Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Review
Hello! Welcome to my first blog post on my new page! Ever since I was a kid, I have been in love with movies! I was also a huge TV fan as well. I was always enamored with such awe-inspiring stories that took me out of my current reality and into the story I was watching on screen.
Although I am a huge sports nut, I also tread that “geek” line in terms of my love of all things super heroes, sci-fi, and my ever-growing collection of memorabilia (that my fiance isn’t too happy with).
With the intros out of the way, let’s get into my first official topic: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Before I get into the review, let me quickly talk about my recent theatre experiences. My fiance and a group of our friends have recently started using an AMC theatre that has leather recliners and pre-assigned seating. I will never go to another theatre without these amenities again!
Sitting in our comfortable seats, the movie began slowly, introducing the backstory of Bruce Wayne and quickly jumping back and forth to scenes of other characters. The theme of pacing and editing, to me, was a major pitfall of this movie. It spent so much time playing catch up by introducing so many new characters all at once that it hindered the story.
Logic would also play into my cons. There were more than a few times I was taken out of the movie because I had to stop and think about what was happening and I was left confused by a bunch of things. The constant story shifting played into the logistical issues because of how the story was unfolding that it didn’t portray the characters in a very positive light. The action scenes are pretty fantastic. I don’t mind the over-the-top action sequences as long as they’re done in a way that is engaging and meaningful.
Batman, played perfectly by Ben Affleck, has never been so violent and brutal. Gone are the Val Kilmer/George Clooney Batmen. Affleck plays the quintessential Batman, paying homage to George Miller’s “The Dark Knight” comics from the ‘80s. Well played, sir.
Henry Cavill plays a solid Superman, and as a fan of Man of Steel, I had some issues with his character. Logic again, but I won’t get into spoilers in this post. Gal Gadot, after much controversy leading up to the release about her portrayal as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, was solid as well. The fans in my theatre gave a nice applause when she showed up in her armor, which was nice. This is a very important role for female fans and the future marketing of female-lead super hero films, and Gal did a fine job.
Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Lex Luthor was…strange. His quirks and eccentricities were bordering Batman Forever-like style but saved by his intensity. Ever-faithful butler, Alfred, played by the amazing Jeremy Irons, was a perfect casting. I don’t care too much for Amy Adams as Lois. I find her’s and Clark’s relationship annoying, personally.
The addition of the “big bad” of the movie, Doomsday, didn’t look all that great and was shoehorned in and didn’t make a lot of sense. The fight scenes were pretty cool, though.
There were a bunch of scenes that were clearly meant to foreshadow the future DC movie universe, but they felt wholly out of place and unexplained. The quick introductions of the future Justice League members in Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman felt forced and out of place.
The movie spent too much time planting seeds, as it has to quickly establish their cinematic universe and catch up to Marvel/Disney. Although I mostly enjoyed the film, the problems I’ve gone over and others not mentioned lowered my score. I had my expectations lowered early in the week as critic reviews from online sources I follow didn’t give overly-positive reviews. My score would be a 6 out of 10. Keep in mind that’s a pretty decent score, it means there were more things I liked about it than things I didn’t. Would I recommend anyone seeing it? Yes, absolutely. If You’re a fan of the super hero genre, go see it.
Thanks for reading! As the TV and movie schedule really heat up starting this time of the year, I’ll be watching everything I can and posting about them. Be sure to follow my page if you like what you’re reading!
