After the success of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films revitalising the Caped Crusader franchise, there’s a lot to live up to in where the character’s story arc goes next…
As is the way whenever key roles are replaced, there’s a slightly different take on the backstory of Bruce Wayne here in order to explore a more dramatic plot. Ben Affleck takes a turn as the Bat, whilst director Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill as Superman both return from Man Of Steel. Jesse Eisenberg takes on the role of antagonist Lex Luthor and the supporting cast is filled with quality with Jeremy Irons as butler Alfred, Holly Hunter as a Senator wary of Superman’s power and Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane all returning from Man Of Steel. There are also new appearances to set things up for the next set of films from DC’s extended universe with Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman as well as brief glimpses of other characters that I won’t spoil for you.
Batman has been putting away bad guys for 20 years now and is more than a little cynical and haggard from the experience. After witnessing the destruction that Superman and his species are capable of from the end of Man Of Steel, he decides that if left unchecked things could go very badly for the human race and so focuses his energies on confronting the alien hero. Flash forward 18 months and Senator June Finch (Holly Hunter) has decided that Superman needs to answer to the government rather than deciding for himself when to intervene. Enter Lex Luthor, an eccentric young businessman, who is itching to get his hands on the Kryptonion technology that fell to earth during Superman’s epic battle with General Zod at the end of Man Of Steel. Luthor makes a secret deal with Finch’s assistant to examine General Zod’s corpse and his derelict ship that fell to Earth after he was defeated on the premise of creating a weaponised deterrent against Superman should they ever need it. With Batman and Superman both seeing each other as the real threat and Lex Luthor manipulating things devilishly in the shadows, things are all set for a showdown of epic proportions. So plenty of ingredients then, but what’s the end result?
Batman vs Superman tries hard to build on the success of the previous Batman series and wants to emulate Marvel’s incredibly popular run of films over recent years. The problem is that the bar is set very high by these previous blockbusters and Batman vs Superman tries too hard to be too many things. It wants to be gritty and dark like the Christopher Nolan’s trilogy but it’s too clogged up and isn’t clear or coherent enough in its storytelling. Whether it’s the several dream sequences that cause the focus to be derailed or the fumbling twists it’s difficult to say, but whatever the film lacks in smoothness, it makes up for in visual thrills. The epic fight between the two vigilantes is excellent in its direction and makes up for the ungainly lead up to it from the first half of the film. The physicality of the fight as Batman in his supercharged Batsuit meets a weakened Superman is food for the eyes as brutal fists are thrown and each combatant takes thorough punishment. Some might say that like with the end battle in Man Of Steel, the final quarter of the film is a little over the top in its destruction and mayhem, but this should be expected. After all, this is a superhero showdown and they’re putting on a spectacle. Christian Bale’s portrayal or Batman is a hard act to follow but Ben Affleck has just about come out right (if a little dour), especially the chemistry between him and Jeremy Irons as Alfred. Henry Cavill is well suited to the physicality of Superman and it’s nice to see a slightly more vulnerable side to him. Gal Gardot comes out well as the quietly smouldering, though Amy Adams as Lois Lane seems to have been reduced to eye candy for the majority of the film. The slightly erratic style of Lex Luthor by Jesse Eisenberg is a novel and different approach to the character that is somewhat refreshing.
Overall, it’s not a bad film. Perhaps it’s slightly too long and it doesn’t have the most linear of storylines to follow, but it just about manages to make up for this by providing excitement whenever the Batsuit is donned and Clark Kent transforms into the Kryptonion hero. With the promise of more characters in solo films and their collaboration in 2017 for a Justice League film (like Marvel’s The Avengers), there’s potential for DC’s extended universe providing that they can get the mix of action and plot right.
Author – Steve, Bristol store
