I am not a fan of 2013’s Man of Steel. I have been saying
about that film that it is a good Sci-Fi film, just not a good Superman film. I
felt that Snyder took a lot of liberties with the story, erasing things from
the hero’s lexicon, while assuming the audience understood what remained from
the classic comic origin. That being said, I had high hopes for Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice. Not necessarily high expectations, but I was excited
to see this take. Despite the buildup of apparent miscastings in Affleck
(Batman/Bruce Wayne), Gadot (Wonder Woman), Eisenberg (Lex Luthor), I remained enthusiastic
for the film. I was disappointed.
I am not saying that BvS is a BAD movie, it is actually has A
LOT of fun, great moments, even some I consider perfect. The acting (for the
most part) is SUPERB and with Zack Snyder at the helm, it is needless it is
beautiful to look at. Yet these didn’t make up for the poor editing choices,
over crammed storyline and overall lack of connection to the audience. The first
ten minutes or so of this film are stunning, the way it ties into Man of Steel,
putting the audience beside the citizens of Metropolis. The new take on the
origin of Batman, I think, can be viewed as the definitive cinematic version of
that. It felt like a comic book, and you are immediately invested in the character.
The Superman storyline seemed to make a short stop halfway through the movie,
halting all development to allow for Justice League set-up. There is a lot of
this two and half hour movie that didn’t belong, (Wonder Woman, Doomsday, Meta-Humans)
and their inclusion just added yet another story to follow in the already
confusing plot. The editing, though done stylistically to feel like a comic
strip, lends to the belief that Snyder was unsure of the quality of each scene,
therefore relying on cutting away without lingering to long.
Ben Affleck as Batman was UNREAL. He was more practical than
any previous live-action version, utilizing his trademarked grappling gun and
smoke canisters. He reminded of Kevin Conroy’s Batman from the Animated Series,
but in a darker, more lethal fashion. Jeremy Irons’ new take on Alfred seemed
to fit right in with this new world. Henry Cavil is an exemplary Superman, as
he has been before, along with the rest of the returning cast. Jesse Eisenberg
played his part very well, however his part was all wrong! He in no way
embodied Lex Luthor, nor did I believe that the character he played could
become Lex. Gal Gadot role in this, though small, proved to play out terrifically,
and props to Snyder for displaying her talents in this way.
I wish I could say that I loved this movie. I believe that
Justice League should remain in the hands of Zack Snyder, and I do think he can
do good job with it. Let’s hope he proves me right. He needs to.
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