Batman v Superman: The Dawn of Justice

Synopsis:  Two years after Superman (Henry Cavill) defeated General Zod (Michael Shannon) in a colossal battle that devastated the city, there is rising anger among good citizens of Metropolis over the loss of life and collateral damage that was the result of that fight. One such individual is Wallace Keefe (Scoot McNairy) who lost both legs in the battle. Another is Gotham City’s own billionaire, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck), aka Batman, who was in Metropolis that day and witnessed the terrible consequences. Convinced that Superman is now a threat to humanity, Batman embarks on a personal vendetta to end his reign on Earth. Meanwhile, the duplicitous evil genius, Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), sees a way to manipulate this situation in order to pit one superhero against the other and ultimately bring about the downfall of both.

The current obsession with the personal, human psychology rather than the comic-book qualities of the 21st Century Superhero can probably be sheeted home to Christopher Nolan (who gets an Executive Producer credit on this film). It often works well in the origin story of these super human characters, as it did in the first of Nolan’s Batman Trilogy, 2005’s Batman Begins but by 2012, in his The Dark Knight Rises, poor old Batman was so consumed with doubt and guilt and grief as to be almost catatonic for much of the film. A year later, Zack Snyder followed suit with the reworked origin story for Superman in Man of Steel (2013) which took the novel approach of treating the arrival of this refugee from Krypton as our first encounter with an alien life-form. That was a nifty idea, but I’m afraid I found the rest of the film (especially the overpowering presence of Russell Crowe) not as satisfying as some.

And now, here we are in 2016 and the two successful franchises are finally combined into one battle royale. Or so it would seem. Cavill still wears the red cape and undies over his tights but Christian Bale has handed on the black cowl and utility belt to Ben Affleck who, as Bruce Wayne, gives a much better and believable performance than the pundits (including me) suspected would be the case. The problems here, though, begin with the psychological concerns of each character elevated to deity in Superman’s case by constant references to him as our Christ-like saviour or our God. It’s a heavy burden to carry and it weighs him, and the story, down.

What the story does do, though, is hold the alien superhero to account for the cost of saving the world and raises a serious question about the wanton destruction and loss of life that washes over us in so many superhero films. However, Batman taking the high moral ground on this runs perilously close to the pot calling the kettle black and, despite the efforts of the screenwriters to ensure us that no lives are lost and that only derelict buildings are destroyed, when Batman and Superman finally face off the destruction is as extensive as we might expect.

In the midst of all this is Eisenberg’s nervy, twitchy performance as Lex Luthor. He’s such a mannered actor that we’re always conscious that it’s him playing the part and that upstages the otherwise good work of Affleck, Cavill and Amy Adams as Lois Lane, all of whom who work hard to find a balance between the two-dimensional comic book world and the more dramatic, three-dimensional rendering of their characters. The highlight, though, is Gal Gadot as Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman. She doesn’t get her chance to shine until very late in the film, but it’s worth the wait, and whets our appetite for her own movie due for release in the middle of next year. The sudden injection of wit and sass in her scenes makes us realise how dour and serious the rest of the film has been.

Batman v Superman: The Dawn of Justice is a big, at times unwieldy film. It has a thundering, bone-shaking soundtrack from Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL and, despite its many faults and its overlong running time, has some great spectacle, stunning visuals and genuine excitement. I’m a bit tired of the continual imagery of the pulverising of urban architecture but, setting that aside, this film certainly delivers for those who still enjoy that kind of thing. And, in addition to its questioning of the morality of the superhero, the film also has something refreshing to say about two tough guys who, in the end, both place their love for their mothers above all else.

I will resist answering the question posed by the title – in a fight between Batman and Superman, who would win? You’ll have to go see the film to find out. But there’s another question being posed here; in a fight between Warner Brothers DC Comics and what’s become known as the Marvel Universe, who would win? Marvel has a good headstart on DC with its cumulation of superhero movies into The Avengers (2012) and beyond. This film has plenty of clues as to how that battle may be fought out on the big screen. Perhaps the biggest clue is in the title. The DC Comics equivalent of The Avengers is the Justice League of America. And with this film, I suspect we’re just seeing its dawn.

 

 

Want more about this film?

    

Want something different?