Starting with the Metropolis-leveling battle previously depicted in Man of Steel, BvS introduces an aging, bitter, and increasingly violent Batman obsessed with stopping Superman, an alien worshipped as a god by some and deemed a global threat by others, including brilliant tech billionaire Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg).
Superman, for his part, is equally disdainful and suspicious of the ultra-violent, civil rights-violating Batman. As expected, both heroes are being manipulated by the megalomaniacal Luthor for his own nefarious agenda.
Meanwhile, the enigmatic Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) shadows the proceedings for her own purposes before revealing herself as the benevolent demi-goddess Wonder Woman. Justice is dawning and this trinity of superheroes aren't the only exceptional beings out there waiting to help save the world from grave threats as yet to arrive ...
For much of its two-and a half-hour running time, BvS is just sort of there, with various characters brooding, talking, and pondering, dotted with bursts of superhero action until its eye candy-filled third act. It’s largely a straightforward drama with some sleuthing sequences, and is thus more engaging on a cerebral level than as a fanboy-friendly adrenaline rush. Those expecting BvS to be DC's answer to Marvel's Avengers will find it more akin to Snyder's Watchmen instead.Kids going for a superhero slugfest may be disappointed they have to sit through so much soul-searching and politics to get to the cape-and-cowl action sold in the trailers. (And Warner Bros. is going to need to win the kids and families if they're going to truly compete with Marvel Studios at the box office.) While the Nolan Batman films were similarly drama-driven, they were also focused on a solo, reality-based hero so that approach largely worked. But when you have Batman and Superman and Wonder Woman in your movie then you expect more interactions between them in costume than out. Batman does his thing, Superman does his, but those moments are fewer than those of them in their respective civilian guises.
When we do see Batman, he is absolutely brutal and Affleck really nails it as both the Dark Knight and Bruce Wayne. He’s a physical powerhouse, the dapper playboy, the serious businessman, an obsessive authoritarian, and a relentless detective. Affleck is the best thing about BvS, instantly making the character of Batman his own. He should prove a sturdy anchor for future DC movies (but more on that later).
The movie simply has more energy whenever Batman is onscreen. You’re left suspecting Zack Snyder really wanted to just make a Batman movie but was saddled with Superman because the backlash over Man of Steel’s finale had to be addressed. And there’s no denying that BvS is an utter and complete reaction to the outcry over that. The civilian bodycount and psychological impact of the battle in Metropolis is brought up many times, and BvS goes out of its way to hammer home how few civilians are around for the final battles this time around.While Batfleck may steal the show (and largely drives the plot), Cavill’s Superman is very much the heart of this story. He’s trying to do good in the world, but every action he takes provokes an even greater reaction. However, there’s an early sequence of an incident in Africa that’s repeatedly brought up as an example of Superman being a lethal menace to others, but it never quite holds up under scrutiny and is a convoluted subplot that seems to exist merely to give Lois Lane (Amy Adams) a story to pursue.
As much as Cavill still tries to imbue Superman with humanity, he’s proven fairly wooden outside of his work on The Tudors and that remains the case here. It’s also tough to buy no one has figured out he’s Superman since, unlike Reeve or Routh, his Clark Kent has no “cover” outside of a pair of glasses. There’s no separate personality to his Clark Kent. Cavill is more like classic TV Superman George Reeves in that regard.
Amy Adams brings her usual warmth, humanity, and mix of moxie and vulnerability to the Daily Planet’s most intrepid reporter. She is, even more so than Batman, the “real” human face of the movie. The rest of the cast are fine — with the standout being Jeremy Irons as Alfred, a less refined Pennyworth than we’re accustomed to seeing on the big screen — but the supporting players fans are most interested in hearing about are clearly Wonder Woman and Lex Luthor.Gal Gadot turns out to be a fine choice as Wonder Woman, although her screen time here is limited. Overall, the decision to introduce Diana Prince as a Woman of Mystery was a smart choice and she has good chemistry with Affleck. Unfortunately, she doesn't really have any interactions with Clark Kent or Superman until the Doomsday battle, which undercuts seeing the big three together (more on that in a bit).In fact, I don't recall Superman and Wonder Woman ever actually speaking to each other.
Jesse Eisenberg's performance as Lex Luthor, though, was inconsistent. His worldview and motives are quite interesting and heady, with a more theological bent than moviegoers are accustomed to seeing Lex have. But Eisenberg’s performance can be too obvious at times; his Lex is crazy, clearly suffering from a psychological disorder rather than just being greedy, evil, or driven by ego. That choice makes his Lex a bit too tic-y and manic at times, but you certainly buy he’s a genius with a deep disdain for what Superman represents.
BvS does delineate the philosophical divide between its eponymous heroes, with Batman’s truly brutal methods unnerving the morally upright Superman. By the time he finally faces off against Superman, Batman has essentially become like Gregory Peck in The Omen when he's dragging his son Damien into church to kill him.Now for the million dollar question. How were Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman onscreen together and how did the film handle all the DC movieverse world-building? Let’s start with the last part first. They did fine, but it’s not really the focus of this movie. Yes, there are glimpses of Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Flash (Ezra Miller), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher), but between that and the introduction of Wonder Woman it’s all handled pretty simply and efficiently. However, “Dawn of Justice” is overselling the set-up to Justice League a bit; this is less of a Dawn and more of a Shortly After Midnight of Justice. BvS is ultimately focused on Batman and Superman, with Wonder Woman popping in and out until the final battle.
One big element that does undercut the climactic showdown is Doomsday. The character's visual effects are just awful, and they repeatedly pull you out of the movie at exactly the moments you need to feel most invested and afraid for our heroes. You can sense the “tennis ball acting” of the stars going up against a CGI effect to be added later, and this emotional disconnect is egregious given the stakes of the finale.Unfortunately, finally seeing the trinity of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman together on the big screen was rather underwhelming. None of them really know each other so there’s not a lot of emotional investment between them, and to a larger degree the film’s marketing essentially spoiled what should have been the most joyous and revealing moment in the movie. In hindsight, there was no good reason for Warner Bros. to reveal Doomsday, Aquaman, and so much of Wonder Woman beforehand.
Verdict
While Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has good things to recommend it, its shortcomings are undeniable. The action sequences whenever Batman is set loose on the bad guys are cool, and the story strives to explore human and philosophical elements, but it’s often not much fun. Not every superhero movie should be like a Marvel one (because every hero and piece of material is different), but even the melodramatic X-Men movies never lost sight of pure entertainment value while also exploring heady and heavy topics.
