To say that the critical response to Batman v Superman has been mixed is to provide a kind and tactful understatement. Currently boasting a RottenTomatoes score of 30%, Batman v Superman reviews are apparently more entertaining to read than the movie is to watch.
Want a sample of the coverage? The Mary Sue ’s Leslie Coffin wrote , “Objectively, this is one of the ugliest movies I’ve ever seen, and I left feeling like I’d had just been yelled at by someone I don’t know on a bus,” which perfectly encapsulates the feeling I have had after every Snyder film I’ve ever seen, including the ones I enjoyed.
Then there’s William Bibbiani at Crave Online , who wrote , “If anything, Batman v Superman's action is so adolescent and over the top that you half expect the film to end with Emily Browning opening her eyes, having just finished another off-camera striptease in Sucker Punch,” which is both a) a sick burn and b) the best idea for a shared universe this side of Universal’s classic monster world.
That being said, director Zack Snyder and his film’s stars Henry Cavill and Amy Adams don’t care what those nasty ol’ critics say. They made this movie for the fans, and the fan response is what matters.
“The interesting thing is that we get the critics who have their personal opinions,” Henry Cavill said to Yahoo . “And the thing about personal opinions is that they always come from a place. And there’s a preconceived idea which you have to get past a critic before you start writing your article or your review, and that affects everything.
“What is really going to matter, I believe, is what the audience says. Because they’re the ones who are buying tickets, they’re the ones who want to see more of this kind of story or not and so the audience’s voice is loudest and after this weekend the audience, at least partly, will have spoken.”
Affleck briefly co-signed Cavill’s comments, but Adams elaborated on Cavill’s point. “I know that Zack [Snyder] doesn’t make the movies - or none of us - are making the movies for the critics,” said Adams. “You can’t go into it with that perspective. I know we really hope the fans like it and so far the reaction has been really positive on that front.”
Snyder simply said, "I'm a comic book guy and I made the movie as much as I can on that aesthetic.”
Do you respond to Snyder’s distinctive aesthetic? How did you feel about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice? As a fan, did the film work for you? Feel free to discuss the crew’s comments and your reaction to Batman v Superman in our comments section below.