REVIEW: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

     Day versus night.  God versus man.  Son of Krypton versus Bat of Gotham.

     The DCEU returns in this much-ballyhooed, long-awaited showdown - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.   Who wins?  Well, as I'm endeavoring to keep this spoiler-free, I'm not telling.   But let's take a look at the movie itself, shall we?

   Set eighteen months after Man of Steel, BvS picks up with Superman taking on a role of mankind's savior, either feared or adored by the population.  But Batman, who as Bruce Wayne was present for, and lost friends in, the destructive battle at the end of Man of Steel, has decided Superman is too great a threat to be ignored.   As Wayne creates contingency plans to take out the Kryptonian, Clark Kent begins to investigate the dark vigilante of Gotham City, and billionaire genius Lex Luthor manipulates events to set the one against the other in a final showdown.

   So let's get right to it: this movie is a case of the whole of the parts being greater than the sum.  There is a lot of truly excellent work in this film, with incredible visuals, a fantastic cast, some weighty ideas with more meat to them than one finds in your average superhero movie, and a number of comic-nerd moments that made this lifelong DC fan very happy.  However, the movie itself doesn't really coalesce as a whole.  Much like Man of Steel, this film has some pacing problems and a number of redundant scenes, especially in the first half.  It takes quite a while to get where it's going, and there are some odd edit choices, and given that we already know an extended director's cut is forthcoming, makes it clear that there have been scenes removed.  Outside of the last half an hour, I also can't say this is a particularly fun film, and a number of points in the movie are predictable or obligatory.

Knight Light

   I think it's safe to say this movie is a world-building exercise rather than an artistic effort in and of itself.  Much of the movie is given to setting up future DC entries, which weakens the overall effort.  There are a number of sequences which are not explained; I think that as a comics fan I made sense of most of them, but I have a feeling the less superhero-literate may be left in the dark.   The movie is almost like a crash course in the DCU, to establish the major players and themes, but in so doing, BvS fails to make a coherent work on it's own.  Rather than having a number of threads coming together to form a tapestry, it ends up being...well, a number of threads.

   Without getting bogged down in comparisons to other superhero movies, BvS is not as much fun as your average Marvel movie, but then again, it has far more depth and is far less glib.  It takes itself more seriously, which on one hand is good as it gives gravity and strength to the characters, fleshing them out and making them less cartoony, but on the other can feel quite ponderous at times.  In that respect it is similar to the Dark Knight Trilogy, but is not quite so joyless.  BvS is definitely comics-friendly, and I'd put it about halfway between Nolan's trilogy and the MCU in terms of its spirit.   The problem is that it's not a popcorn movie like the Marvel films, and it's not artistic like the Dark Knight Trilogy - it tries to be a little of both while failing to truly be either.

"Do you swear to tell the whole Truth, nothing but the Justice, so help your American Way?"

   Now with all that said, I do find myself rather content with the film, because as much as the movie itself is a hodgepodge, the individual components are fantastic.  First of all, it's a gorgeous movie - director Zack Snyder has a true eye flair for the visual, and frames shots and sequences to tremendous effect.  The costumes are excellent adaptations of the comics - Batman has never looked so good on film - and speaking as a DC vet from way back, I absolutely felt like these *were* Batman and Superman.  The motives and dialogue were on point for the characters, and the concepts of the movie, which deal with one of the core conflicts at the heart of the DCU - Gods and Monsters - were spot on.  From the perspective of a fan, I think one of the best things I can say of the film is that it rings true to the spirit of the source.

   The cast is excellent.  I can say with no equivocation that Ben Affleck is an absolutely perfect Batman/Bruce Wayne.  In terms of performance, delivery, movement, look, bearing, he absolutely had the Dark Knight down, even better than Christian Bale did.  It doesn't hurt that his 'Batman voice' is a hell of a lot less silly, by the way.  But anybody who's spent the last two years sneering or mocking 'Batfleck' has some serious crow to eat.  So if that's you - right now, get up, walk away from the computer, find a mirror and take a long hard look at yourself, apologize to the universe, and make a donation to the charity of your choice.  We'll wait.

"Go ahead.  Make one more Daredevil comment.  See what happens."

    Henry Cavill embodies Superman, and is the first actor since the late Christopher Reeve to really sell the part and make it his own; he radiates power, compassion and conflict and makes the character believable.   Jesse Eisenberg makes for an interesting Lex Luthor - Eisenberg made an acting choice here, and while I can see how some might not like the take, which is more energetic and more unhinged than the usual portrayal of the character - it works and adds a level of menace.  The rest of the cast is composed of quality actors all giving solid if unremarkable performances: Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White and Diane Lane as Martha Kent.  Holly Hunter appears as Senator June Finch, a role created for the film.   A few secondary villains make it into the film as well; Tao Okamoto plays Lex's assistant Mercy Graves, and Callan Mulvey plays Russian criminal Anatoly Knyazev, better known to comics fans as the KGBeast.   Also appearing in brief, future-scene-setting moments are Ezra Miller as The Flash, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, and Ray Fisher as Cyborg.

   Oh - and Gal Gadot.   Easily my favorite part of the movie, even more than Affleck's stellar Batman, is Gadot as the long-cinematically-overdue Wonder Woman/Diana Prince.  It's a supporting role, to be sure, and an enigmatic one, but it is perfect.  Gadot looks the part - imposing and gorgeous, and plays Diana with a mixture of playfulness, intrigue, and dynamic energy.  We don't see Wonder Woman as such enter the fray until late in the movie, but when she does, she's incredible.  And the moment when she, Batman, and Superman all come face to face is the stuff that DC dreams are made on.

"Together again!  Gee, it's good to be together again!"

   As a standalone movie, Batman v Superman is far from perfect, suffers from long-windedness and plodding, and lacks cohesion.  As a world-building episode to set up future entries, though, it is a rousing success.  If the goal of this movie was to whet appetites for the DC universe, it more than succeeded...I find myself eagerly wanting to see more of Batman and Wonder Woman in particular, not to mention the Justice League.  And of course, the Suicide Squad is coming later this year.  In a way, BvS is self-sacrificing, if it helps to get people taking and makes audiences want to see more of its cast.  Without giving anything away, the conclusion of this movie not only leaves open room for a sequel, but flat out demands one, which we already know is coming, and I look forward to it immensely.

   As for now, we've got our world set up for us.  One wishes the vehicle which delivered it was in better working order, since all of the parts are high-quality, but the end result doesn't service those parts to a worthy degree.  I've been critical of other films for sacrificing present quality for future imaginings, and that same criticism applies here...don't worry about selling the next movie, make this one work.  So in that respect, the movie fails that critical test - but it does sell the next films quite well.   It's got a great cast, solid dialogue, beautiful visuals and choreography, and powerful themes; all the ingredients are there, but the final blend doesn't quite take.

   For me, ultimately it comes down to a divide:  as a movie fan, I'm underwhelmed.  As a comics fan, I'm ecstatic.

   Oh, and as for who wins the title fight?   Well, as to that.....



FINAL RATING: 7 PAWS (OUT OF 10):

(I went back and forth between six and seven on this one; in the final analysis the strength of the parts outweighed the deficit of the whole.)