GOTHAM-METROPOLIS HARBOR Ever since Warner Bros. announced Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice a few years ago people have either been anticipating the release of the film or were at least curious to see it.
The time is finally here, and audiences will soon start seeing the "Caped Crusader" take on the "Man of Steel" on the big screen, but is the epic battle worth it? Is it any good? Or is it a total disappointment? Well, thats why Im here. Hopefully I can give you some insight into the superhero showdown.
Before you go any further you can rest assured that this review is spoiler free. At the press screening a short video preceded the film of director Zack Snyder asking the audience to please keep their reviews and social posts spoiler free so people could enjoy the movie and its surprises for themselves.
So here we go. Here are some reasons I really liked Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and some reasons I felt it was a disappointment.
Success
Batfleck
As you can see I didnt just say Batman of Ben Affleck, because it was both that really gave Dawn of Justice depth and intrigue.
The Batman character is a much more interesting one than Superman and its just what this franchise needed. Sure we already know Bruce Waynes tragic story, but thats what makes Batman such a great character and hes just as dark and complex in this story as we remember.
And now for Affleck. A lot of people went into orbit when they heard the taller half of the Damon-Affleck bromance was cast as Bats, but people also lost their minds when Michael Keaton was cast as the Dark Knight. As history goes on I believe Affleck will be in the same boat as Keaton, the haters were wrong.
Affleck seems born to play the part and really brings something new to it. I always had hoped that Affleck would nail the part, and I think he did a good enough job that he can win over most of the doubters.
Gorgeous
Im not a huge fan of Zack Snyders films as a whole. I believe he has one of the most gorgeous eyes in Hollywood, but his storytelling lacks. 300 looked amazing, but wasnt a great movie. You could say the same about Watchmen, Sucker Punch, and even Man of Steel. While I feel the storytelling is stronger in Dawn of Justice, its still lacking, but it looks amazing.
There are some gorgeous visuals, and it also contains some of the most impressive and entertaining Batman fight scenes to date. Again, I wish the story and pacing were a bit stronger well get into that later but the movie looks phenomenal.
Wonder Woman
I wasnt sure how Wonder Woman was going to fit into the film and was worried that throwing in one more superhero was going to be just too much, but I was wrong, dead wrong.
Gal Gadot really owns the part and when we finally see Wonder Woman in action it was possibly my favorite thing in the movie. I didnt have a lot of interest in the upcoming Wonder Woman movie, but its now one of the films Im really looking forward to in 2017.
What I've come to realize is I'd rather watch these three battle some monster/threat/bad guy than the Avengers take on another villain and a lot of that is thanks to the butt-kicking ability of Wonder Woman.
Disappointment
Wasted potential
This movie pits two of the most iconic and popular superheroes against each other so this has bonkers amount of potential, and unfortunately it didnt reach it.
There are some really interesting parts and, for the most part, I was entertained throughout the movie, but there was a lack of character development, unmotivated decisions and some plot holes. Those things kept this from becoming a really amazing superhero film.
This one is hard to explain, but as you see the movie youll likely be frustrated by the missed opportunities.
Lex Luthor
While everyone was freaking out about Ben Affleck as Batman there was another casting decision that really concerned me, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. I tried to keep an open mind about the casting and look at it as an opportunity to take the character in a new direction.
Then the full-length trailer came out and I saw the clip of Eisenberg chatting up Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne and all my fears came true. That scene still makes me cringe a bit, but it should be noted that in the entire context of Luthors personality Eisenbergs manic delivery kind of makes sense.
I actually like the direction they took Luthor, but Eisenbergs portrayal goes just a bit over-the-top and plays awkward as opposed to menacing too often.
Unnecessarily long
With a run time of 151 minutes Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a long film, and it really didnt need to be. We already know both Batman and Supermans back stories, so all the set up wasnt totally necessary.
There are also a few segments that contain some cool locales and great fight scenes, but dont really help movie the story along and just act as filler in a movie that doesnt need any filler. Thats all the detail Ill go into in an attempt to avoid giving anything away.
Overall
At the end of the day I really enjoyed my time in the theater for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It has issues and isnt a great film, and my guess is I am contrary to most of my counterparts in the critic world, but I dont care. I had a good time at the theater and Im looking forward to seeing more in this cinematic universe.
I have no doubt many people will head into this movie already hating it, and if that's the attitude then you will not like it. If you go in hoping to be entertained, see some good fight scenes and watch a new franchise kick off, then you should at least enjoy your trip to the theater for "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."
The time is finally here, and audiences will soon start seeing the "Caped Crusader" take on the "Man of Steel" on the big screen, but is the epic battle worth it? Is it any good? Or is it a total disappointment? Well, thats why Im here. Hopefully I can give you some insight into the superhero showdown.
Before you go any further you can rest assured that this review is spoiler free. At the press screening a short video preceded the film of director Zack Snyder asking the audience to please keep their reviews and social posts spoiler free so people could enjoy the movie and its surprises for themselves.
So here we go. Here are some reasons I really liked Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and some reasons I felt it was a disappointment.
Success
Batfleck
As you can see I didnt just say Batman of Ben Affleck, because it was both that really gave Dawn of Justice depth and intrigue.
The Batman character is a much more interesting one than Superman and its just what this franchise needed. Sure we already know Bruce Waynes tragic story, but thats what makes Batman such a great character and hes just as dark and complex in this story as we remember.
And now for Affleck. A lot of people went into orbit when they heard the taller half of the Damon-Affleck bromance was cast as Bats, but people also lost their minds when Michael Keaton was cast as the Dark Knight. As history goes on I believe Affleck will be in the same boat as Keaton, the haters were wrong.
Affleck seems born to play the part and really brings something new to it. I always had hoped that Affleck would nail the part, and I think he did a good enough job that he can win over most of the doubters.
Gorgeous
Im not a huge fan of Zack Snyders films as a whole. I believe he has one of the most gorgeous eyes in Hollywood, but his storytelling lacks. 300 looked amazing, but wasnt a great movie. You could say the same about Watchmen, Sucker Punch, and even Man of Steel. While I feel the storytelling is stronger in Dawn of Justice, its still lacking, but it looks amazing.
There are some gorgeous visuals, and it also contains some of the most impressive and entertaining Batman fight scenes to date. Again, I wish the story and pacing were a bit stronger well get into that later but the movie looks phenomenal.
Wonder Woman
I wasnt sure how Wonder Woman was going to fit into the film and was worried that throwing in one more superhero was going to be just too much, but I was wrong, dead wrong.
Gal Gadot really owns the part and when we finally see Wonder Woman in action it was possibly my favorite thing in the movie. I didnt have a lot of interest in the upcoming Wonder Woman movie, but its now one of the films Im really looking forward to in 2017.
What I've come to realize is I'd rather watch these three battle some monster/threat/bad guy than the Avengers take on another villain and a lot of that is thanks to the butt-kicking ability of Wonder Woman.
Disappointment
Wasted potential
This movie pits two of the most iconic and popular superheroes against each other so this has bonkers amount of potential, and unfortunately it didnt reach it.
There are some really interesting parts and, for the most part, I was entertained throughout the movie, but there was a lack of character development, unmotivated decisions and some plot holes. Those things kept this from becoming a really amazing superhero film.
This one is hard to explain, but as you see the movie youll likely be frustrated by the missed opportunities.
Lex Luthor
While everyone was freaking out about Ben Affleck as Batman there was another casting decision that really concerned me, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. I tried to keep an open mind about the casting and look at it as an opportunity to take the character in a new direction.
Then the full-length trailer came out and I saw the clip of Eisenberg chatting up Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne and all my fears came true. That scene still makes me cringe a bit, but it should be noted that in the entire context of Luthors personality Eisenbergs manic delivery kind of makes sense.
I actually like the direction they took Luthor, but Eisenbergs portrayal goes just a bit over-the-top and plays awkward as opposed to menacing too often.
Unnecessarily long
With a run time of 151 minutes Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a long film, and it really didnt need to be. We already know both Batman and Supermans back stories, so all the set up wasnt totally necessary.
There are also a few segments that contain some cool locales and great fight scenes, but dont really help movie the story along and just act as filler in a movie that doesnt need any filler. Thats all the detail Ill go into in an attempt to avoid giving anything away.
Overall
At the end of the day I really enjoyed my time in the theater for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It has issues and isnt a great film, and my guess is I am contrary to most of my counterparts in the critic world, but I dont care. I had a good time at the theater and Im looking forward to seeing more in this cinematic universe.
I have no doubt many people will head into this movie already hating it, and if that's the attitude then you will not like it. If you go in hoping to be entertained, see some good fight scenes and watch a new franchise kick off, then you should at least enjoy your trip to the theater for "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice."
