Movie Reviews

Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect from Batman v Superman… I mean, Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies were amazing. How can you top those? And if you take into account that 2013’s Man Of Steel was horrible and that the last time we saw Ben Affleck as a superhero… well, that wasn’t exactly memorable either, right? So if you factor all that in, things weren’t exactly looking very promising for director Zack Snyder’s latest movie.

Let’s take a look at the plot, shall we? Henry Cavill is back as Superman, whereas Ben Affleck is new to the cape. I never knew Gotham City and Metropolis were this close to one another, but maybe that’s just me. I mean, what a coincidence that the cities that each have such an icon roaming their streets are situated right next to one another. Anyway, Superman does something to piss off Batman, hence the ‘v’ in the title and that’s where the shit hits the fan. Meanwhile you have everyone from Holly Hunter and Diane Lane to Laurence Fishburne and Kevin Costner running around as well, while Amy Adams stars as Lois Lane, the ever more annoying Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor and Jeremy Irons takes over the role of Alfred from Michael Caine.

As if all those characters aren’t enough to make your head spin, Snyder likes to throw even more stuff at the plot, convinced that at least one of his attempts will add something meaningful to the plot. That’s how come all of a sudden there’s a big scary CGI monster on the screen. And let’s not forget Wonder Woman’s entrance (Gal Gadot) because… you know, she’s getting her own movie and it’s never too early to start hyping that shit.

Add a nerve-wrecking score by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL to the mix along with tedious dialogues by Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer and you end up with one big, convoluted mess that seems to go on forever. As a matter of fact, I watched the extended cut which adds another 30 minutes making what was already a lengthy movie, one that clocks in at just over 3 hours. Then again, Snyder does know how to make things look impressive. I have to give him that. Dawn Of Justice is grim, dark and beautifully shot with some frames looking veritable works of art. It’s probably Snyder’s finest work since 300. At the very least, there’s that. Unfortunately that alone doesn’t make a good movie.