DC Comics two biggest superheroes finally battle on the big screen to mixed results
Clay Enos / TM & © DC Comics
WATCH THE TRAILER(S) HERE:
KEY CAST MEMBERS: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Ben Affleck, Jesse Eisenberg, Holly Hunter, Gal Gadot, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane … And a few other people in smaller yet notable roles
WRITER(S): Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer (screenplay); Bob Kane and Bill Finger (characters); Jerry Siegel and Joel Schuster (characters)
But what might come as a surprise is who set up the whole scenario and why … But let’s just say the offspring of a certain well-known businessman (Jesse Eisenberg) might have a very dastardly plan up his sleeve that might just take out all super-powered people – human and alien – alike.
That is, of course, if the world’s greatest detective and the adopted son of a farmer from Kansas don’t destroy each other first …
WHO WON’T (OR SHOULDN’T) LIKE THIS MOVIE? People who don’t like Ben Affleck and/or Jesse Eisenberg; people growing tired of the brooding superhero thing; anyone who has found Zack Snyder’s previous works too bombastic; those who want their characters presented in more traditional than modern means; those who may become bored over the film’s two-and-a-half-hours with all the over-the-top exposition of the plot; anyone suffering from superhero movie hangover; those who just find the whole idea of Superman vs. Batman ludicrous, even in a comic book-inspired world
The things that B V S does well are fine, but they often come off with the classic “mixed bag” role of effectiveness: While he’s going to be polarizing no matter what he does simply by being in the film, Affleck does a decent job as portraying Batman as a man steadfast in his cause who truly believes in what he’s doing to the point that even if you don’t like him personally, you have to give him credit for his dedication to the role. Likewise, the addition of Jeremy Irons in a Lucius Fox (remember when Morgan Freeman was in those three Batman movies Christopher Nolan did?) role as Batman’s key assistant can be viewed as a breath of fresh air … Provided that you don’t find Irons’ portrayal as droll as his character apparently views some of his boss’ evening pursuits. Eisenberg, who discussed the advanced criticism of his casting as Lex Luthor during his visit to Cincinnati this January, does a fine job of making the role as the new antagonist for Superman and “the Bat” as he calls him his own. Whether or not you are ready for a hipster (or at least one that is much more a hipster than not as you could picture him on a half pipe at the X-Games or at an Arcade Fire concert more easily than any Luthor prior) version of him, however, remains to be seen …Likewise, some might find the critical (in terms of the story) inclusions of Diane Lane as Ma Kent, Adams as Lois Lane and Gal Gadot as Ms. Diana Prince a.k.a. a famous hot pants-wearing woman of wonder in the 70s re-imagined as a more mysterious super “meta-human” here as good moves. For each has a vital role to the plot and each plays their respective role well … Some, however, might be a bit taken aback at just how involved one of those three is in the unfolding events during the film’s climax – and it ain’t gonna be the one you’d think would make the most sense.
In short, it used to be an old standard that it was impossible to make everyone happy when it came to movies, especially those based on comic books. While Marvel has pretty much taken that idea and thrown it out the window, movies like Green Lantern (yeah, I DID like it) and last summer’s debacle Fantastic Four (NO ONE likes that movie … NO ONE) prove that it still rings as true as any good cliché would. Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice isn’t going to end that debate any time soon, but perhaps that was the point: By creating a film with so many different things going on at once, it’s guaranteed to at least get people talking about the film enough to pique most people’s interests …
Here’s to hoping the inevitable and already well on its way Justice League film it sets up doesn’t leave audiences feeling like a hung jury as much as this one might.