Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice

Allow me to go on a quick tangent before I really begin. First of all, people didn’t like Man of Steel, fine, but it’s the best Superman movie to date, accept this. No, Christopher Reeves’ Superman movies are not better shut your old ass up. Two, depending on how you view MoS it’s either slightly above mediocre or great. As a solo film it’s okay but as a setup movie it’s better than good. Thirdly, DC movies do not need to be like Marvel movies to be good. It seems like people are upset with DC movies for being “too” serious, dark and gritty while Marvel films tend to have more lighthearted humor in theirs. Batman v Superman reviews are coming out and the movie is getting a lot of hatred for a lot of things that are ridiculous. “This isn’t the 80s Superman we know and remember.” It’s also fucking 2016, ya dumb shit, no one wants to see that herb 80s Superman because current Superman is still a herb.

“Doomsday shows up and is just mad, has no real goal or objective.” You dumb mother fuckers.  Doomsday is a killing machine, a monster, an abomination it doesn’t think and plan it destroys, that is the point. Yes there has been a version of Doomsday that could think but that’s one story and not really a thing. “The movie is too serious bla bla” shut up, not everyone wants to hear corny one-liners and jokes every two seconds. It’s okay for a movie to apply realism to something surreal, it’s OKAY. Batman v Superman’s preliminary image has been tarnished by tons of critics who haven’t seen anything comic book related since Superman could destroy solar systems by sneezing, Batman was Adam West and Wonder Woman was still getting tied up for bondage play. Or just fucking idiots I suppose.

So where do we begin? Let’s start by saying that Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice is a great movie that everyone should go see. By no means was the movie perfect, it has its fair share of issues but the good things definitely outweigh the bad. What was good about the movie? Superman’s fall from grace, Ben Affleck’s Batman, Gal Godot as Wonder Woman, the action, Hans Zimmer; Junkie XL’s soundtrack, the amount of homage it pays to actual DC Comics, the opening scene and the ending scene. What was bad? Some pacing issues mixed with some editing and transition problems, not to mention Lois is still hurting the movie. There was also a little too much happening in the movie all at once. The one thing that’s hard to judge Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex but let’s take things one step at a time. There will be all kinds of spoilers by the way.

Let’s start off by talking about how extraordinary the soundtrack is. The music is potent, indelible and Hans Zimmer; Junkie XL properly split the themes of the respective heroes fairly evenly. Batman has his musical score played when need be, then Superman’s when it’s time. Wonder Woman’s theme song absolutely wins and it drops perfectly when she shows up for battle. The theater went nuts when she appeared and the perfect placement for her theme to play made that moment so much better. The punching sound effects in some of Batman’s scene were cool to hear because it sounded like a real cartoon sound effect. Overall, they really killed it with the music; it’s just fantastic, one of the best in a while.

The opening of the movie was phenomenal. Snyder was able to wrap up the entire death of Bruce’s family in a compelling and timely fashion.  In a matter of minutes we properly experienced the tragedy and moment that would eventually turn Bruce Wayne into Batman. Then skip to the Superman vs Zod fight in Metropolis. We get to see Bruce try and save the people in his company. Watching Bruce drive and run through Metropolis as it’s being destroyed was really cool to experience and we can see that Man of Steel laid the groundwork in order to transition into this sequel. It’s pleasant to see how the first installment had such a huge impact on the current movie and to see the Kryptonian fight from a different, more vulnerable perspective. 

The ending of the movie was especially powerful because of the hope and potential it leaves the viewer with. There’s something particularly good about this scene that’ll be brought up later but for now let’s focus on the impact it has. Superman is dead; Batman and Wonder Woman are ready to find the other Justice League members to fight off what appears to be the coming of Darkseid. Tremendous hype, Superman is presumed to be alive but we don’t actually see him come back. That’s good and reminds one of the reason why DC killed off Superman in the first place. People didn't appreciate him and people learn to appreciate things when they’re gone. Excellent conclusion to the film.

In Man of Steel, Superman was a God and has been seen as such since he appeared in this DC Cinematic Universe. While his actual role in the film aside from hitting things fast and hard was extremely lackluster, what the movie did to him was powerful. He was put through self-doubt, was out witted, beaten by a mortal and then killed by a monster. He went from hero to zero. The all-powerful Kal-El lost, Superman bled, Clark Kent freaking died and that’s important. We learned that he is in no way shape or form unstoppable and that even human beings could best him. Now the world has to learn to live without their godlike savior and that’s going to be important for the later events to come.

Gal Godot just might be the Co-MVP of this movie along with Ben Affleck. Wonder Woman’s role and involvement remain more or less a mystery throughout the movie yet her presence is never forgotten. She may not always be on screen, but you don’t forget about her. She’s always creeping in the back of your mind. As Diana Prince, she was elegant, stunning and intelligent, even besting Bruce at one point when she stole the data Bruce stole from Lex Corp. Then when she shows up combat ready and her theme music drops, Wonder Woman goes to work. She held Doomsday back practically all by herself the whole time showing off her amazing Amazon training, speed, weapons and tremendous strength. The theater was super pumped when she came on screen, she was incredible and we cannot wait to see Wonder Woman in 2017.

Let’s talk about Jesse Eisenburg’s Lex. Jesse is Lex Luthor Jr (not THEE Lex Luthor). So technically, this isn’t supposed to be the Lex DC fans are used to but still, didn’t quite expect this kind of performance. Einsenburg was great in the movie. He was smart enough to pit Batman and Superman against each other, steal Zod’s fingerprints to get into the locked Kryptonian chamber, he blew up the courthouse to frame Superman and his helicopter pad scene was wicked. He, like a Lex Luthor should, quoted tons of lines from famous books and mythology leaving viewers with great lines to remember after the movie ends. But this Lex was like Mad Hatter meets Riddler mixed with some Joker. So while the character Jesse played was fine for the movie thematically, it wasn’t Lex. You decide whether or not that’s a good or bad thing.

Ben Affleck should legally change his name to Bruce Wayne. He is Batman and he is Bruce. He did a better job than Christian Bale did and 'Batfleck' is easily one of the best things about this movie (if not the best). Affleck nailed his role and it’s funny that despite being the one thing that frightened people the most about this movie, it was the one thing most people agreed was great about BvS. The brooding to the constant scowl on his face, this is the most convincing Batman portrayal seen in live action. We even got to see his Bruce Wayne at Lex’s party when he pretends to be lost and drunk when Mercy confronts him in a room he shouldn’t be in. Moreover he also does it to Clark when Clark tells Bruce he’s from the Daily Planet. He completely fakes the rich guy ignorant answer perfectly it felt like I was watching a scene from Batman the Animated Series (1992).

His Batman was great too and understand that this Batman is based off of Frank Miller's Batman. Who IS a killer. TDKR's Batman does not hesitate to kill if he has too. He killed a mutant and let's be honest, the Joker too. It's not like Batman in general hasn't killed before anyways. Plus, it's a nice change of pace, makes him more raw. The combat and tactics used was very Batman like as well. Targeting guns immediately, thinking two moves ahead, setting up traps for Superman ahead of time and seeing Batman do detective work. Viewers got to see all the things that make Batman, Batman right down to his complex about his parents’ death. It’s time to let Bale go Nolan diehards … let it go. Batfleck is the future.

Jeremy Irons did a good job as Alfred and the relationship between the two characters is the same as always. Iron and Affleck had good chemistry. This movie made me admit that deep down I’m probably a Batman fan. There was a particular scene from Batfleck that truly moved me but I want to quote someone who expressed this moment better than I could. It’s the scene where Bats sets off to save Clark's mother, he says: "I promise, Martha won't die tonight."  - “It hit me so hard [be]cause it was like he wasn't just talking to Clark but to his child self as well. As if he was saying that, unlike how he ‘let’ her die in that dark alley way, this time would be different. I felt he took it as seriously as if he were to go back in time to change things. ‘Martha won't die tonight’" – Ernest (@Nwanu). 

Zack Synder may be pretty darn bad at creating work with substance but boy can the man create great fight scenes and action sequences. If there is one thing that is undeniably, unanimously magnificent about this movie, it’s that the action is top notch. Insanely crazy, ridiculously over the top and fun to witness. Batman’s car chase scene in the Batmobile was great; we got to see how durable the car was, and its many toys. It’s especially noteworthy to realize how the movie goes out its way to show off how indestructible the car was only to break with one collision into Superman. That goes to show you just how strong Superman is.

Batman vs Superman was without a doubt the clash of titans everyone was waiting for. It did not disappoint. Seeing Superman’s overwhelming power and superiority wane throughout the fight after getting sprayed with Kryptonite dust was astonishing. Seeing Batman and Superman go toe to toe and watching Batman take Superman down was an absolute delight that fans will remember for years to come. And lastly, the final fight scene: The Holy Trinity vs Doomsday. One of the most historical moments in movie and comic book history. A reality defying, high stakes, over the top destructive battle that is sure to leave everyone in complete awe. Especially the end of the fight.

One of the biggest challenges these superhero movies face is trying to make movies accessible for all audiences. That means: kids, teens, adults, comic book fans, casuals and regular people. Marvel has pretty much mastered this formula. But, I always wondered what would happened these companies just went ahead and made a movie for comic book fans and just for once, focused on that crowd over the ones that don't read comics. Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice is the first superhero movie made for fans. It’ll expose the normies from the casuals from the diehards.

Never has there been such a faithful comic book adaptation. There are so many little phrases and moments that are straight up from a comic book. I could literally see the panel in my mind when certain things happened on screen. From Batman’s Frank Miller pose when he’s running from Doomsday to wrapping Superman in his cape after he dies fighting Doomsday. Superman getting nuked and his face dying up is right out of the Dark Knight Returns and the solider funeral for Superman is right out of the Death of Superman issue. One of the most influential and significant comic book issues ever.

At the end of The Dark Knight Returns, Bruce is presumed dead and is in his grave. Clark hears his heartbeat, winks and then walks off from the cemetery smiling. This scene is almost completely flipped on its head in this movie. Clark is the one who’s, 'dead' in the casket and Batman doesn’t know he’s alive. The movie ends with us hearing a faint heartbeat and seeing floating dirt from within Kal’s grave as Bruce walk away. In addition to comics there are scenes and moments from other DC Media. Superman being revitalized by the sun and flying back to Earth while his eyes glow red is a probable allusion to the DC Universe Online opening cinematic. Batman breaking through the wall and floor in combat while parrying multiple attacks from various foes made me feel like I was playing one Arkham games. “Straight outta Arkham,” like Terrence (@TerrenceSage) from Twitter put it. That scene, where he saves Martha paid so much homage to TDKR. This is faithful adaption.

Unfortunately, this movie is by no means perfect. There are pros and cons but yes, the movie has its flaws. For one, Amy Adam’s Lois Lane is still extremely terrible. That’s not Lois Lane. And all she did in this movie was detract from the main story. No cares about her or her relationship with Kal-El. It was forced in Man of Steel, is still unconvincing and they chose the worst times to have awkward, stiff heart to hearts. The fool got herself kidnapped twice and almost killed by trying to retrieve the very same Kryptonite spear she threw into the water. She was just a damsel in distress and the less of her we see moving forward, the fucking better.

Moving on, the movie is really long. Now personally I don’t mind but a near three hour movie is not concise story telling. They cut out about 30 minutes from the movie (there will be a Rated R Directors' Cut) which is actually evident. The movie is very choppy at points. They should have done a better job in post editing this movie and making more coherent transitions. One example is the random cut into Bruce’s nightmare in the desert. That confused a lot of people in the theater. I'm familiar with Synder’s style and work so I knew it was a dream sequence but everybody isn't me. The cuts make the movie seem a little jumpy and disorganized, the movie needs to flow better.

There’s a lack of any real substance. Aside from the controversy surrounding Superman and theism, this movie doesn’t really make you think. You don’t care about anything other than Superman and Batman’s eventual grudge match. People should leave the theater having gained something meaningful from their experience and I don’t think you really get that with this movie. Superman is just stiff and awkwardly stoic, Batman is just paranoid and Lex is insane. DC can do better adding good themes to their movies and should take a page from Nolan’s thought provoking trilogy. There needs to me more ethical and moral dilemmas present in the narrative to make the story more engaging. The context is weak.

Lastly, the movie could have done without the forced Justice League cameo. It was unnecessary and out of place. Cyborg’s scene confused people (but kudos for the Smallville actor cameo), Aquaman looked right into the camera like a dumbass and the movie didn’t need those forced appearances. It was enough for Wonder Woman to receive the files with the characters emblems on it. DC is trying to rush into Justice League rather than take it’s time like Marvel but there is such a thing as overloading a movie with too much content. DC fans can handle it most likely, but not most people. We get it, you want JL sooner than later but don’t rush it.

Ultimately, there was a lot of things in this movie that was poorly done but the good outweigh the bad. This movie is very solid but by no means should Marvel be worried. It wasn’t nearly good enough to tip the scales back into DC’s favor but now DC’s a part of the conversation. This movie had superb action, breathtaking performances from Gadot & Affleck, an astonishing musical score, a strong intro, a worthwhile ending and tons of DC homage. But struggles by not having any real substance, the transitions are a mess, it’s too long, Lois still sucks and the movie is over saturated with a bunch of cameos. With all that being said, it’s still a great movie that you should all go see. You will leave that theater a happy customer.

Final Score: 8.0/10

Written by: Nya-El 

Follow me at: @LolitaZenpie