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‘Batman v Superman’ is an unfocused exercise in excess
After enough pre-release hype and publicity to give even “Star Wars” a run for its money, the sequel to 2013’s “Man of Steel” has arrived.
While the previous film was crafted to provide a much-needed reinvention to DC Comics’ flagship superhero, it squandered its potentially fascinating concept (an alien trying to find his place on his adopted world) by being dour, heavy handed, and devoid of any of the optimism traditionally associated with the character. In its place was a brooding sensibility that came to a head with director Zack Snyder’s (“300”, “Watchmen”) much-derided decision to have Superman (Henry Cavill) snap the neck of his nemesis following a battle that killed thousands and levelled much of Metropolis’ cityscape.
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” opens in media res, presenting audiences with what may very well be the most beautifully-realized depiction of Batman’s origin ever filmed. Following a couple more flashbacks/dream sequences (it’s never made clear, nor is it revealed who he is speaking to), the story picks up years later, with a now-adult Bruce (Ben Affleck) arriving in Metropolis in time to experience the city-wide chaos and destruction wrought by “Man of Steel’s” final act. The sequence is appropriately tense, and inventively shot, handily providing the human perspective sorely missing from the first time we bore witness to these events.
We flash forward to 18 months later, and catch up with Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and Superman’s alter ego Clark Kent working as reporters for the Daily Planet while Congress calls for a hearing to make Superman accountable for his actions. As Clark is forced to once again question his purpose on Earth, devious businessman Lex Luthor (Jessie Eisenberg) is orchestrating machinations to bring down the Man of Steel, with designs on a recently-discovered glowing mineral. At the same time, an embittered Bruce Wayne has brought his Batman persona out of retirement to fight what he believes to be the greatest threat humanity has ever faced.
Owing to the relative underperformance of “Man of Steel” at the box office and rival publisher Marvel Comics’ “Avengers”-sized head start in bringing their characters to the big screen, Warner Brothers announced that not only would their sequel continue Superman’s story, it would introduce this continuity’s version of Batman.
On paper, it sounded like a safe bet (to say nothing of a fan boy’s dream come true), as Superman and Batman are two of the most beloved and recognizable characters in the world. But then things got complicated as it was announced that Warner Brothers wasn’t going to play the long game that Marvel had; “Man of Steel 2”, now known as “Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice”, would serve as the launch pad for an entire universe of films starring DC’s Justice League.
Where Marvel wisely staggered their characters’ introductions over a series of individual films before ultimately bringing them together (in 2012’s “The Avengers”), DC was declaring their intention to essentially introduce five previously unseen characters all at once. While this approach may be all good and well for someone of Batman’s ongoing stature and popularity, the same couldn’t be said of, say, Wonder Woman, whose only major live-action depictions have been the classic 70s TV show and a failed David E. Kelley (“Ally McBeal”) TV effort from 2011. Simply put, the rest of the DC stable was nowhere near as recognizable, or iconic to just be brought in out of the blue.
Of the main heroes, Affleck comes across the best as Bruce Wayne/Batman, dispelling any doubts as to his abilities by wholly owning the role of the Caped Crusader. Whether he’s providing an imposing physical presence in his comic-accurate costume or performing scientific procedures in a tank top between workouts (much like another billionaire playboy philanthropist), Affleck is pretty much the best thing in this movie. In fact, judging solely from the quality of the “Bat-centric” sequences, one gets the distinct impression that Snyder really wanted to make a Batman movie. If only his version didn’t kill more people than even Michael Keaton’s did.
As Superman, Cavill is lamentably dull as he was in his first go-around, providing nothing by way of likability to his portrayal, giving us little reason to root for him or his existential angst. At least the little we see of Wonder Woman in action is well-handled, with Gal Gadot (of the “Fast and Furious” series) delivering an exhilarating depiction of the ageless Amazon warrior when she finally reveals herself.
Which brings us to the main plot of Batman actually getting into a fight with Superman. While it is an entirely valid point that superheroes often get into scraps for the flimsiest of reasons before ultimately teaming up to defeat the villain of the week, one would think that having two of graphic fiction’s most iconic characters face off in a major motion picture would stem from something a bit more complicated than a mere misunderstanding.
This is yet another instance of a missed opportunity, as the inherent differences in ideologies and upbringings between the two (Superman’s adoptive parents raised him to see the best in humanity, while Batman lost his to the absolute worst) would have been ripe for the picking in a more talented director’s hands. The same applies to the much-touted big-screen meeting of DC’s marquee heroes. When “Dawn of Justice” finally features Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman uniting to fight evil, it all rings somewhat hollow.
However, as easy as it would be to blame Snyder, the problem isn’t just one of direction. From an emotional standpoint, we just don’t know enough about these iterations of the characters to actually care about whether or not they hate each other, much less cheer when they finally join forces to save the day. Think back, for instance, to the first time you saw the Avengers assembled as a team in the heart of a ravaged New York, with the camera circling around them as they prepared to take on an overwhelming alien threat. We gave a damn about those characters because we’d spent four prior films getting to know them by that point; It was the culmination of years of planning, plotting, and build-up that earned them that moment, and, more importantly, made us care. Thanks to Warner Brothers’ insecurities at being left behind, there’s none of that here.
Furthermore, with so many narrative threads at play, the slapdash nature of the story is all to clear, and the filmmakers’ overcompensating attempts at rectifying some of “Man of Steel’s” more egregious choices don’t help (note how many times you hear someone say that the area has been evacuated during the climactic battle). All told, there are easily three or four movies’ worth of material fighting for attention here (to say nothing of more endings than “Return of the King”), and at the end of the day, Zack Snyder just wasn’t the man to make it all work together.
Is it too soon to ask for a reboot? — AT, GMA News
