Massive Squandered Potential with Satisfactory Bright Spots
Cinematic universes are all the rage in Hollywood right now, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)—Iron Man, Captain America, Guardians of the Galaxy, etc...—is the critically and commercially successful entity that kicked it all off. DC Comics, a part of the Warner Bros. family, is now playing catch-up with this follow-up to 2013's Man of Steel (you can read my review here; I mostly liked it). Unlike the MCU, which gave most of its headlining characters who would go on to form The Avengers their own standalone films prior to teaming up, the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is assembling its own super team, the Justice League, in as few films as possible. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice lives up to its title in two ways: it has likable chill-inducing moments that one imagines given the hype of this decades-in-the-making superhero mashup, and it's an absolute mess that makes the film's mouthful of a title an accurate indicator of its jumbled plot.
Man of Steel's final act follows Kryptonians Superman (Henry Cavill) and General Zod (Michael Shannon) as they battle through Metropolis, the city crumbling around them in the fallout. Batman v Superman begins with this battle, seen now from the perspective of Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck), who witnesses the destruction of his own building and the deaths of his own employees that was caused, or at least not helped, by Superman. From there various characters move in different directions with occasionally intersecting storylines for the film's first two acts: Bruce Wayne investigates Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) and Superman; Lois Lane (Amy Adams) investigates a desert ambush she and Superman witnessed; Luthor pursues government authorization of Kryptonian relics; and Clark Kent grows wary of a jaded Batman's actions. Not to mention a subplot that develops out of Wayne's snooping around LexCorp that shoehorns in introductions to other Justice League members.
Fueling Batman's aggression toward Superman with the carnage seen at the end of Man of Steel is a savvy and welcome move on the parts of director Zack Snyder and writers Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer, as the mass destruction of Metropolis (while Superman fights Zod without saving most bystanders) is perhaps the most divisive element of Snyder and Goyer's earlier film. It not only answers to their critics by making it an essential and well-executed part of this new story, it also serves as solid motivation for Affleck's older, wearied Batman to be more brutal. Both he and Superman break their cardinal rules of not killing in this film, but at the very least Bruce Wayne's mindset is explained. The story devolves then into the aforementioned subplots, and this strong starting point, along with the complexity of Batman's character, is squandered and diluted. Further adding to the mixed character bag are Lex Luthor's murky motivations. As usual, he wants Superman out of the picture, but unlike his schemes in past Superman films, Luthor has no ends to these means. He wants power, but why?
Despite these narrative missteps and a two and a half hour runtime, Batman v Superman somehow never exactly drags, but it does take about two-thirds of that time to build solid, uninterrupted momentum. As the film meanders through its plots, it does deliver great moments, such as the separate first meetings of Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne and their respective alter-egos, and it's these moments that keep it at least minimally engaging if not enthralling for members of the film's target audience such as myself. It's cool to see Jeremy Irons as Alfred, just as it's fascinating to watch Jesse Eisenberg tackle a vastly different kind of Lex Luthor than that which we've seen before. Unfortunately, the film is less than the sum of its parts, as I found myself feeling like I was seeing snippets from a great Batman movie, a great Superman movie, and a great Batman/Superman film without actually getting any of the three.
The film's biggest and most watchable asset is its phenomenal ensemble cast. Affleck makes a terrific, hulking Batman, and Cavill continues to fill the role of Superman admirably despite being underserved here. Amy Adams is still a perfect choice to play Lois Lane (somewhat misused here), and Laurence Fishburne's Perry White makes me wish he could star in his own Lou Grant-style film about the Daily Planet's everyday goings-on. Irons' Alfred is similarly scene-stealing, and he has great chemistry with Affleck. Eisenberg's Luthor is perhaps the reinterpretation of a character that differs most dramatically from past incarnations, and is likely to be divisive. Imagine Eisenberg's Mark Zuckerberg from The Social Network but richer, power-hungry, and with a flair for the dramatic, and you've got the new Lex. He's unhinged, and I enjoyed that, though it won't be for everyone.
Where Batman v Superman truly fails is its execution of the Dawn of Justice. In a film that already has too much going on, the Justice League did not need to be a part of this story. One member of said team is given a larger role here than any other (excluding Batman and Superman), and even she feels out of place in this story. The DCEU is being constructed much faster than the MCU was, and is consequently lacking any semblance of nuance in its approach. The Justice League members-to-be introduced in brief glimpses here are given such lazy entrances into what should be a grand cinematic world that their presence feels much more like an afterthought than a mindfully placed part of the story.
Zack Snyder has said that a three hour, R-rated "Ultimate Cut" of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be released on home video, and one can only hope that this is one of those rare instances of a maligned film being redeemed with extra footage to flesh out muddled story points (see: Heaven's Gate or Kingdom of Heaven), but I have a feeling that won't be the case. Snyder and his creative team have made a film that simply doesn't deliver. The central conflict of this story has little build-up and a quick resolution before moving on to something technically bigger, but far less interesting. When Batman and Superman do spar it's good, but short-lived. There's a lot of monologuing in this film about good and evil, gods and men, and the ability to trust an unknown, and for all that big talk, the film manages to feel small. This literal clash of the titans should have been better, and I sincerely hope Snyder and co.'s Justice League two-parter is where they figure out what the hell they're doing with the DC Extended Universe.