Batman VS Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Batman VS Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

Release Date: March 25, 2016

Marvel has been the undisputed champion of the multiplex for a few years now, after rewriting the movie franchise rulebook and raking in the dough while everyone else scrambles to catch up. Despite that, it’s not hard to find issues with the universe as a whole. It can be hard to feel as if there are stakes when characters speak almost entirely in witty one-liners, not taking the situation at hand seriously, although to be fair, they can be serious when they want to, primarily in the Captain America films. Changes happen, but all too often they feel like superficial changes that don’t have as much effect on the status quo going forward as the film that made the change suggested.

That’s enough ragging on Marvel for now, as this post isn’t about them. It’s about the champion chosen by those audiences who have grown tired of Marvel’s formula, bored of rich arrogant white guys who are humbled in some way, granted superpowers then fight a villain who has a stronger version of their powers, and win against the odds. (Remember when I said that’s enough ragging on Marvel? I lied.) If it’s a cocky young upstart to keep Marvel on their toes and stop them from getting complacent people want, then who better than Marvel’s eternal rival DC? Man of Steel may have been the official start of the DC Extended Universe as it is known (Presumably, DC wanted their acronym to be as different from Marvel’s as possible, at least within the restrictive framework of their brand and the word Universe to get across the mission statement), but Batman VS Superman: Dawn of Justice is where the whole shared universe aspect comes into play, as Man of Steel was pretty stand-alone. What happened when DC threw its hat into the ring? You probably already know, as the underwhelming critical and commercial reception when a billion dollar gross and rave reviews were taken for granted as mere formalities made big waves earlier this year, but what do I think, with the benefit of having expectations kept in check?

No plot summary this time, because the film is still new, but the title is pretty self-explanatory. What you’d expect to happen in a film titled Batman VS Superman is exactly what happens, and the plot specifics are only as important as the role they play in getting Superman and Batman to fight each other.

Would this film exist without the Marvel Cinematic Universe? In all honesty, I’m not sure it would, at least not in its current form. The Avengers grossed over a billion dollars. By comparison, Man of Steel was a very divisive film among audiences (I come down on it being distinctly average) and the Dark Knight trilogy had come to a definite conclusion, with any possibility of going back to it out of the question. DC needed some way to catch up to Marvel sharpish, and their solution was to add Batman and the wider DC universe into their Man of Steel sequel (Possibly. I don’t know if this was always the plan, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Man of Steel 2 was retooled into DC Extended Universe 1, or 2 depending on how you look at it.) They try their best, but most of the world building comes off as gratuitous and a way to get everyone in ASAP so they can skip straight to the team-up film. The most egregious example comes just before the title bout, where Wonder Woman stops the film dead in its tracks to watch security footage of the other Justice League members, and Batman has a nightmare where the Flash screams that he came too soon.

Huh huh, you said “came too soon”.

Heh heh, aw yeah!

Batman’s involvement comes across more naturally, as the Metropolis branch of Wayne Enterprises is shown to be one of the buildings that was destroyed during the climax of Man of Steel, and gives him a reason to fight Superman, even if he takes it too far.

Speaking of Batman, it’s quite clear that he’s the filmmaker’s favourite. He gets top billing in the title, ahead of Superman. The film opens with him before introducing Superman. More significantly, there have been numerous stories where Batman and Superman fight each other. Usually, Superman is the one who turns evil, leading Batman to have to defeat him. This time, Batman is the one who has gone rogue. However, what would have been a refreshing change doesn’t work as well as it could, since the film still asks us to sympathise with Batman. Superman retains his characterisation from Man of Steel as indecisive, easily discouraged and not in full control of his abilities. Whenever something goes wrong, it’s Superman’s fault. Even when he does right, it’s not good enough such as when he goes to the Middle East to same Lois Lane from some terrorists, but gets slated for illegally intervening in a foreign country. On the other hand, Batman is always in control of every situation, and the film doesn’t dwell on his extreme behaviour, such as branding criminals with the Bat symbol or the numerous instances of killing people or shooting them with guns. You know, the two things anyone could tell you that Batman would never do. Also, who’s to say that Batman hasn’t been like this all along? This is our introduction to this incarnation of Batman, so for all we know, he could have been. During the climactic showdown, Batman dominates Superman, with Supes only getting the odd hit in, and Batman is on the verge of killing Superman until the infamous “Martha” line gets him to stop. Given how Batman has been portrayed until now, Superman is lucky that naming Batman’s dead mother didn’t cause him to snap entirely. It feels like the only reason Batman is portrayed as an anti-hero rather than an outright villain is because he’s Batman. (Unless he just stuns the bad guys?) Despite this, Ben Affleck does his best with the material he’s given, getting some genuinely good moments out there, such as the start of the film, where following the destruction of Wayne Enterprises and the deaths of numerous employees, he glares to the heavens with palpable hatred just from a look, no dialogue to spell out the point needed.

As for the other characters, Henry Cavill isn’t bad as Superman, even if once again he doesn’t get to cut loose and show Superman at his best, as a symbol of hope for others and unlimited, pure hearted goodness. Gal Gadot and Jeremy Irons impress as Wonder Woman and Alfred respectively for what little screen time they have. The characters from the legal subplot go nowhere since one of them pulls a U-turn personality-wise, as opposed to a more gradual transition and the subplot ends on an anti-climax anyway, ending up feeling like a shaggy dog story and just an excuse to get Superman and Batman to fight rather than an essential part of the story, a la Civil War. Several intriguing characters are killed off unceremoniously with little to no fanfare, their potential squandered. The worst is Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Unlike the other characters, who remain relatively true to their traditional depictions, albeit with a darker spin, Superman’s arch nemesis is reimagined for the modern era as a refugee from The Social Network. Lex is such a pivotal part of the mythos, but this incarnation of him doesn’t inspire any awe or admiration. He’s just an annoying millennial brat who never shuts up and has no emotional stake in the proceedings, he instigates the fight just because he can (and gives a monologue in the process that could be charitably described as on-the-nose). He has no beef with Superman, in fact they don’t even meet until the end, where Superman shows remarkable restraint in not snapping him in half like a stale breadstick. Batman totally would if he was the one who had superpowers. He doesn’t pose a convincing threat to Superman, which the traditional version does by not prattling on endlessly in non-sequiturs, demonstrating his cunning and resources with a carefully conceived plan and clear endgame, and also being powerfully built and physically imposing. It also helps when his vocals are provided by the sexy manvoice of Clancy Brown, the aural equivalent of silky velvet whispering sweet nothings into your ear. The excitable, nasal delivery of Eisenberg isn’t nearly as compelling in comparison. I am afraid I must join the pre-release chorus that demanded Heisenberg, not Eisenberg. His performance would've made a good Riddler though.

An example of Clancy Brown as Lex Luthor. I'm sure you can see how he differs from Jesse Eisenberg's portrayal.

The film feels like it wants to get to Marvel is now so fast, that it’s willing to skip the first two acts of the story and go straight to the end, relying on the audience’s knowledge of the characters to fill in the gaps. Only Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman have any role in the film, with the other heroes being cameos that could have easily been cut. The film draws inspiration from the Dark Knight Returns and Death of Superman storylines from the comics, and yet these are set when the DC universe has been around for a long time. This one is just getting started and using these stories so soon robs them of their impact. This is most evident in the character of Doomsday. Yes, that Big CGI Monster that shows up at the end was an actual character. In the comics, Doomsday debuts well into Superman’s career as the toughest threat he has ever faced, barely even flinching as Superman throws everything he’s got at it. This significance is gone from the film, as Doomsday is only the second superpowered threat he’s fought, and appears very early in Superman’s career. Not to mention in the film, Doomsday was created from the body of General Zod, so in a way, DCEU Superman has only fought one guy twice. Outside knowledge is the only thing that gives Doomsday any significance, as in the context of the film, he’s just a Big CGI Monster, and him being able to beat Superman means so much less, since Supes is still a rookie, he just got his behind handed to him by Batman and he was well off his A game even during the fight with Bats. It diminishes both of them.

The film has a distinct tone to set it apart from Marvel’s offerings. While Marvel tend to go more light-hearted and humorous, this one is grim and downcast. It has a gloomy, serious feel to it, and the characters treat everything with the utmost seriousness. While the attempt at something different is to be applauded, the film comes off as being a cynical and nihilistic in its outlook on the world. Superman is seemingly the one source of light and hope in this world, but at every turn he is belittled and diminished, broken by a world in which he struggles to find a place, until his light is extinguished entirely. Batman is a bitter, vengeful man lashing out at the world around him, trusting only himself to enforce justice and punish the wicked, even as he loses sight of his own morality. (Bruce Wayne has the perfect quote to sum this up: “If there is even a 1% chance that Superman could pose a threat, we must treat it as an absolute certainty.”) Wonder Woman is hiding in plain sight, disgusted at the world of man for its petty ways. Lex Luthor is a narcissistic egomaniac who wants to bring about a titanic battle between two opposing worldviews for his own amusement. This world is not an inviting place, or one that welcomes optimism and selflessness. In that respect, the film feels representative of the current atmosphere in the real world, for better or worse. Some Marvel fims such as Iron Man 3 and the Captain America films have explored themes relevant to the modern world with varying degrees of success, and although Batman VS Superman does not do this explicitly with a specific theme, the atmosphere brings it across subconsciously.

Batman VS Superman: Dawn of Justice feels like a lazy cash grab of a film. Everything about it reeks of desperation for that sweet Marvel money, and in prioritising the hunt for said money, the goal of making a good film comes a distant second. There may be potential for a good film featuring these incarnations of such beloved classic characters, but this isn’t it. However, I do commend the film for having its own voice, and not just copying The Avengers wholesale. It strives to be a grandiose epic on a sweeping scale, and even though it falls short of the heady heights it sets itself, at least it tried.

4/10 

One more thing. Our libraries are very important, so please make the most of them. I was able to borrow this film from my local library, instead of having to buy it or see it at the cinema when it came out. I also use libraries for their primary purpose of borrowing books, which I highly recommend that everyone do. You might find a new favourite author! If that won't convince you, here's Cool Guy posing towards you as if to say "You rock!"

He drives a hard bargain.