Review of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) by Kalboy — 12 Apr 2016

Just made an account to post this review... it will contain spoilers...

I saw BvS the first Thursday night it came out. In short, I felt the movie had faults. I wasn't sure why, but it turns out it's because I wasn't able to follow the minor details of the story. Is that a fault itself for a movie? Well, no. Multiple viewings should reward viewers, and BvS is no exception.

I just left the theater from my 2nd viewing. I waited roughly 3 weeks to watch it a second time. Unbelievable, considering I had been anticipating this movie for years.

Words cannot truly express how beautiful this movie is. They really can't. As I type this I am still swiping tears from my eyes. There are so many layers and visual cues to something beyond film, beyond a screen, beyond a projector. And I'm not just talking about 1 or 2 parts of the movie. Scene after scene was rich with visual metaphor, character arc, and most of all, heart. You can really tell everyone put their best efforts into this movie. I applaud every single person involved.

Just as of for instance - the scene when Superman gets nuked, amidst tons of chaos, non stop action, and climactic battle, there is a moment of elegance and grace that is absolutely unparalleled in movies today. I'm talking about the part when after Doomsday crashes back down to Earth, and lets out a jolt of energy, causing an explosion on the abandoned island, it cuts back to space showing the explosion happening on Earth, and Superman, in an envelope of complete silence, Snyder paints a picture of him inadvertently pointing directly at the explosion from space. It beautifully captures the entire plight of Superman in such a way I could not believe how expressive, creative, and majestic a shot could exist in film.

And this is just one instance. There are many more. I absolutely implore everyone to watch this movie multiple times, in an intimate setting. The first night I saw the movie it was in a packed theater, adrenaline was pumping, and expectations were through the roof. This is not that type of movie. Tonight, I walked in right as the movie started, to a completely empty theater. It was one of the greatest personal decisions I have ever made. I'm so happy the way the movie turned out.

The action, acting, soundtrack, costumes, set design, script, visual effects - all of it are top notch. We are watching masters of craft at work. Snyder brings it all together so well that I sat at the end as the credits rolled with my mouth open. Absolutely amazing Zack Snyder. I appreciate your work, your art, and most of all this movie. 10/10, an absolute masterpiece, nothing has come or will ever come close to the magnitude of greatness this movie achieves.