Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg

Directed by Zack Snyder

The Story:
Superman (Henry Cavill) is seen as either a god-like figure or someone to be feared.  Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) sees Superman as an adversary and sets out to defeat him, while Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) has his own nefarious purposes for both Superman and Batman, who must set aside their differences to fight a greater foe.

The Synopsis:
"Batman v Superman" is one of the most maligned movies in recent memory.  When it was first announced, fans were excited to see these two DC titans going at it, and all was well.  Then they decided to make this film the springboard for a "Justice League" series, and decided to throw in Wonder Woman and other Justice League members as cameos, and the film seemed doomed to become an over-bloated wannabe "Avengers" film.

Each trailer that was released only solidified the skepticism of moviegoers, as each one seemed more and more complex and confusing.  One thing did become clear - people were abandoning their hopes of seeing Batman and Superman fighting on screen, and were more eager to see Wonder Woman than either of the two mainstays.

Going into the film, I had little excitement, hoping that having such a low expectation would bring the film to greater prominence.  While I readily admit the final half hour was stuff of comic book fandom dreams, the two hours beforehand became a muddied mess of complicated storylines, numerous plot holes, and a clear process of re-writing having been done to turn the film into a "Justice League" prequel rather than what it was originally intended.

That being said, during those first two hours, I can hardly remember a thing that happened.  It seemed to run in circles and have several choppy editing techniques, along with pointless dreams and visions, as well as another introduction to Batman's tragic past.  We all know his history, we've seen it in numerous Batman films and television series.  We didn't need to see it re-re-re-rehashed for the millionth time.

(Although, interesting aside, the actors who play young Bruce Wayne's parents are Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan, who both star in "The Walking Dead" as Negan and Maggie Greene respectfully).

Speaking of actors, there was much Internet speculation about three actors in particular - Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot and Jesse Eisenberg.  While Henry Cavill and Amy Adams both appeared in "Man of Steel" and we knew what we'd expect, with Affleck, Gadot and Eisenberg, they were green to the process and we were all wondering how they would tackle their iconic roles.

Ben Affleck's Batman was less developed than his previous predecessors, but that's mostly because he wasn't the solo act in the film.  As I said earlier, we do get to see Batman's troubled past, but that's old hat now.  We don't get too deep into his motives and reasoning, but he still delivered a solid performance, better than I was expecting of him.  Out of all the Batmans, I place him third behind Michael Keaton and Christian Bale.

With Gal Gadot, she electrified the screen with each scene she was in.  She was alluring, beautiful, and dangerous.  As Wonder Woman, she epitomized the Amazon warrior and gave hope for an awesome, butt-kicking Wonder Woman the world's been dying to see for decades.

Then...Jesse Eisenberg.  Where do I even begin with his performance?  To be honest, this is possibly THE worst casting decision in any movie since Shia LaBeouf in the last "Indiana Jones" film.  He's much too young for the role, his motives are never really made clear, and he just serves as the most irritating person.  In a nutshell, though, I will say that Jesse Eisenberg delivered...at playing Jesse Eisenberg.  If you've seen any film he's starred in, it's the same type of character.  Every time he was on screen, I wanted to hit the invisible fast-forward button on my imaginary remote that I wish I had.

Ultimately, it comes down to the ending.  Once Batman and Superman really come to blows, the film shines like the pinpoint light at the end of the tunnel.  This is the true saving grace of "Batman v Superman," and without it, the film would be a tired mess of conflicting plotlines and incoherent storytelling.

The Summary:
While it's not all the hype made it out to be, "Batman v Superman" still worked on an entirely comic-geek style level in being able to finally see two titans battle it out.

The Score: C+