What
can I say about the comic book clash of Titans mash-up that is BATMAN V.
SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE? The movie, currently playing at your neighborhood
multiplex, is nothing if not ambitious, wanting to say IMPORTANT STUFF about
how society sets up idols, then tears them down, about the nature of power,
even, golly gee, about man vs. God.
But
this film’s reach far exceeds its grasp. The plot makes little sense; the
characters don’t fit the molds we’ve come to know over many years of
familiarity with them; scenes are added that don’t seem to fit the story line
simply because the director (Zach Snyder, of THE 300 and MAN OF STEEL fame) is
trying to make a thematic point; humor is conspicuously absent; and the action
drags.
Most
of this is Snyder’s fault. If you’ve seen MAN OF STEEL, you will recognize the
revisionist view of Superman here and Snyder’s Superman-as-Christ-figure
symbolism. It gets worse in this film. Much worse. As for Batman, it's difficult to
imagine a darker and more bitter Dark Knight than Christian Bale’s, but this would
be it. This Batman seems to have no redeeming social value at all.
Which,
of course, is supposedly what sparks the whole Bat vs. Supe tiff in the first
place. Batman (Ben Affleck, not up to the task) seems to have gone off the deep
end, beefing up to an inhuman level, torturing and branding his captured
criminals. Straight-arrow Clark Kent (Henry Cavill, square-jawed and wooden as
always) thinks this is not in the best interests of the citizens of Gotham. On
the other side, Bruce Wayne is appalled at the destruction of Metropolis in the
fight between Superman and his pals from Krypton, General Zod and crew. The man
behind the Bat feels it’s only a matter of time before this supposedly benign being
with the superpowers turns evil and uses them to destroy humanity. Thus Superman
must be destroyed in a preemptive strike.
Enter
the obviously nutty Lex Luthor (an interesting interpretation from Jesse
Eisenberg), who has found a way not only to weaponize a hunk of Kryptonite
found at the bottom of the sea, but to reactivate Zod’s crashed ship. He ups
the ante between these two ostensible enemies, and we’re off to the races. Of
course, that’s not all the crazy-bad stuff Luthor gets up to, but why spoil
what little fun there is in this film for you?
I
went to this movie because I wanted to know how anyone could plausibly pit two
of the biggest heroes of the DC universe against each other and sustain it for
a whole film. The answer is they couldn’t. You know how you’re told in Lesson
One of Romance Writing that the conflict between lovers can’t be the kind of
thing that could be resolved by a mere conversation? And if it is so
fundamental that it can’t be resolved that way in the beginning, it shouldn’t
be resolved that way in the end? Uh, yeah.
The
initial premise of BATMAN V. SUPERMAN is weak. Then we’re told over and over
that these guys have so much in common (which, of course, they do). Then the
resolution is too easy. And don’t even get me started on Zach Snyder’s version
of Lois Lane (Amy Adams), who continues to do stupid things only to be rescued
by Superman. At least Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), who for reasons of establishing
the new Justice League franchise, shows up in the final ass-kicking scenes, is
capable of taking care of herself.
There
was yet another reason I left the theater shaking my head at the end of this
film, which I won’t reveal for fear of spoiling it for anyone still willing to
pay good money to see it. I’ve left some hints in this review already. Let’s
just say it’s another example of audience manipulation in hopes of generating a
push for the next film. I’ll be skipping that one, thank you. I’ve had enough.
Cheers,
Donna
I've never been interested in Batman or Superman, though I watched the Christopher Reeve versions and seen chunks of the Batman films on TV at different times. Hubs was contemplating taking our eldest boy to see this but neither are fans and hubs gave up after seeing how long the film would run. To me the concept just smacks of desperation. I'll stick with Marvel.
ReplyDeleteI'm just not a fan of the Superheroes genre (unless the character is a superhero by way of a technological or mental element, ala Luke Skywalker), so this film was not at all on my radar. The dismal reviews made it even less so. I may tune in once it reaches pay-per-view or freebie TV just to see what went so horribly wrong with the concept, but I can tell from your thorough review, Donna, that this one is not going to be my cup of kinna.
ReplyDeleteEveryone I know who's seen it and knows the DC universe inside and out, LOVES it.
ReplyDeleteMy sister and youngest brother saw it yesterday, and were talking about it with our other brother who knows the Batman universe really well. This Batman is based on the 80's Batman, and he was in a bad way that decade.
Batman and Superman also have a long history of barely tolerating each other, especially in the Justice League when they have to work together. I watched the mid-90's Justice League cartoons on Cartoon Network, and they were always right on the verge of destroying each other.
I've been a long-time fan of both Batman and Superman, and seen them through all their ups and downs in both the comics and onscreen. I LOVED Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Batman and could conceive how maybe a sunny Supe like Reeve's might have been yang to his yin. And,yes, there is precedent for some kind of conflict. But I just can't buy Snyder's version of things. I've since had some very interesting discussions with fans who have offered well-thought-out arguments in favor of the film. They've given me a lot to think about--Jesse Eisenberg as Joker/Luthor; Lois as Superman's special human,not just his special woman--but I'm not sure I'm fully convinced.
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