Remember over the past year and a half how butthurt everyone on the Internet was towards everything Batman v Superman? From Ben Affleck's casting as Batman to Wonder Woman's brown outfit to the poorly-edited trailer revealing Doomsday last December, it's been a rocky road for the Man of Steel sequel to everyone on the outside looking in.
Well, the official word is finally in, folks: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a good movie. So good, in fact, that the R-rated Blu-ray should be a confident purchase ahead of Suicide Squad this August.
Unlike its predecessor, BvS tells an engaging story that actually seems to take precedent over the huge set pieces and visual effects. Writer Chris Terrio (Argo) may just be the best asset Warner and DC have at this point. He joins David S. Goyer (Man of Steel, the Blade series) on the screenplay.
The film picks up precisely where Man of Steel leaves off. We see Bruce Wayne (Affleck) rushing into Metropolis to try and save friends and employees from the Wayne Financial building which collapses as the fight between Superman (Henry Cavill) and General Zod (Michael Shannon) transpires. With scores dead and one of America's greatest cities razed, Bruce and many others fear for the world's safety if Superman's powers are left unchecked. Still, most of the world sees Superman as a figure of hope, perhaps even a deity. Leading the crusade to govern this "god" is Senator June Finch (Holly Hunter) of Kentucky. She works closely with Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) and is instrumental in allowing Lexcorp to import a rock of kryptonite from a wrecked ship in the Indian Ocean. All the while, Batman puts his detective skills to the test as he tries to understand his rival and the larger universe he represents. Circumstances eventually force Batman and Superman to confront each other one-on-one in a showdown for the ages. When a larger threat arises, the two set aside their differences and are joined by Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) for one last titanic struggle. Miraculously, it's one that doesn't put as many innocent bystanders in jeopardy. Thank God.
There's a lot going on, but somehow it all feels pretty well-balanced. Credit the writers and director Zack Snyder's confident hand in juggling the action and characters in service of the larger story. There aren't many instances where it feels as if we're going on an unnecessary tangent, a la The Amazing Spider-Man 2. It's probably safe to assume that the 3-hour "director's cut" will have more self-indulgent sequences, but for now we can't judge the whole film on what we haven't seen.
Not all of the heavy emotional beats land how they should, and overall the tone may be too dark for those more accustomed to the lightheartedness of Marvel's films. However, BvS still has more emotional complexity than most everything Marvel has produced this side of Netflix.
If you're curious about how the apparently dubious casting decisions panned out, cautious optimists should be pleased. Affleck is a better Batman than Christian Bale, and Gadot surprises as Wonder Woman despite little screen time. Although, I'm more curious than confident to see how she handles her first huge leading role in Patty Jenkins' solo feature in 2017. Eisenberg is terrific but not as Lex Luthor. His squirrelly mannerisms and boyish voice would make him an excellent Riddler. He's tough to buy as Lex despite a committed turn.
I was concerned that there would be too many important characters vying for screen time and that nothing would ultimately make sense in BvS.
I've never been so happy to be proven wrong.
After seeing the film, Warner Brothers' spotty marketing may, in fact, be the stuff of genius. Lex Luthor himself couldn't have hatched a better scheme: temper expectations just enough so that the audience can be nothing but pleasantly surprised, and if they're let down, then it's not a far fall.
After all, hindsight - or is it X-ray vision? - is 20/20.
B+
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