It’s the year of the comic book battles. And no, I’m not talking about DC vs. Marvel (though that’s a heated battle that has only gotten more spirited in recent months). Lines will be drawn in the sand and sides will form later this year in Marvel’s CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, but DC is the first to step into the ring with their own legendary battle. Two of the most iconic characters in comic book history have come together to see who can out slug the other. But in this doom and gloom follow-up to MAN OF STEEL, it’s an “orphan-off” more so than a punch-out.
Zack Snyder shows that the two men were born from the same cloth. Sure, Superman/Clark Kent is an alien from another world, but as many films and comics including MAN OF STEEL have effectively proven, Superman is as much of a conflicted man as he is a super-powered being. Batman/Bruce Wayne’s story is just as well-known, even though Snyder feels the need to kick off BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE with the iconic scene we have seen many times before that leads to Bruce becoming an orphan. That being said, Snyder and screenwriters David Goyer and Chris Terrio use this common thread of guilt-ridden and internally tormented orphans as an emotional background for the two sides. Unfortunately, the setup carries more emotional weight than the execution.
BvS (so not to waste so much space typing it out) shows so much in its lengthy 151 minute run time but says so little. Character arcs or nuances are left on the cutting room floor as the movie quickly jumps from scene to scene with very little room for any of it to really breathe or make an impact. Even worse, some of the character motives are left out all together, as in the case of Lex Luthor. Coming across as a guy who just graduated from college with a Psych degree and a big mouth wanting to talk all about it (not to mention having the ultimate face that you just want to punch), Jesse Eisenberg is so over the top that he’s practically soaring above Supes with his ridiculous incarnation of Luthor.
Henry Cavill has now earned the “S” on his chest after two films. Ever since the announcement of his casting, all eyes have been on Ben Affleck – not so quietly judging and igniting an endless amount of vitriol-filled articles. I’ve never had a problem with the man or his casting, and I think many critics after seeing the film will have so much more to complain about than Batfleck. He feels like Bruce Wayne. On the Bat-half of the spectrum, it’s so hard to judge because very little screen time is spent with Affleck wearing the cape and cowl. The suit looks great and he seems to wear it well, but even when he’s in full-on Batfleck mode, it’s so hard to understand what’s going on and really judge it because of the cinematography.
I didn’t think it was possible for action scenes to be both pitch black and yet obnoxiously bright. So much of the choreography and action is spent in the dark but punctuated with these bright flashes. The “blast” effect from the guns creates a strobe-like effect in a warehouse fight, not to mention overly bright explosions dance across the screen throughout the closing battle creating a disorienting feeling. Where I really noticed it was early on in the film during a car chase with the Batmobile. It was as if I was watching J.J. Abrams’ STAR TREK films. An exorbitant amount of lens flares combined with the “flash” of the guns firing at one another made it even more distracting than how intensely close the camera was to the movements. Didn’t we learn anything from the indecipherable zoomed-in action in BATMAN BEGINS?
You would think given the amount of time spent advertising the big fight between the brooding bros that the sequence would carry more of an impact. And yet it’s just as dull and forced as so many of the scenes in the film. The loud and proud score punctuates the brawl with drama, but it’s over so quickly that you practically forget that it even happened because they are fighting one second and then quickly making up the next – proving that this really is, indeed, an “orphan-off.”
Once again we are treated to a Bat flick on the big screen that fails to deliver the action from the comics. This is the 8th live-action film that Batman has appeared in during my lifetime, and there hasn’t been a really great… I’m talking spectacular… fight featuring Batman going toe to toe with an evildoer or group of henchmen. Each of the films have ranged from amazing to catastrophic, but the scenes that are so memorable about the great ones are never Batman in costume battling a villain. The best one might be the Bane fight in DARK KNIGHT RISES, but even that feels a little lackluster and without much consequence given how you know before it begins how it’s going to end. BvS sets out to deliver the very fight that has yet to be seen on the big screen. You would think given how superficial many of Snyder’s other films are that he would at least give Batman fans like myself not just a fair fight… but a memorable one – a fight for the ages. That is what all of the marketing has promised, right? And yet Snyder not delivering on what he set out to ultimately achieve is the least of the film’s problems. He’s already shown us two characters throwing each other through walls for 30 minutes in MAN OF STEEL. So, when we get 10 minutes of that in BvS, you are left to wonder: where is the memorable choreography and sequences that we saw in 300 and SUCKER PUNCH?
There are two saving graces in the film and they both come in the form of new incarnations of characters we know and love. Alfred, Bruce’s trusted confidant and butler, ditches the suit and tie and stoic walk this time around and becomes the most hands-on version of the character we have seen on the big screen. Seeing him get his hands dirty working on the batmobile and controlling the batwing/bat-plane remotely from the cave is fresh and exciting. In fact, it’s one of the only exciting elements of the film – second only to the Amazonian warrior woman. Wonder Woman may not wield her golden lasso or shield very much in the film, but Gal Gadot gives her strength and power every time she’s on screen. Not to mention, the formal gowns she wears are stunning as they bring to mind the gold accents on her Wonder Woman suit. She acts as more of a mystery woman in the shadows throughout the film, but I have no doubt her presence will have fans awaiting her solo feature film next year.
BvS feels like a rushed job by DC. Say what you will about the “Marvel formula” and their constant teasing of the big baddie Thanos. At least with their series of films, they have set a groundwork to build epic showdowns and dramatic events. Watching Batman face Superman doesn’t feel dramatic or exciting. In fact, it’s the biggest yawn that Batman has brought out of me (even more so than the Schumacher days). Frank Miller gave Superman and Batman a reason to fight in his seminal comic series, “The Dark Knight Returns.” Snyder and company have simply lifted some of the visuals from that and other stories that comic fans will recognize but didn’t support it with a proper idea or motivation. DC seems to be taking a cue from Superman’s legendary bald foe – just because you have the money and can do what you want, doesn’t mean it’s right.
Overall rating: 2 out of 5
BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE is now playing in theaters everywhere
