It has been a long time since I have posted anything. This
has been a long winter hiatus and a lot has happened in the mean time. I have
had a really hard time sitting down and writing, but I love writing and I want
to do more again. So I have the great honor of starting my return to reviews
with a film that had everyone expecting it to be terrible and the reviews have
agreed with that thought. I almost didn’t go see this film because I’m honestly
tired of being disappointed by films about characters I use to enjoy. So was
this film as bad as I was expecting? Let’s review Batman v Superman: Dawn of
Justice.
The
Negative
Batman kills in this film. This is something that does
need to be addressed as Batman’s moral code against killing is one of the most
interesting and well defined aspects of his character. That said, Batman
killing really doesn’t bother me in this film. I think it’s actually really
fascinating that they decided to play with Batman a bit in this film and make
him an older version of the character that has been beaten down a little by his
ongoing battle through Gotham. You’re probably wondering why this is in the
negatives then. The answer is this has been one of the major complaints towards
the film and I honestly think it was a very interesting take on the character.
The public at large knows by now who Batman is, I should think it would be okay
for us to explore different versions of him or aspects of him that have shown
up in alternate material. We are talking about a character that has had around
7-8 live action films already.
The major problem I have with this movie is Jesse
Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor. This is not a complaint about Jesse Eisenberg’s acting
as I believe that he actually pulls out a great performance in this. Simply put
the character doesn’t work. The character is clearly insane or at the very
least unhinged from society and the rest of the world. Almost every piece of
dialogue and action from him just strike me as nothing but the machinations of
a madman. Nothing about this character makes me believe he would be in charge
of a powerful and rich company nor that government officials would ever make
deals with him. I have heard him described as being similar to Batman’s
archenemy the Joker in this film and I would agree that the two are far too
similar. Luthor should be his own character and not a copycat Joker, plain and
simple.
The
Positive
I have heard people complain about how grainy and washed
out this film is color wise and to that I simply ask do you remember Man of
Steel? I really shouldn’t be defending one films problems with the example of
another film but I think it stands to reason to Batman v Superman actually improved
on a major problem found in Man of Steel. We have seen the before and after
shots for Man of Steel where we have seen how colorful the film actually was
before they viciously grayed it all out. This film actually brought the color
back and I highly appreciated it for it. With BvS I can honestly say I saw a
lot of improvements for a sequel. They actually took the bizarre extreme
violence/action of Man of Steel and turned it into an important point of
conflict as well as story development for the characters to go through. I think
the mark of a good sequel is not only improving where the original failed but also
taking the problems of the original and turning them into solid character
drama.
Everyone was concerned about Ben Affleck taking over the
role of Batman, I mean just look at Daredevil. I won’t lie that I wasn’t concerned
but I also believed that Affleck has been making some smart choices lately and
I was intrigued enough to wait and see what he would do with the role. In all
honesty, Ben Affleck completely nails the role. I think nailing both Bruce
Wayne and Batman is a really difficult thing to pull off but Affleck just
knocks it out of the park. I think it really helps that he has a far more
interesting Batman to work with than were used to seeing in these films. I
think Henry Cavill also greatly improves from his stoic-heavy performance from
Man of Steel. One of the standout performances of the film is definitely Jeremy
Irons as Alfred Pennyworth. Irons’ Alfred really held the level of snarky
repertoire of a man who had spent years arguing with Batman and really helped
sell this version of a more war torn dark knight. I would discuss some of the
other heroes that appeared in this film more but I believe they were mostly
delegated to just cameo appearances and leave me looking forward to seeing more
of them in future installments.
In
Conclusion
After leaving this film I honestly wondered if maybe I
was the one in the wrong. I actually liked this film a lot more than I did The
Force Awakens, which is something I never expecting to say when I first knew
about these two films before they came out. But then I remember that these reviews
are simply my opinions and not set in stone facts that all should obey. I’m
actually quite excited about seeing a sequel to this film. I’m excited that DC
is finally going to show us more heroes than just Superman or Batman. I went
into this film expecting absolutely nothing and came out of it having had a
good time. I think reviews for a film are important, but I also think you
should reserve final judgment for yourself. I give this film a 4 out of 5.
