By Paul Hall
Wow!
After exiting the screening of the new film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice by director Zack Snyder, “wow” was the only comment that came to mind. But was that a good or a bad “wow” that I was feeling? Let me try to explain.
After we get a bit of background on the story we find Batman (Ben Affleck) has a bone to pick with Superman (Henry Cavill) — and vice versa. Batman’s beef with the Man of Steel is that he brought the problems from his world to Earth and caused pain for many individuals here. Superman’s main problem with the Caped Crusader is that he behaves like a vigilante running around and doling out his own form of justice.
Can the two really be at odds with each other in the neighboring cities of Metropolis and Gotham? They can when the puppet master pulling the strings is none other than Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg). It seems that Luther would like nothing better than to see a battle between Man (Batman) and God (Superman) — or at least the trailers would make you believe that’s the case. But what is Luthor’s plan, and will two of the world’s greatest superheroes really do battle?
Yep, that is a perfectly vague and spoiler-free description of the film at hand. However, I need to give you some very distinct points of view without giving those plot points away. I did, after all, lead with the word “wow” to start this review, so let me explain.
The first thing I questioned after seeing the film was its level of violence. The violence in this film is quite brutal; it’s not the cartoonish violence that we tend to give a pass to when assigning ratings to superhero movies. Personally, I would NOT expose my nearly 12-year-old daughter to this film now or even within the next few years. This is the stuff nightmares are made of. It’s harsh and will leave an indelible mark on easily scarred kids. This is not a fun superhero movie by any means. But is that a bad thing?
The film does not make you feel any sort of positive attachment to Batman or Superman. How am I ever supposed to cheer for these individuals who are mainly dark and disturbed and, quite frankly, exhibit disturbing behaviors?
And boy is it long, clocking in at over two and a half hours, the film feels self-indulgent and obsessed with dragging sequences on for as long as possible, and not in a good way. I weep a bit, as this was to be the start of the DC Extended Universe franchise leading us to a full Justice League movie. Sure we get the introduction of Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and a tease of the other Justice League members, but I’m concerned that the damage that this film may do to the future offerings may be irrevocable.
A film that should have been a glorious beginning ended up being a massive, though stylish, disappointment. We expect more from our superhero films these days.
Who will save us? Is that a cry for help to Batman and Superman to save humanity? Or, more likely, is it the cry from moviegoers to help save this franchise?
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams
Director: Zack Snyder
Grade: C-
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