This iconic match-up is one fans still want to see. Photo/IGN
Critics are savaging the Batman/Superman film which still made millions in its opening weekend. So, nevertheless, audiences are curious to see how two of the most iconic comic-book characters of all time duking it out unfolds.
18 months after the events in Man of Steel, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) is still reeling from all the destruction resulting from Superman’s (Henry Cavill) fight with Zod (Michael Shannon). Unsure of Supe’s true nature, Bruce looks for a way to take him out. Fortunately, kryptonite has been discovered, but to obtain it Bruce — or rather Batman — has to steal it from Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg).
As you can imagine (and anybody who saw the trailer knows), Batman and Superman’s sparring doesn’t get far, and they put their differences aside to square off against Luthor and an apocalyptic threat of his creation (that’d be Doomsday).
The story covers a lot of ground: everybody is investigating somebody, Luthor manipulates practically the whole cast (which is so easy to see he might as well wear a neon sign saying “I’m the bad guy,” yet no one figures it out in time), and conspiracies abound. Meanwhile, our two heroes brood over their respective senses of purpose, and Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot, who knows what Lex is up to but does very little) get involved periodically.
Tackling more than he has to, Zack Snyder directs in a quasi-stream-of-consciousness style — creating a collection of dream sequences and subjective POV. As Clark, Superman has a vision of his adoptive father, Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner in a cameo), that reminds him heroes aren’t perfect; and Batman has a series of dreams that convince him to go after Superman.
The latter is a catalyst for a story occupied more by Batman than Superman. Affleck takes charge in a performance that, like Michael Keaton before him, should impress even the most ardent skeptic.
Batman looks to the heavens for his next fight, fittingly beside a spotlight because he steals it. Photo/Collider
When you consider the source material, Batman’s ubiquity is no surprise. The script borrows heavily from Frank Miller’s renowned graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns, where Batman versus Superman plays out similarly to the way it does on screen. Bats builds a suit, gets a hold of some kryptonite and slugs Clark into submission.
They also borrow a little from The Death of Superman (but that might be saying too much).
Not featured in either comic story is the villainy of Lex Luthor, whom Snyder and Eisenberg took in a different direction. Gene Hackman, John Shea, Michael Rosenbaum, and Kevin Spacey before him played up the megalomania and the cartoon aspects of Lex in various ways — but always kept him grounded. Eisenberg plays somewhere between a mad scientist and a rattled, or psychotic, savant.
His portrayal channels a lot of Heath Ledger’s Joker, the new standard for supervillains in movies, just as Jack Nicholson’s rendition in 1989 was constantly imitated thereafter. That works for the unpredictable Clown Prince of Crime, but for old Lex is a bit much.
Then there is Superman: Cavill does a great job. He embodies the part in a way few have since Christopher Reeve, but he isn’t given the chance he deserves to shine. In fact, Krypton’s Last Son does more here to put himself in danger than save civilians from it.
How history will look upon the movie, on the whole, is another matter (if early reviews are any indication, not well), but Warner is going ahead with a shared DC cinematic universe anyway, like it or not.
The Batman v. Superman aspect of Dawn of Justice might be short-lived, featuring more Batman than Superman. Its structure might be jarring; and its script might be crowded and busy, possessing numerous lapses in logic. But it keeps a consistent pace, there is plenty of action, and it doesn’t feel like two and a half hours.
If nothing else, the film will tide everyone over until Suicide Squad, when DC’s plans for its brand should kick into high gear.
