Run time: 151 mins Certificate: 12A
Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Jesse Eisenberg.
Release Date: March 25, 2016.
Zero Lex Appeal
With an enormous marketing campaign having dominated the internet for months before its release it was clear from the off set DC were firmly putting all their eggs in one basket in the form of Batman v Superman, and therein lies its greatest problem. BvS is a cumbersome film; one loaded with so much, often superfluous, material that it struggles to tell its basic story at every turn. Even without its shoehorned extras its hard not to envision the film as a decent Superman story and a damn near brilliant Batman outing both made worse by being forced together to form a messy ensemble piece.
Frankly the films greatest shortcoming is its plot. Despite setting the titular characters up with relatively understandable motivations the script constantly goes out of its way to derail this neat premise with needless flourishes that result in more than a few plot holes along the way. The film opens (after having rehashed Batman’s origin in case anyone forgot) with a stunning sequence that sees Bruce Wayne speeding through the streets of Metropolis to the aid of his staff trapped amidst the chaotic battle we saw at the climax of Man of Steel. Its tense, ties into Snyder’s previous entry seamlessly and establishes a reason for Batman’s distrust of Superman right off the bat. Moreover its enough to establish how humanity see Superman (through the eyes of Bruce). But Snyder then skips to Africa for yet another, albeit smaller in scale, case of Supermans actions being open to debate. Its just one of many instances of a scene that simply didn’t need to be, and it only further complicates the tangled plot. Jessie Eisenberg’s Alexander Luthor (son of Lex) factors into much of this confusion, his psychotic billionaires schemes tangling the plot to nonsensical levels without a hint of any solid motivation.
Not to mention the fact that the film throws dream sequence after dream sequence at the viewer to little effect. Some of these are amazing, Batman’s foray into a post apocalyptic future is likely to make any comic fan giddy, but being that these sequences have zero impact on the events at hand you can’t help but wonder why they weren’t cut let alone filmed in the first place. The greatest offender however lies in how we’re lazily treated to cameos of other future Justice League members in what is perhaps the worst case of desperate universe building that has ever been put to film.
There is a lot to appreciate about BvS however. The main event does impress when our heroes clash despite being only a part of what the overall film is concerned with. As if the Dark Knight Returns had been made real, Batman uses contraptions a plenty in a bout that plays out as if it had leapt from the pages of the comic. Refreshingly its conclusion is quite original to the film and lands its emotional punch, capping what is arguably DC’s most authentic live action work before the cookie cutter finale rears its head. The Doomsday rumble that follows (a moment regrettably given away in its trailers) is all good fun despite how rushed it feels, and once Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman joins the fray it almost all feels worth it. Superman gets to finally be heroic, Batmans gruff banter feels right at home and Wonder Woman is a well choreographed fighting machine. Despite the troubling first two acts the film suddenly just works.
Visually each and every scene is arresting. While the dark colour scheme is perhaps too reminiscent of Watchmen at points there’s no argument as to how well crafted each frame is by cinematographer Larry Fong. Every other moment is a trailer shot oozing with wonderfully realised art direction and costume design worthy of praise. Despite his indulgences Snyder also brings a dramatic flare with his direction that makes sure the dialogue pops even when Terrio and Goyer’s script underwhelms. Even when our heroes act out of character and argue with little motivation Snyder makes sure the proceedings are at least engrossing. Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL’s score is perhaps the most surprising misstep, with some of its more dramatic themes and an introduction of an electric guitar in a later piece nearly drowning out the spectacle of the scenes themselves with their heavy handedness.
Much like the rest of the film some of the cast struggle. Ben Affleck’s Batman is quite possibly the best committed to screen, bringing a suaveness to Bruce and a raw brutality to the Bat that makes you fear the bone breaking vigilante as much as the criminals do. Henry Cavill dons the cape effortlessly once more, and despite being given little emotional range to work with sells the world weary take on the character convincingly. Eisenberg’s Luthor however drags the villains side down, his Joker like quips and twitches serving to annoy rather than menace whilst undermining his characters apparent intelligence, a shame considering he’s given what feels like the most dialogue of all. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman entertains thoroughly, though she’s given little time to make an impression, and leaves the viewer wanting more.
Supporting players such as Laurence Fishburne’s blunt Perry White and Jeremy Irons’ wry Alfred elevate their scenes with spot on delivery of their lines, making even some of their cornier quips hit their mark. Amy Adam’s Lois however is woefully under served. Despite turning in a decent performance she’s never given a chance to be anything more than a plot device constantly in need of saving (multiple times) by Superman. Like Lex Luthor, her character is brought down by the scripts need for her to fill a role by any means necessary.
Verdict
BvS is a missed opportunity, an event that had so much potential brought down by uneven pacing and a script so intent on setting up throw downs that it throws its characters motivations aside. Despite itself though the heroes impress, with Affleck’s Batman grabbing the audiences attention every time there’s crime to be fought in Gotham or super humans to keep up with. For comic fans who’ve been waiting to see the likes of Miller’s Batman jump out of the pages then BvS is arguably a must see, otherwise it may be best to wait for all the spectacle to be framed in a coherent plot that pays attention to serving the characters as much as it does the action.
Hits
+ Affleck’s Batman.
+ Visually stunning
+ Snyder delivers some brutal and varied action
+ The trinity delivers
Misses
– Nonsensical plotting at points
– Underwhelming script slows the pace
– Character motivations thrown aside
– Eisenberg’s Lex isn’t compelling
– Intrusive cameos and foreshadowing.
– Lois Lane relegated to a hopeless plot device
Overall Rating
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