Batman v. Superman: Not Perfect, But it Delivers Justice

I want to tackle the movie that has so far been vilified by both the media and the public. Before I even begin to review the movie itself, I would like to ask, out of genuine curiosity, any reader looking at this review to tell me what they expected from the movie? A movie that was written about, discussed, hyped, and promoted for almost three years since the announcement in 2013. A movie that was hyped solely on Batman and Superman meeting on the big screen. A movie with ghastly expectations to be one of the top films of all time, before it was even understood exactly what the movie was supposed to be. Then, when it is released, naturally it is undersold. Naturally, people who love riding against the grain and destroyed the movie with harsh and critical reviews. In reading some of those reviews and hearing personal friends tell me how the movie did not live up to their expectations, I could not help but wonder exactly what they wanted the movie to be.

There are people upset because Zach Snyder directed it and they disagree with that choice; to that I say, you knew for three years that he was the director of the movie and yet you still maintained your unrealistic anticipation. To the people who were mad for the entire duration of production that Ben Affleck was Batman, I ask why you bothered to still believe in your mind that the movie would still be amazing. Then, there are the people who were disgusted by Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel and yet although the actor and once again the same director were returning, somehow they perceived that this movie would be groundbreaking and historically equivalent to Titanic or The Godfather. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I think people allowed their opinions to be controlled by the latest news report or the sexy appeal of a Batman-Superman (throw in Wonder Woman) movie without deeply thinking about the potential ceiling of this movie. Ignore the fact that Christian Bale is no longer Batman, ignore the hype, the press, your friends; think closely and carefully about what this movie could actually be, and THEN figure if it succeeded in being that version. If you truly sit down and watch this movie, whether you’re an avid comic book fan or not, it is a very enjoyable film.

Ben Affleck? Wonderful job as Batman. Batman is dark, Batman is stubborn, Batman is angry, Batman wants nothing other than justice, Batman likes to control things his own way and will not yield or ask for permission from any other being. It’s the perfect setup. Affleck was in incredible shape for the movie, he showed darkness, disappointment; all in all, Affleck showed the chip on Batman’s shoulder very convincingly with his facial expressions, his low and brooding — yet powerful— tone, fighting skills, and his use of pauses and subtle actions.

The fighting scenes were by far the best parts of this movie. They were always intense, always as realistic as a comic book movie could possibly be, they always used the environment around them, and each one was critical to the plot, whether imaginary or not.The possible Easter eggs dropped were enjoyable as a comic book fan, because they laid the foundation for the rest of the Justice League members while also (including a later released deleted scene) suggesting what the upcoming Justice League movie will be about. There were also hints at each other’s popular backstories (shout out to that Joker reference). The reveals were very creative and clever, giving fans excitement for the future.Superman was powerful, yet vulnerable; strong, yet beatable; disappointed, yet resilient. Cavill and Affleck showed great comfort and chemistry in their scenes.Wonder Woman was a fresh sight; her character showed some depth and development throughout the movie, along with sick fighting styles. They also did the Lasso of Truth justice.Doomsday was, uh, he was er- yeah, I don’t know. Jury’s still out on what that was.Simply put, Jesse Eisenberg was the highest quality of garbage as Lex Luthor. Don’t expect to enjoy any of that, especially him randomly feeding Jolly Ranchers to someone and giving a jar of pee to someone else. Dude was weird.

The plot, somewhat ironically, was the part of the movie that was not very good. It just seemed lost and touched on a plethora of things without going deeper into focus on any one thing. Was this about Doomsday? Lex Luthor? Batman vs Superman? Superman and the public? The Justice League? I don’t know, the fight scenes kinda saved the movie from being lost within itself. The plot wasn’t a priority, and the movie itself was more of a treat to fans who had been waiting for a long time for this to finally happen.All in all, I would give this movie a 7/10. It was not perfect, but the cinematography was high quality, the soundtrack was good, the characters were portrayed well and mostly developed well, the plot was somewhat flat and unfocused, the Easter eggs were strategically used, and I would definitely recommend others to see it. Let me know what you think.

#Batman #Superman #BatmanVSupermanDawnofJustice