Why Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice overall failed
- Review -

By Lone Lez

SPOILER ALERT!

The following contains spoilers for Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

Since I’m a huge comic book fanboy I decided to embark on a marathon of old bat-flicks and superman films, both live and animated, so when the day finally arrived (this was three days before the Batman v. Superman release), I would be more than ready to watch the Bat of Gotham take on the Son of Krypton.

I was a little heart-broken. 

It happens often that a movie gets overly hyped, even before initial marketing, and when it finally drops in theaters, turns out the trailers were actually better than the movie. 

While I won’t completely bombard on the movie since there were some aspects that I liked and loved, overall the movie was not good. The biggest failure was how short the main event was. 

In totality, Batman and Superman only trade fists for just over 8 minutes.

Batman versus Superman.

Building up story is essential in any movie, but we need to remember that Batman v. Superman is a superhero action film. 

Sitting down for over two hours in a movie where all you are expecting is a clash of titans, but first need to sit through an hour and a half of Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor trying to make it happen, is too much. 

While the movie is set to introduce the Justice League, the movie still should have been primarily about Batman and Superman. More emphasis was put on the cameos of the future members of the League than on Batman and Superman’s means of truce (my mother’s name is Martha, really?) , that it seemed like the Dawn of Justice text on the movie’s poster should have been a bit more larger. 

Another failure the movie had, and this was even before the movie came out, was revealing Doomsday through the trailers. Being that the movie is an introduction to the Justice League, and being that Doomsday is a villain of such caliber, his reveal should have been kept in theaters.

As opposed to other critics, I enjoyed the dark tone of the movie, as it gave a unique feel to the characters on screen. We might embrace Superman as the triumphant joyful hero from the classic Christopher Reeve version that we all love, but Henry Cavill’s Superman is one that is a clear representation of our unjust times. 

The best aspect of Batman v. Superman was definitely Batman though. This is totally a Batman movie. Ben Affleck gave the best performance of Batman/Bruce Wayne ever on the big screen, and I am excited for what he will do in his Batman solo film. 

Another great aspect of the movie was Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Truly magnificent. 

Wonder Woman poster by Lone Lez.

She recently just finished filming for her solo Wonder Woman movie, and is set to premiere next year around June. 

One aspect that is rarely touched in the discussion of a movie is the music. Batman v. Superman delivers a delicacy of a soundtrack, composed by the great Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL.

One of the most defining moments in Batman v. Superman was when Wonder Woman finally entered the action. The music behind her cinematic reveal, “Is She With You?” was the heart of the moment, giving life to the entire scene.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice’s box office results as of now stand at a worldwide gross of $868,409,243 according to Box Office Mojo, and while it was definitely successful from a perspective of ticket sales, as its production budget was a total $250 million, the fans don’t lie. 

The movie has been negatively praised, and YouTube has all the prove. Type in Batman v. Superman review in the search box and you will find a multitude of people sharing the same opinion.

The actors did an excellent job; though Eisenberg’s not-so-great impersonation of Lex Luthor reminded me of his role in the 2015 film American Ultra. The cinematography was good and the potential was there for a 2016 blockbuster, but what ultimately killed the movie was its tendency of over-packing and use of unnecessary and messy plot. 

When the movie was over and I was sitting in the theater expecting an end-credit scene (Zack Snyder didn’t go the Marvel route), I felt the stream of disappointment run down my system. Hopefully my spirits for DC’s line of movies will change soon. 

Warner Brothers will have a chance to rejuvenate themselves this year with the Suicide Squad, which premieres on August 5. Both Wonder Woman and the first part of the Justice League movies are set to release next year, with The Flash and Aquaman in 2018.