An Honest Review of Batman vs. Superman
Unlike many
who are so vocal in their criticism of Batman vs, Superman, I’ve actually seen
the movie and am able to give a straightforward account of whether or not you
should see it.
First, I’ll give
the positives. All the actors involved did an excellent job. Especially Affleck
whose portrayal of an aging, brooding, angry crime-fighter really brings Batman
to life.
In addition,
there are some really wow moments that catch you off guard. The action scenes
are well done, especially Batman’s, who comes off as far more menacing to
criminals than Bale ever did.
Cavill as
Supermen is a bit more fleshed out than he was in Man of Steel, and his arrogance,
smugness and self-righteousness, make you
want to see Batman smack him around a bit
And smack him around he does, and what’s the
real case here is that Batman views Superman as a dangerous threat to all
mankind, so dangerous that he must be killed.
On the other hand, Superman views Batman as a murderous
vigilante, who not only brutally injures his victims but tortures them as well.
Great set up for a to the death battle. And
had it been left to that, this movie would probably outsell Titanic. But alas that was not to be.
Here’s where
it runs into problems and there are a lot of them. First, Snyder doesn’t vary
the pace. Fight scenes, romance scenes, suspense scenes, discovery scenes, all
run at the same pace and length of time
We get it! Get on with it!
And how many
time must we watch Bruce Wayne’s parents get killed? There’s a good twenty minutes completely unnecessary. Then there
are Batman’s nightmares/hallucinations, which include a scene of him in the desert, fighting a group of soldiers wearing
the Superman insignia. Then some guy in red suddenly showing up on Batman’s
monitor frantically warning him about something about Lois
WTF!
So yes,
there are issues and the main one is that the movie is overdone. Too many hints
to the next movie, too many villains, too many plot twists, and too little
original story.
Still, I
suggest you see it. And see it on the big screen. The one real selling point of
is the portrayal of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman as real, flawed and immensely
powerful characters. They are nothing like the superheroes we’ve seen in
previous movies. Affleck’ Batman is a frightening, unforgiving scourge to
criminals. Superman is portrayed as almost god-like, looking down on those in
need like ants. And Wonder Woman is an Amazon warrior, fearless, battle tested
and unhesitant when it comes to killing the enemy.
In regard to
the follow-up movie, the only change I
would make is the director. Snyder made a grand and spectacular movie but has no idea how to vary tone and pace,
which is the criticism most have made about the film. It doesn’t sprint, it
lumbers.
What we do
have are great characters, and a superb cast that brings them to life. All this series
needs is a director who understands the genre, and can keep its audience on the
edge of their seat like those who have directed the Marvel series have.
So there you have it, I await your scathing
rebuttals J
