graphic novel and 'The Death of Superman' story arc, with a few other stories tossed in for good measure all meant to lead up to the formation of the Justice League (DC's version of The Avengers).
The story is bloated with far too many storylines that have far too many holes or even any reason for existence in the film. There are any number of blatant unanswered questions that I am sure are supposed to set up the Justice League sequel, which I am sure was green lit prior to any number of the negative reviews that have come out (with a opening weekend of $160 million, it will be made for sure). One of the most promising turn of events is Ben Affleck as Batman, one of the most contested choice by fans for the part. Affleck has been the subject of much scrutiny on the internet and there are a lot of people counting on him failing. Well, I am happy to report, Affleck is an excellent Batman for the new age with a sense of darkness and brooding that I hope will be explored further in future films. It's unfortunate that under the direction of Zack Synder, Affleck never really had the opportunity to develop the character better. He did bring a very good sense of darkness to the role that was left on the table.
Instead, Synder focused on destruction and special effects; effects that over took the film and left the story or even any hint of a story dangling out there like the tattered wreckage the film was shot in. Henry Cavill, as in the previous Superman film, was well suited for the role of Superman/Clark Kent. No surprise there, he really doesn't bring anything to a character that is 2 dimensional at best anyway. Amy Adams as Lois Lane was passable (if not relegated to damsel in distress) as well. Adams, as usual, delivers and excellent performance no matter what she is given to play. The beautiful Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman was perfectly cast, however, she almost seemed to be a bit player and deserved much more screen time. I am still puzzled with the role of Lex Luthor played by Jesse Eisenberg. I think he was going for creepy, crazy maniac; instead, he came off as laughable, confusing and, well, pretty stupid. Not menacing at all. The other promising stand out (aside from Affleck) was the fantastic Jeremy Irons as the faithful Wayne butler Alfred. Quite honestly, I am hoping for a Irons/Affleck Batman movie to help remove the bad taste of this hot mess from my brain!
If you are looking to have your senses blasted for 2 1/2 hours of destruction and you don't care about a story, then the C- 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' is just the film for you.