Review of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) by Andy J — 08 May 2017

(review contains some fairly predictable spoilers) Though it may be a fruitless effort, I'll attempt to put my reservations about the way it depicts these characters and their respective worlds aside, and review it simply as a movie.

(Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen gets murdered in the Middle East within the first five minutes, if that says anything, but worst for me personally, the film depicts a Batman Who Kills, which I am Officially Not Cool With, lol) Anyway, though, let's start with something good: to echo sentiments expressed by Kevin Smith, Zack Snyder does have a distinct, compelling visual style--one that is grand & cinematic & uniquely his own.

(KEVIN SMITH: "Like, you can't take that from him."). Also: one that would be better suited for different subject matter, like that which he tackled in his adaptation of Frank Miller's '300.

' One thing that has seemed obvious to many of us for years that DC is finally learning from Marvel in a post-Dawn of Justice parallel universe is that, in spite of all just comparisons to classical epic theater, superhero movies don't work so well when treated with no regard for humor, color, character, etc.

But the real problems are with the script, which is littered with rather awkward exchanges, jokes, monologues, etc., that have proven out-of-step with much of the film's audience. Most infamous is a moment in which the two title characters cease trying to kill each other upon discovering that their mothers share the name 'Martha.

' The stupidest moment of the movie, though, to me, is when Jesse Eisenberg's Luthor has his head shaved in his prison orange jumpsuit. I mean, they don't forcibly shave a person's head when they go to prison.

.. did he somehow manage to use his influence and corruption to have someone come in and dramatically shave his head? It's one example of many scenes that feature the director's heavy-handed stylization, attempt to demonstrate a half-baked awareness of the source material, indulge in a tone of cinematic grandeur, but ultimately don't make a lick of sense.

Not that some directors don't make an art out of not making a lick of sense; if Zack Snyder was one of them, this film might have a higher rating on here than 28%.