So I Just Watched… Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice...

So I Just Watched… Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016, Warner Brothers)

Let me begin this review by setting the tone first: you are not about to read a metric ton of bad shit about this film, but rather the most objective point of view I’ve tried to write in a long time. Because I spent three years waiting for this film to happen and I suffered (and consumed) every piece of hype as much as most of you guys did.

Imagine for a moment that you are the biggest fan of DC’s biggest guns in a time when every single thing you love and grew up with is up for grabs to do business with. The superhero trend in Hollywood doesn’t seem to be winning down (as much as Steven Spielberg would love it to go away) at least not as long as the money keeps rolling in. Now imagine that as much as a fan as you are and as creative as you may be, you only have a vision and a lot of visuals to translate. In the comic business that would make you apt to be a penciler if you have the skills to make it happen. In the movie business you can be in the director chair rather as director of a second unit or in the main chair. but to get there you need a solid guide to help your vision come to life. That guide comes in the form of a penned script and story boards.

I have great deal of respect for Zack Snyder. I believe he’s an efficient storyteller when he has a decent script to follow. The success he found with 300 and Watchmen are because both stories translated from comic to page with minimum changes and a lot of respect for the source material. Man Of Steel won deep my sympathy as much panned as it was because of the same reason (you can read here what I though at the time). Where am I going with all these ideas? read on true believer…

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice was primed to be the MOST ambitious film of the year and it feel short on it. but it’s not the fault of the director or the actors. They worked with what was given to them. Let’s check from top: Warner asked Zack Snyder to set up a whole movie universe with just one film, they literally asked one guy to catch up with the competition with one movie to set up the big team movie (Justice League) that’s gotta be though. I mean that’s a lot of pressure for any shoulders the way I see it. They rolled up an all star casting that by now deeply love these characters. Ben Affleck’s Batman was a dealbraker for me and the guy totally pulled it off, this Batman fights like he’s supposed to, he plays the detective using both personas, he’s a womanizer, a drunk and a tormented 40-something man who feels like his life mission has failed. In short this is the Frank Miller Batman. Henry Cavil and Amy Adams show great chemistry as Superman and Lois and they are very effective in their roles. Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman was terribly underused but it was awesome visual candy. Laurence Fishburne was much more vocal as Perry White with one liners that would put a Marvel Movie writer to shame. Jeremy Irons was a very effective Alfred, snarky and sarcastic as butlers come. Jessie Eisenberg as Lex Luthor was maybe the weakest of the bunch since I feel this guy plays every part almost the same. The acting in this movie is superb. What failed here then?

It all comes down to the script: the script is the weakest part of this movie. Chris Terrio and David Goyer dropped the ball terribly on this one. The script is the backbone of any film. If you don’t have a solid script, you just get a collection of pretty visuals that make little sense if they are not tied by a proper sense of continuity that allows the story to flow. Yes there are great nods to Frank Miller’s “Dark Knight Returns” and Dan Jurgens “The Death Of Superman” visually speaking, but the rest of the plot of the film makes little sense or is juts plain full of oxymoron. In the end this film just wets my appetite for the DC Cinematic Universe to go bigger but also for it to be the best, to up the ante, to make Marvel play out of their confort zone while keeping the dark tones. I wanted to love this film and it saddens me that in the end i just plain like it and that’s it.

Posted in: Reviews & Appreciation