The highly anticipated Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice set up the groundwork for the Justice League movie. Seeing Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg for the first time on the big screen is enough to excite the DC fandom everywhere. Love it or hate, the Justice League hype is real and Batman v. Superman is something you should see, whether it be at home or in theaters.
What BvS Got Right
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman was a wild card for Batman vs. Superman ; we haven’t seen a live-action adaptation of the character since Lynda Carter. Her introduction was slow, thoughtful and we only got a taste of what she’s capable of. There were loud claps and cheers for Wonder Woman when she joined the fight.
Gadot brings elegance and strength to the character that will blow you away. She commands the screen next to heavyweights likes Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill. Wonder Woman’s banter with Batman is incredibly natural. Gadot proves Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice being feminine doesn’t mean you’re weak. Wonder Woman was one of the best parts of the film.
Flash, Aquaman, Cyborg Intros
Batman vs. Superman introduced the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg in a really creative way. Without giving away spoilers, a character stumbles across some information that reveals the true identities and location of these metahumans. We see the Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg in action, and it increased excitement for the Justice League.
The Visuals, The Fights
The opening scene with Bruce Wayne’s parents was amazing. Director Zack Snyder wasn’t afraid to be artistic with his comic book adaptation and embrace the darkness. It’s not a light-hearted movie and doesn’t try to mimic the style of other comic book adaptations. There was never a point where you think, “Oh, that’s unrealistic,” which is a good thing when watching a superhero movie. You’re never taken out of the moment due to weird visual effects.
The fight scenes were very much what you’d expected in a superhero movie. There are a lot of them and they’re all unique. It was fun to see Batman be a real match for Superman. We get to see Batman train and prepare to take on Superman, rather than having everything in his arsenal ready for a fight. Speaking of Batman’s arsenal, his Bat toys were amazing! Hopefully, we’ll see more of Alfred’s creations in the upcoming Justice League movie.
Building Tension
The tension between Batman and Superman was phenomenal. As a viewer, you understand why the superheroes are at odds and never question why they’re fighting. The tension builds until they’re forced to fight each other in the end. Ben Affleck did a phenomenal job making Batman his own. Not once do you have a chance to compare Affleck’s Batman to other adaptations while watching the film. You’ll never think, “Oh, Affleck’s trying to be Christian Bale or Michael Keaton.” Affleck’s Batman has potential to do something unique in the DC film universe. Comic book fans should be excited to see how Batman helps build the Justice League.
Where BvS Could’ve Done Better
It Was Too Damn Long
Batman vs. Superman didn’t use its time well. There were too many dream-like sequences that slowed down the pace. It took too long to get to the resolution, so by the time you see the fight scene with Doomsday, you’re a bit fatigued. There were also instances where they could’ve used the time to help develop storylines a bit to help the audience understand what was happening on screen. Overall, some of the quick edits to show you what was happening with other characters disrupted the timeline and overall cohesiveness of the film.
Lex Luthor’s Character Development
First, Jesse Eisenberg’s acting wasn’t an issue here. His adaptation of Lex is unique, but the movie set up the character to fail. The problem is, as a viewer, you never understand Lex’s motivations behind his actions. His hatred for Superman is shallow. Lex could’ve been great had the audience been given more time to see him in action before he waged war against Superman. This is where a Man of Steel 2 before Batman vs. Superman could’ve done well. A Man of Steel sequel could have slowly introduced Lex to the audience and give him a much better back story. Instead, Lex was turned into just another plot device to thrust the story forward.
The Conclusion To BvS Feud
There’s a big fight scene between Batman and Superman towards the end. At one point, it appears one of them is about to win when the other says a name aloud. The name stops the superhero from killing the other. Just like that, the feud ends. You could hear audience members say “that’s it?” as the scene went on. We get why the feud ended the way it did; the film needed to move on to the big Doomsday battle. But this goes back to the film being too long; there may have been more of an emotional impact had the movie had some scenes with Batman and Superman talking about their issues, even if that only exacerbated their feud.
Final Thoughts
Will Batman vs. Superman win an Oscar? No. Will you leave the theater happy you spent $15 on a ticket? If you like superhero movies, yes! You’re watching a piece of cinematic history. All in all, we disagree with the harsh criticism about Batman vs. Superman , but understand why there’s a love-it-hate-it split between audiences. Despite its flaws, Batman vs. Superma n was an entertaining film to watch. You’ll leave the theater excited to see the Justice League come together, especially with Wonder Woman helping lead the charge.
