Dark Knight VS Man of Steel
Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice Review
Ehsan Rajabian
Staff Writer
Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice – the film intended to kickstart the cinematic universe for DC characters like Batman and Superman – opened to mixed critical reviews. Ultimately, I loved the movie, and I recommend that viewers do not allow reviews to cloud their opinion.
The film details Batman’s conflict with Superman before their eventual team-up to fight true evil. This new Batman, played by Ben Affleck, is something to behold. Affleck’s casting was controversial, but he proves naysayers wrong. His Batman is an older, hardened, cynical detective vigilante… and he is brutal. He’s practically the villain of the piece early on, but we witness him evolve into someone more idealistic and practical.
Henry Cavill’s Superman is great as a goody-two-shoes thrust into a world that doesn’t accept him. Gal Gadot’s fierce, mysterious Wonder Woman is a surprising delight. Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor is tricky. He’s certainly more evil than what we’re used to; his hatred for Superman is fascinating. He’s also got the evil genius side to him, but he can get annoying, especially during the first half.
The first half of the film is generally a lot less interesting than the second half. The scenes at the beginning are a bit of a jumbled mess in terms of editing; they don’t flow together nicely and needed more trimming. There are a lot of subplots to this film, and many of these are dropped in the more focused second half. The slower-paced part of the movie focuses much more on character drama, which some may consider boring. However, by focusing on the characters first, it is easier to care about the consequences of the action sequences later on.
The action scenes are much stronger here than in Man of Steel, in which they often lacked suspense. Here, thankfully, we can feel the impact of each punch. The incredible soundtrack also complements the action nicely.
The film takes its subject matter quite seriously, but that doesn’t mean it’s no fun at all. Some superhero movies rely so heavily on jokes that there’s no sense of drama anymore. Batman vs Superman strikes a nice balance between humour, action and seriousness.
Downsides do include a few strange editing mistakes, and some scenes are under-explained and consequently extremely unclear. Ultimately, astounding visuals make these strange scenes enjoyable. Certain story elements feel rushed, and would have been more appropriate if they occurred years later in the timeline. However, these rushed plot points are handled very well, and they add powerful emotional moments.
Despite an occasionally disjointed, unclear plot, this film is a fine piece of blockbuster cinema. At worst, this movie can be seen as an ambitious, superficial spectacle. By the end of it, even my friend, who was convinced this film would suck, was won over by the incredible music, visuals, action, characters and performances. It might surprise you too