Review- Batman V Superman
Batman V Superman has promised to be one of the biggest films of this year, if not the last decade. The question on everyone's lips then is: is it actually any good? Let's find out
I think I'll start with the story but the real difficulty is going to be which story I start with but I'll get to that. The main thread (I think) is that Bruce Wayne is trying to get back at Superman for destroying Metropolis, Superman is trying to stop Batman's vigilante style of justice, Lex Luthor is trying to get the two to fight like they're his little action figures who are one puberty away from exploring each other, Lois Lane is trying to find where a bullet came from after it was fired at her, the American justice system is trying to work out what action should be done regarding Superman and his powers and The Daily Planet is trying to fight the failing sales of newspapers. As you can tell, that's a lot of story and I didn't even bring up every story thread. There is so much story everywhere in this film but we're here to watch a God punch a rich orphan dressed as a furry mammal, not see a story laid out like spaghetti.
The acting is a sticking point because it's polarising. Henry Cavill returns as Superman and is still solid but unremarkable. Most of the supporting cast are good but don't get enough time. Laurence Fishburne is good for the minute he's there and Jeremy Irons is a wonderful Alfred for the two minutes he gets. Gal Gadot made for an exciting Wonder Woman, even if her performance of Diana Prince isn't so exciting. The show stealer here is absolutely Ben Affleck though. Not only is he an agressive Batman who makes drastic moves (and probably kills people here) but he's also an excellent Bruce Wayne. He is the full package here and got in great shape, even if he doesn't follow up his penis' screen time from Gone Girl, which lets face it, is a let down. The absolute worst performance by a mile here is Jesse Eisenberg. Remember how we thought he'd be awful as Lex Luthor? Well, he's worse than we thought. From the second he appears on screen, I wanted to punch him in his face. It's like his Mark Zuckerberg performance but less likable. He's a villain who can't hold a flame to Man of Steel's Zod and has already under performed compared to the five seconds Jared Leto has shown of his eerie Joker.
I'll start praising the film first. Zack Snyder has created a film that looks really good. The film may be flawed and I will get to that but even when it is bad, the film looks wonderful. Specific mentions go to the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents and the style behind that and the restraint in a more mournful scene at the end. I'd also like to praise the introduction of Wonder Woman. As I mentioned, Gal Gadot is great and the introduction of her is dramatic and exciting. I've never held much interest in Wonder Woman as a character but my interest has now been taken and held. As such, I'm looking forward to the Wonder Woman film next year. The blatant tease of the Justice League was forced but for what it was, it was pretty cool.
Now for me to tear the film down. The film is a mess. The story is everywhere and never sure whether it wants to be the film about strong men punching or about two broken souls trying to fix themselves. About five minutes in, I decided to play a fun game called "Could I cut this?" in which I thought to myself if this scene could be cut. I'd be interested to try it again on a second watch through but just on one watch, there were a lot of scenes that could go. Basically, any scene with Lex Luthor or any dream sequence. It leaves me very interested to see what will happen in the 3 hour R rated edit because adding more would probably weaken the experience. You see, this is how you sell blu-rays again, make me want something I know I don't really want that much.
Batman V Superman is a weird film. There are bits I adored and thought were great. There were bits that were awful and I wish they were taken right out of the film. For days, I've been pondering how good the film is. I think I've decided that it's on the good end of the spectrum. It's on the same level of Man of Steel but should have been so much better. I am shocked to find myself saying this but I would rather have had another film to set this up better. Anyway, Batman V Superman is good but not as good as it should be. Just be prepared to be disappointed in places because Batman V Superman gets a
I think I'll start with the story but the real difficulty is going to be which story I start with but I'll get to that. The main thread (I think) is that Bruce Wayne is trying to get back at Superman for destroying Metropolis, Superman is trying to stop Batman's vigilante style of justice, Lex Luthor is trying to get the two to fight like they're his little action figures who are one puberty away from exploring each other, Lois Lane is trying to find where a bullet came from after it was fired at her, the American justice system is trying to work out what action should be done regarding Superman and his powers and The Daily Planet is trying to fight the failing sales of newspapers. As you can tell, that's a lot of story and I didn't even bring up every story thread. There is so much story everywhere in this film but we're here to watch a God punch a rich orphan dressed as a furry mammal, not see a story laid out like spaghetti.
The acting is a sticking point because it's polarising. Henry Cavill returns as Superman and is still solid but unremarkable. Most of the supporting cast are good but don't get enough time. Laurence Fishburne is good for the minute he's there and Jeremy Irons is a wonderful Alfred for the two minutes he gets. Gal Gadot made for an exciting Wonder Woman, even if her performance of Diana Prince isn't so exciting. The show stealer here is absolutely Ben Affleck though. Not only is he an agressive Batman who makes drastic moves (and probably kills people here) but he's also an excellent Bruce Wayne. He is the full package here and got in great shape, even if he doesn't follow up his penis' screen time from Gone Girl, which lets face it, is a let down. The absolute worst performance by a mile here is Jesse Eisenberg. Remember how we thought he'd be awful as Lex Luthor? Well, he's worse than we thought. From the second he appears on screen, I wanted to punch him in his face. It's like his Mark Zuckerberg performance but less likable. He's a villain who can't hold a flame to Man of Steel's Zod and has already under performed compared to the five seconds Jared Leto has shown of his eerie Joker.
I'll start praising the film first. Zack Snyder has created a film that looks really good. The film may be flawed and I will get to that but even when it is bad, the film looks wonderful. Specific mentions go to the murder of Bruce Wayne's parents and the style behind that and the restraint in a more mournful scene at the end. I'd also like to praise the introduction of Wonder Woman. As I mentioned, Gal Gadot is great and the introduction of her is dramatic and exciting. I've never held much interest in Wonder Woman as a character but my interest has now been taken and held. As such, I'm looking forward to the Wonder Woman film next year. The blatant tease of the Justice League was forced but for what it was, it was pretty cool.
Now for me to tear the film down. The film is a mess. The story is everywhere and never sure whether it wants to be the film about strong men punching or about two broken souls trying to fix themselves. About five minutes in, I decided to play a fun game called "Could I cut this?" in which I thought to myself if this scene could be cut. I'd be interested to try it again on a second watch through but just on one watch, there were a lot of scenes that could go. Basically, any scene with Lex Luthor or any dream sequence. It leaves me very interested to see what will happen in the 3 hour R rated edit because adding more would probably weaken the experience. You see, this is how you sell blu-rays again, make me want something I know I don't really want that much.
Batman V Superman is a weird film. There are bits I adored and thought were great. There were bits that were awful and I wish they were taken right out of the film. For days, I've been pondering how good the film is. I think I've decided that it's on the good end of the spectrum. It's on the same level of Man of Steel but should have been so much better. I am shocked to find myself saying this but I would rather have had another film to set this up better. Anyway, Batman V Superman is good but not as good as it should be. Just be prepared to be disappointed in places because Batman V Superman gets a
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