Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles wit...
WHAT I LIKED: Zack Snyder's 'Batman v Superman,' is basically a film of two halves, and the first is unquestionably an interesting and often successful thematic exploration of man's reaction to a God on earth.
In the aftermath of 'Man of Steel,' we see ordinary folk attempting to contextualise witnessing Superman (Henry Cavill) for the first time. There are democratic court hearings and news debates as many compare him to God and build monuments to his greatness, whilst others question the ethics of his all-powerful presence. Bruce Wayne (played by a brilliantly withered Ben Affleck) in particular sits in the latter camp after witnessing the death of countless employees at the collateral hands of Superman's battle with Zod in the brilliant opening sequence. Feeling powerless in a world of Gods, he then not only doubles down on his efforts as Batman hunting vigilantes, but is ultimately drawn to find a way to take Superman down because "if there's even a 1% chance," that he could one day stop using his power for good, he feels the need to take it as an "absolute certainty." Meanwhile, crazed business tycoon Lex Luthor (played by a hideously annoying Jessie Eisenberg) is hoarding the all-powerful chemical Kryptonite in the hope of manipulating the two heroes into a God-killing battle. He spends much of the film talking about how "devils come from the sky," and blowing the imagery of the story to its most preposterous extremes, but he ultimately backs up the incessant bark with bite by bringing the ideologically-opposed pair to a physical confrontation.
Those qeustions about Superman at the centre of the piece are certainly interesting, and the film does a decent job of playing them out by putting its characters in situations that test the ideologies they represent. That results in what is arguably some of Snyder's best work considering he's usually a director who's obsessive and yet unsuccessful when it comes to developing theme. That's not to mention the atmosphere of the whole piece either, as many of the action sequences in the first half are brilliantly executed, the dark, brooding, steam-punky cinematography perfectly reflects the God-sized proportions of the central debate at hand, and the sound design and Zimmer score is appropriately thunderous too.
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: It does still pack many of Snyder's typically frustrating traits however. For one, the central exploration that drives the whole thing is delivered in an extremely on the nose and self-serious way. There must be at least half an hour's worth of speeches from Luthor and discussions on TV about God and Man and Devils and Skies and Power and Evil (thanks, we get it...) and the visual language of religious symbolism, endless slow-mo and dramatic reaction shots over-egg things to a similarly ridiculous extent. That'd be totally forgiveable if the film was smart enough to back it all up, but sadly the narrative rather ducks out of the thematic question it poses by the fact that Superman is really just an ordinary guy trying to do the right thing falling victim to the confusion and skepticism of man.
In other words, it's clear from the outset that he's never the dangerous, God-like figure that he's questioned for being, and Batman of course comes to realise that too during the infamous Martha scene (not a terrible dramatic idea, just one executed without much grace) where he also learns that the pair were brought to blows not by their own ideological differences (which could have been resolved in this context by a quick conversation) but by a big orchestrated misunderstanding. That's a shame (though arguably unavoidable given the characters they are) because - much like in the comparable 'Captain America: Civil War,' - it means the two aren't in control of their own destinies, or genuinely fighting over their differing ideals.
In the end though, all of that is entirely watchable and often interesting despite the glaring flaws. The big issue comes after Batman and Superman team up to fight Lex Luthor's second big God-killing ploy Doomsday, as the film then becomes almost completely unwatchable. Here it ceases being about any of the stuff in the first half, and instead becomes a case of three people in fancy costumes (oh yes, Wonder Woman joins in as well) fighting a big CGI monster to the death. Granted, that's how many superhero movies end, but in other examples we generally have the engagement of caring about the characters involved, or at the very least the people they're defending. Here, to further duck the thematic questions, it all takes place on a deserted island with no civilians in sight, and the heroes we're watching have spent most of the film as embodiments of ideals rather than fleshed out people to engage with. That means there's nothing at all to keep your eyes on the screen, and you'll sit there as your bum goes numb and the second hand ticks by on the minutes of weightless explosions and mind-numbing fighting you'll never get back.
Then, in the final moments, Bruce Wayne begins some pseudo-profound speech that has nothing to do with the rest of the film about how "man is still good..." That'll be enough to make you forget any of the promise of the first half, and the subsequent hints towards the Justice League sequel will be enough to drain the life-blood from your already numbed posterior and have you longing for the comfort of something a little more light-hearted. It was never the "darkness," of Batman v Superman that was its the problem (how on earth could it be); it was its utter relentlessness.
VERDICT: With an atmospheric first half that raises some interesting questions - albeit in a very Zack Snyder-y way - the relentless 'Batman v Superman,' shows some promise but lets itself down with its woeful third act.
