Negative overhype: Thoughts on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Zack Snyder's biggest problem may be his tendency to take his subject matter a tad too seriously. He teeters on the very brink of the comically melodramatic. One cannot fault him for attempting to infuse the superhero genre with human interest and emotion. On the other hand, he takes a risk in attempting to paint characters like Superman as poignant figures. I was one of the few who appreciated this aspect of Man of Steel. If you can ignore what happens at the end, Man of Steel's flaw was in its pacing, something that could have been easily fixed with some creative editing.

Now Snyder's back at it with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While continuing to paint Superman as a poignant figure, Snyder revisits Batman's origins. Yes, moviegoers have grown weary of having origin stories retold time and again. In this case, however, Snyder gets a pass because a significant detail has bearing on the story he's telling, one that he patiently unfolds one corner at a time. This results in what begins as a slower-paced film than many may not like but culminates, I argue, in a more satisfying finished product.

If you've paid any attention to media headlines relating to Batman v Superman, you're probably under the impression that it's bad enough to be a Razzie contender. It's not. Ignore the hype and the negative reviews. As far as superhero films goes, Dawn of Justice is a good one. Anyone who's been following Warner Studios' playbook for its DC Comics film offerings knows that this chapter establishes the foundation on which a series of Justice League films will be built. The hype machine would have you believe that this film is such a colossal failure that the Justice League may not happen. That would be a real shame, especially if the film fails at the box office because of critics piling on with negative reviews.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens with a scene that sets up the central conflict between the titular heroes, namely, that Superman is too powerful, a loose cannon who is as great a danger to the people he aims to protect as the threats against which he's fighting. While the rivalry between the two heroes feels somewhat contrived (and in one sense it is, given that it orchestration by a particular individual), it effectively drives the film toward the inevitable confrontation. The subplot strands seem meandering but are in fact connected. It's not the most tidily plotted story, but one can easily understand where it's headed.

In spite of the slow beginnings, it's clear the story is leading somewhere, and the tension ratchets steadily higher as it climbs toward the climax. Clumsy at times and hamhanded, the plot remains engrossing and pulls the players together in interesting ways.

Mostly, however, the film is enjoyable for the characters. Jesse Eisenberg is clever and manic as a young Lex Luthor. You cannot help but pay attention when he's onscreen, though at times his portrayal of Luthor seems a bit too erratic. Luthor is an intelligent, confident, calculating individual, so Eisenberg's interpretation seems a little off target. But he's still highly enjoyable to watch, and it will be interesting to watch this character develop in future installments.

Henry Caville just plain looks like he belongs in the Superman suit. The relationship with Lois humanizes him and makes him a more sympathetic character. But I have to wonder why he hasn't been fired from his job because I don't think he completed a single assignment over the course of the film.

As much as fans grumbled about it, I liked Ben Affleck as Batman. There's great potential for him to bring more personality to the role and make the films more entertaining and less stiff. Only a few times did we see glimpses of this in Dawn of Justice, but the stage has been set for a whole new take on the Batman. I especially enjoyed the scenes showing Wayne working out to prepare for his battle with the Man of Steel. It was hardcore tires and chains kind of stuff. I have no doubt that the Batman Workout Plan is on its way. "Are you tired of Superman kicking sand in your face? Then work out like a Bat!"

Batman and Superman get their name in the title of the film, but Wonder Woman really steals the show. Gal Gadot plays Diana Prince perfectly with the poise, confidence, and even cockiness appropriate to the Amazonian. Never mind that she saves Batman's arse, she also throws herself into battle with reckless abandon. She is fearless and revels in the challenge of going toe-to-toe with Doomsday.

When Wonder Woman makes her official appearance onscreen, the film takes on a whole new personality. It becomes the kind of action adventure romp we've come to expect from those other guys, you know, Marvel Studios. And I think this is more what DC fans want. Give Snyder some credit for not selling out into that formula, but the taste we got of it at the end of Dawn of Justice really made the film worth the build-up and the wait.

Dawn of Justice contains a number of references pointing to the future of the franchise, and we can only hope it all comes to fruition. It adopts the term "metahumans" to refer to individuals with super powers. Diana Prince peruses a number of files purloined from Luthor's computer that profile the metahumans who will make up at least the initial Justice League team, including Aquaman, the Flash and Cyborg. Speaking of purloined files, I'm pretty sure someone on Luthor's level of genius would have better security. Perhaps he didn't care that people could just walk up to his computer and snatch files because he thought his encryption was unbreakable?

Fans have a lot to be happy with in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. You've got the clash of titans between Superman and Batman. Yeah, sure, Batman didn't stand a chance without the kryptonite and the armor, but it was still enjoyable to watch. There's the appearance of Doomsday and a kickass Wonder Woman, the introduction to other heroes in the DC Universe ready to spring to the big screen. And then there's the allusion to bigger and badder things on the horizon. While Luthor seems to be babbling incoherently from his cell, anyone who's read the comics knows what's coming. Bruce Wayne's conversation with Diana Prince at the end is also very telling. Bruce tells Diana that they will need to find and team up with the other metahumans they both know about. She suggests that they might not want to be found, but Bruce tells her he has a hunch that they will be willing to band together because of what's coming. While he certainly doesn't know what Luthor is talking about when he confronts him in his cell, Batman is able to foresee that, just as there are good people with super powers, there will also be bad, which means that the world will need a powerful force to fight the bad that's coming. And we all know what that means.

No Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is not a perfect film. It is, however, an enjoyable one with some glimpses at a potentially bright future for the Justice League on the big screen. If the writers and the director can learn to lighten up a little bit, this will be a highly entertaining super hero franchise.