Batman v Superman : Dawn Of Justice

BATMAN v SUPERMAN : DAWN OF JUSTICE

Director : Zack Snyder
Year : 2016
Genre : Superhero
Rating : **

Zack Snyder's eagerly awaited superhero mash-up 'Batman v Superman : Dawn Of Justice' was meant to be the triumphant prelude to DC Studio's own Cinematic Universe. Instead it is a stodgy, overlong and, at times utterly incoherent mess of a film that in its attempts to set up future "Justice League" outings forgets to make a good stand alone movie in its own rights. In this most dismal looking of films, a grizzled Ben Affleck controversially stars as the ruthless Bat of Gotham who, after bearing witness to the climactic battle of Metropolis (seen in the migraine-inducing finale of Snyder's equally disappointing 2013 reboot 'Man Of Steel') wages war against the superhuman Son of Krypton who is himself facing problems from Jesse Eisenberg's irritatingly twitchy Lex Luthor who plans to rid the world of Superman once and for all with the help of a newly discovered mineral, kryptonite.

Much has already been written about the absolute failure that is 'Batman v Superman : Dawn Of Justice' and while I can't argue against the many criticisms that have been so rigorously leveled against it, there are individual elements which point to a more satisfying picture than the one we eventually got. While he may not have been the most popular choice, Ben Affleck proves to be a most threatening and engaging Bruce Wayne/Batman whose charisma and emotionality far outshines that of Henry Cavill's resolutely charmless and narratively squandered Kal-El. In his capable hands, the caped crusader becomes less of an amiable figure for good but rather a vicious and at times scary vigilante who proudly brands his victims with the mark of death and stands as Gotham city's own judge, jury and even executioner. This ironically makes him much more of a menacing presence than that of Jesse Eisenberg's instantly annoying Lex Luthor whose infrequent ticks and Tourettes-like outbursts calls to mind Nicolas Cage's out of control performance as the obsessive con artist Roy in Ridley Scott's sorely underated black comedy 'Matchstick Men' rather than the diabolical genius who remains one of DC's most enduring antagonists.

Affleck's fearsome Dark Knight is bolstered by a number of fine supporting performances from the likes of Jeremy Irons who injects a lot of snarky fun into his all too brief appearances as Bruce Wayne's loyal yet increasingly exasperated butler Alfred while Amy Adams does her absolute best with her barely developed role as the plucky Lois Lane. Even the culminative battle between the titular antiheroes, while short and almost entirely done in unconvincing CGI, is very entertaining to watch proving that despite the relentlessly drab settings, there is a great deal of innocent pleasure to be had in watching two of our most beloved cultural icons beating the living daylights out of each other.

But these very few rays of sunshine are not enough to save a ferociously depressing and uncompromisingly murky film that so desperately tries to stand shoulder to shoulder against its many Marvel Studios counterparts but ultimately collapses under the weight of a barely comprehensible plot, a running time that exceeds that of any superhero movie ever made, frequently confused character motives and the overwhelming pressures to form the foundations for an upcoming franchise on unyieldingly turbulent ground. As is the case with every Zack Snyder film, it may look spectacular at times and there are admittedly a number of diverting and enthralling scenes that should entertain the most die-hard of fans but when compared to it's far superior predecessors, 'Batman v Superman : Dawn Of Justice' never truly gets off the ground.