With the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe conquering the box office, Warner Bros. and DC Comics have struggled to try and keep up with the properties that they are in possession of right now. So far, their most successful property has been the Batman franchise, but with Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight Trilogy” finished, the freedom to use Batman with the Justice League is calling to us. And the film that starts out the DC Extended Universe is “Man of Steel.”
I’ve talked about my thoughts on “Man of Steel” back when it was first released, and I hold true to what I say about it. I thought how they handled Superman’s origin story was pretty good, the action scenes were really cool, and I found it to be an overall satisfying movie. Of course, it’s now become the film that has split DC fans to new extremes, especially with the controversy that is all around the film. Look, I’m not here to tell people which side is wrong and which side is right. My job is to share my feelings toward the movies, that’s it. If you didn’t like the film, I’m not going to harass you and whine about you disagreeing with me, because I’m not a dick.
For the follow-up film in the DC Extended Universe, Warner Bros. decided that the next film to bring to the table would be “Batman Vs. Superman.” This was a project that hadn’t really left the ground for decades. The possibilities were growing more, ever since 1989, and now the time had come to really make that dream a reality. And despite me loving “Man of Steel,” I wasn’t really that hyped about the film. Even before casting was made or any screenwriters were brought about, I just didn’t seem to feel that excited about it coming out. Hell, I could say that about ANY movie that’s coming out. Regardless of what people had to say, good or bad, my expectations were about the same.
So after attending the Thursday night screening (not 3D or IMAX), what did I think of one of the most anticipated films of all time? Well, my lovely people, for a film that I had little-to-no interest with, “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” was at the very least a satisfying movie.
Now that doesn’t mean the film is great, because there are a lot of flaws that did bother me. For one, the dream sequences were annoying and didn’t add much to the film. I kind of get where they were going with it, trying to make it feel like Batman is afraid of Superman, but they just didn’t work. There’s also another dream sequence involving the Flash, which again could have been cut out of the film. This brings me to another problem I have with the film, the Justice League cameos. I mean, Wonder Woman’s role in the film is fine, and doesn’t bother me that much, but the rest is so obviously shoehorned in. It would have been nice to keep them as subtle little hints, but they practically show almost all the upcoming members that were announced. It’s as if the film is trying to scream at you “JUSTICE LEAGUE IS COMING! JUSTICE LEAGUE IS COMING!” I don’t blame screenwriter, Chris Terrio, for this, because he was brought aboard to fix up this script as much as possible, so I don’t even want to know what the film would have been like if he wasn’t called in to help. The pacing also felt a bit slow in parts, with some scenes going nowhere and me missing nothing when it was done after using the restroom. And as for the battle between the son of Krypton and the Bat of Gotham, it felt pretty short. I mean, when it was happening, it was awesome, but I wanted it to last a little bit longer. I mean, maybe there’s more of the fight in the director’s cut, but that’s another story to talk about.
So with all the bad that I had to say about this film, there is still some good in it, starting with the cast. Henry Cavill gives another great performance as Superman, improving on what he learned from “Man of Steel,” and applying it to this film. Even with the abilities of a God, he’s still somebody who eventually makes mistakes, especially when it comes to his loved ones being targets. To me, this is what makes Superman more relatable, is that he’s still as flawed as anyone else would be. He isn’t always going to have the best option, especially when his best option doesn’t work. Cavill is a great actor, and he’s a great Superman. Now to talk about the most controversial casting of the film: Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman. This is the casting that almost everybody was pissed off about for two reasons: 1) The interview with Josh Brolin and how he was almost picked for the role. 2) Ben Affleck’s portrayal as Daredevil. But here’s the thing people seem to forget: Ben Affleck is a smart guy. He’s learned from his mistakes in the early millennium, and how he managed to pull himself out of that gutter of infamy is proof of that. Besides, imagine if he had the offer to play Batman immediately after the success of Daredevil. Would he have accepted it then? No, because he wouldn’t do that until he knew for sure his career was back in the green, before giving the superhero thing another try. And with this film, it really paid off. Not only did Affleck really sell it in terms of bulking up, but his portrayal of the character was done really damn well. The bachelor, the genius, the corrupted, the Batman himself. To all those “Dark Knight” fanboys out there, take it with a grain of salt, because Ben Affleck is easily the 2nd best live action Batman (Keaton will always be #1).
While Gal Gadot wouldn’t be my first choice to play Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, I have to admit she did pretty damn well with what she was given. Would she have done better if she was given more screen time to develop, especially in her own movie? Yes. But unlike the other distracting Justice League easter eggs, this one managed to fit into the story decently. Plus, seeing Wonder Woman on the big screen for the first time was a very satisfying treat. Then we have Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor Jr. Some people were a little offhanded by his performance in the trailers, which I understand. Originally, Eisenberg auditioned to play the Riddler in the movie, but since the character was cut from the film, they decided to cast him as Superman’s arch rival. The story arc involving Luthor is pretty good, especially with how he gets Batman and Superman to fight. Still would have preferred Bryan Cranston, but whatever. Now much like everybody else, I thought Doomsday was just going to be shoehorned in at the very last minute, but not quite. Sure, he comes in at the end to fight off the World’s Finest, but at least the film does build up to his creation with Luthor getting Zod’s remains in the first act.
If there’s one thing that really worked out well, it was the action scenes. They’re entertaining, nicely shot, and they manage to keep the tension going as steady as possible. While I’m not that much of a Zack Snyder fan, I do give him credit for having a keen eye for action scenes. Not the best, but still pretty good.
Now could the film be better if it was reworked? ABSOLUTELY. If it had cut out all of the references to the Justice League, the dream sequences, and unnecessary cameos, it would have been less crowded. If it wanted to still be a two-and-a-half hour movie, that’s fine, as long as they focused more on the story they’re trying to work with. And yes, I know there's a 3-hour long R rated cut of the movie coming out on blu-ray, but is that really going to solve the problems I’ve stated? No.
Overall, this film already has a lot of people with some very mixed feelings. Some love it, other hate it, and several don’t know what to conclude on. With every great thing it does, it also has something equally questioning. From where I stand, as I’m writing this, I thought it was alright. Not great, not terrible, just alright. Is the film worth seeing in theaters? Yes. Would I buy it on blu-ray when it comes out? Probably not. But for what holds for the future of the DC Extended Universe, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Rating: 6/10
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