Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (Review) - Exceptionally Conflicting

Well, here it is: the film that's divided critics and moviegoers since its first trailer released almost a year ago. A sequel to 2013's Man of Steel in all but name, Dawn of Justice pits the two titans against eachother in the ultimate showdown...kind of. 

In actuality, the film explores the idea of whether it's possible to have a figure who possesses absolute power, and have this figure still be allowed to operate above the governing law. It does this by questioning what it means to be a 'hero', and whether the ends outweigh the means. At its very best, Dawn of Justice commentates of the nature of a character like Superman, and how he stacks up against a morally ambiguous myth like the Batman of this film, portrayed excellently by Ben Affleck. 

At its worst, it's a movie which spreads itself far too thin, and considers the building of a 'universe' to be far more important than the developing an interesting internal conflict and fleshing-out of its titular heroes. Don't get me wrong: there are some truly spectacular moments in the film. In fact, there's scenes that - as a Batman fan - had me almost giddy with excitement. There's also mundane, mindless fights which could be swapped-out with any character and still retain their boring delivery. It's truly a roller-coaster of quality. 

As mentioned, Ben Affleck is, quite frankly, the best Batman we've ever seen on-screen. Playing a much more experienced, battered version of the character, he succeeds in portraying the sense of moral ambiguity that would come with fighting crime for more than twenty years. The line between vigilante and villain has never been ridden as narrowly as it is in Dawn of Justice, and this makes the scenes in Gotham amongst the very best that the film has to offer; Jeremy Irons as Alfred puts it best in the trailer: "That's how it starts. The fever, the rage, the feeling of powerlessness that turns good men...cruel." 

But then you come to the other name on the poster: Superman (Henry Cavill). Here's the thing: I've never been overly fussed with Superman as a character. I think he's boring, one-dimensional, and generally lacking in the character and complexity that makes Batman so interesting to explore. And in all honesty, that's no different in this movie. The only moments throughout the film in which Superman seems to have even a glimmer of personality are because he's acting as an accessory to Batman; without the Dark Knight, he would be utterly forgettable. Thankfully, the popularity of Ben Affleck as the caped crusader has led to interest in producing a handful of stand-alone Batman films, and this is arguably the best thing to come out of Dawn of Justice. Really, that should tell you everything you need to know, because remember: this is essentially a Superman sequel. A Superman sequel in which Superman is the worst part. 

Well, that's not quite fair. The worst part of this would either be 'Doomsday', or Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor - two characters who everybody has been dubious about since they were first introduced through marketing. Let's start with Lex Luthor. While he's not as awful as you might have originally thought, Eisenberg just doesn't fit in with the rest of the movie. You've got a dark, foreboding tone established by the two titans, and then you've got this excitable, giggling caricature who apparently has the cunning to orchestrate the entire duel. I'm sorry, but no. 

And as for Doomsday - wow. As I've said, I'm not the biggest Superman fan, but surely there's a better way to depict a villain like this, rather than just as a hulking, bland brute? If anything, the completely forgettable presence that Doomsday creates somehow makes Lex seem more menacing. Also, if you've seen that trailer for this film, then you know practically every beat it intends to hit. I won't spoil anything (mainly because there's little more to spoil), but don't expect to be shocked by any sudden twists. 

Some have said that Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is the best part of the movie, and that's simply not true. Yes, her 'human' alter-ego of Diana Prince works well in conjunction with Bruce Wayne, and she adds a layer of complexity to the mostly hyper-masculine storyline, but she feels relatively shoehorned in. It could be assumed that this is because DC is using Dawn of Justice to hurriedly create a cinematic universe, but this doesn't forgive the awkward way in which she plays into the movie. 

 Verdict
In a cinematic landscape of absolutes, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has everything against it. There's parts of it which are almost genius in exploring the character of Batman and portraying a side to Bruce Wayne which we haven't seen, but then there are parts that are truly limited by the necessity to build-up the idea of the Justice League within the DC Universe. Fleeting cameos from other DC superheroes feel incredibly tacked-on, and are almost laughable were it not for how badly they damage the flow of the film. However, despite all of this, I still think it's worth checking out. You just need to decide for yourself whether you're a fan of superhero films, because if not, then you're likely to be more bored than enthused. As somebody who knows a fair bit about Batman, I got a real kick out of certain references and nods. If you don't care about those, then you won't care about this - it's as simple as that. 

"The world has been so caught up with what

he can do that no one has asked what he should do."