Nathaniel Nelson / Winonan
When watching a superhero movie, we’ve become accustomed to bright colors, near constant humor and a distinct separation between good and bad. Marvel’s Cinematic Universe has not only created an archetype, but also cornered the market on it. With a new Marvel movie out every six to eight months, audiences are slowly being smothered by fast quips and cookie cutter narratives. For this reviewer, “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice” is the kind of shot in the arm the genre needs, even if it stumbles a bit along the way.
This year’s “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice” is very much a sequel to “Man of Steel.” It’s a very dark film. Snyder chose to jump right into dealing with the aftermath and controversy surrounding the brutal final showdown between Zod and Superman right out of the gate. After a brief and beautifully shot recap of Batman’s origins, the film jumps to Metropolis mid-fight, as Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) touches down in Metropolis to help out.
By focusing on the human side of the firefight instead of the men in the sky, the film quickly shows the carnage on the ground and its effects on the citizens. Wayne, after witnessing the destruction of his building, death of a friend and the sorrow of a newly orphaned girl, doubts Superman’s intentions and capitalizes on the doubt of detractors of the first film. Snyder layers in meta-fictional commentary on the real world reaction to the violence in “Man of Steel,” but in a way that helps develop the motivations for the characters. It can get a bit heavy handed at times.
Speaking of characters, the cast served up an incredible ensemble performance. Affleck’s Bruce Wayne is a grizzled, wounded man and his Batman has the brutality of a man who has lost his sense of justice. Jeremy Irons’ Alfred is the new benchmark for the character, whose fatherly qualities shine through. He makes multiple references to Bruce not settling down, which add levity to an unrelentingly dark film. Lois Lane (Amy Adams) is charming, but a little underutilized. Her romance with Superman that started in “Man of Steel” feels real, with some honest chemistry peeking through the cracks. Jesse Eisenberg’s performance as Lex Luthor, while different than past adaptations, has a unique “Social Network” vibe with a dash of insanity that works nicely. Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is perfect, and easily the highlight of the film. Her unexpected arrival in the final act got a huge reaction from the crowd.
Sadly, the story wasn’t as tight as it should have been. The dialogue was well written, and the political and ideological commentary was a welcome addition, but for all the questions asked, there wasn’t nearly enough pay off.
Snyder has shown time and time again that he understands how comic book action works, even in his major misfire “Sucker Punch.” There’s a brutal viscerality behind every punch, and it gives you the feeling that you are watching gods duke it out on screen. Everything is meticulously shot to feel like panels and splash pages in comic books, with a few choice shots taken directly from seminal works like “The Dark Knight Returns” and “Batman: Year One.” As usual, Snyder’s direction falters a bit on the more contemplative scenes, but only slightly.
“Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice” is not a Batman movie, a Superman movie, a Justice League movie and absolutely not a Marvel movie. It’s a smooth sequel to “Man of Steel” that capitalizes and expands on the themes while focusing on the other, more human side of the equation. It’s a story that relies on all characters without focusing on any individual. There’s no constant fight scenes, or quips every other line, or even a happy Hollywood ending. The film will be divisive, and people will talk about it for years. “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice” is unlike any superhero film made before, and while it has its fair share of mistakes, the film manages to soar despite its problems and proves that the DCEU will be something to keep an eye on.