Review of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) by Vance F — 17 Nov 2017

I don't think this movie stood a chance with critics. They generally still think Affleck is awful but perhaps forget about "The Town" or "Argo" or "Gone Girl." He's polarizing. They put Zack Synder in the similar vain as Michael Bay. The skepticism of Man of Steel bleeds over as well.

I get why people didn't like this movie though. There is a lot of action. But don't the Marvel movies as well? There are a lot of visual effects. But don't the Marvel movies as well? They didn't actually built a robot to fight in Ultron. Are they not easter eggs in Iron Man 2? It is dark and brooding. But isn't the highly regarded Dark Knight trilogy as well? I ask these questions as an attempt to give BvS equal judgment comparing it's main criticisms to similarity in other movies. That being said, I do wish it wasn't so dark. Sprinkling in a joke or two would have shed some light on this dark and sometimes bleak movie.

I think the real tough question when you see this movie, is wondering if DC has earned the right to make this movie. Or are they just trying to capitalize on the appeal of the comic book universe the Marvel carefully crafted and earned.

Affleck is great as Bruce Wayne and Batman. Batman's detective skills are displayed here like we haven't really seen before. The scene of Affleck training makes sense. He wouldn't just do push-ups to prepare to fight, he'd pull a tire, he'd do the sledgehammer. Cavill is a little better this time around as Superman, but I wish they would given him a little more emotional range. There were missed opportunities to humanize Superman more and really display his inner conflict. It would have been nice to hear what he had to say in court. And how they came friends seemed a little weird. Our moms have the same name? Yep. Did we just become best friends? Yep.

The women are fantastic in this movie. They're strong and sexy. That bathtub scene with Lois Lane had me reeling for a while. And the introduction of Wonder Women is fantastic. It's just enough to wet our whistle but leaving us very curious for more. The other characters in the future Justice League were teased in a manner that felt a little forced, but we had to know that was coming.

Little things I really enjoyed would only be aware for those who've read Frank Millar's "The Dark Knight Returns." I rank it as the best graphic novel of all-time. There were things in BvS directly drawn from that book and I loved it. Superman zombie after the nuke. Batman taking the bad guys to save Martha saying "I believe you.".

Overall, there is a lot to not like about BvS, but there is also a lot to like. Whether or not DC has earned our attention to make a superhero crossover is up for debate. It's still chilling to see Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman share the scene. Like characters of Batman and Superman, can DC learn from its mistakes, sure up its weaknesses, and earn our trust? I'm anxious to see how the DC expanded universe moves forward.