Review: Batman V Superman

I would say I'm disappointed, except that Batman V Superman was almost exactly how I imagined it would be. The idea of pitting Batman against Superman is great, and it should've been a wonderful movie, but in their attempt to jump-start the DC Cinematic Universe (to compete with Marvel's ultra-franchise), they crammed too much in and killed the pace of the film.

Now I like Zach Snyder. He's prodigiously skilled at crafting cinematic spectacle, but he also wants to make movies with meaning (even if he sometimes lacks the nuance to pull it off). He's Michael Bay with a conscience. Unlike many critics, I really enjoyed his take on Superman in 2013's Man of Steel. It wasn't terribly faithful to the comics, but we've already seen that version with the Richard Donner films of the 70s and 80s. Snyder is all about exploring how a truly godlike being can affect our humanity, and I think that's a fascinating approach. My favorite parts of this film showed how mind-bending the existence of Superman would actually be. Every time he arrives on scene, he seems strange and inhuman.

And Superman is not the protagonist of this film; instead, we get mostly Bruce Wayne's perspective. I confess, even though I admire Ben Affleck's directorial skills, I think he's kind of a bad actor. Normally he sleepwalks through his roles, but he brings an intensity to Bruce Wayne that I've never seen from him before.
This is actually one of my favorite depictions of the character. The design of the Bat-suit is fresh and I really appreciated the voice modulation (let's be honest, Christian Bale's gravelly whisper was the worst thing about his Batman films). I definitely approve of this new take on Batman. When it focuses on Bruce Wayne and Batman's reaction to Superman, this is a pretty good film.

I have some quibbles. Jesse Eisenberg plays an interesting villain, he just has no business being called Lex Luthor. It feels like they unnecessarily burned through one of the more important DC villains (Dr. Doom can relate). If you're going to deviate from a character so much, why not just use a different character? There must be some supervillain from DC that has a similar act as Jesse Eisenberg.

Wonder Woman is introduced in an interesting and mysterious fashion, but seems just thrown in during the climax of the film (though Gal Gadot does a great job in a small role). There are several dream sequences that seemed unnecessary. There are a lot of plot building moments that somehow manage to be both plodding and rushed at the same time. The final battle is not as momentous as it wants to be. And, of course, the set-up for the next film feels a bit forced.

All in all, it's a good, but not great, film. If you like grittier takes on superheroes, you'll probably enjoy this. It may try your patience at times, but when it delivers, it delivers well.