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★★☆☆☆
24 March 2016
A movie review of BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE. |
“No one stays good in this world,” Superman (Henry Cavill)
Getting two titans of superhero cinema to fall out in a single movie was already going to be a tall order, and has proved insurmountable by the team behind the lacklustre MAN OF STEEL. Almost irredeemably incoherent, the inelegantly titled BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE has rating-pushing sadism without brains, tied to an absence of compelling characters and plot. The more one delves into the narrative mechanics, the greater the shakes of the head at the substandard joining of the dots and rushing to set up a franchise. As much as the M.C.U. (Marvel Cinema Universe) has turned out to be a damp squib of formulaic plotting, at least at the outset it forged an unhurried (potentially) interesting saga concept.
Getting two titans of superhero cinema to fall out in a single movie was already going to be a tall order, and has proved insurmountable by the team behind the lacklustre MAN OF STEEL. Almost irredeemably incoherent, the inelegantly titled BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE has rating-pushing sadism without brains, tied to an absence of compelling characters and plot. The more one delves into the narrative mechanics, the greater the shakes of the head at the substandard joining of the dots and rushing to set up a franchise. As much as the M.C.U. (Marvel Cinema Universe) has turned out to be a damp squib of formulaic plotting, at least at the outset it forged an unhurried (potentially) interesting saga concept.
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Iconic characters that are household names do not require origin stories (unless a seismic re-imagining is mooted). Surely Batman and Superman are, on a certain level, the easiest comic book staples to create movies around. We are so familiar on their strengths and vulnerabilities that what is then required is to put them in situations taxing them in unexpected ways. Did the filmmakers believe just having them fight would be enough? Bastions of justice arriving at loggerheads need well though out reasoning. There was opportunity here to layer in an allegorical analysis of how society tackles criminality.
My heart sank on the opening. We witness again the death and funeral of Bruce Wayne’s parents, Martha (Lauren Cohan) and Thomas Wayne (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). This is the sole character trait offered to Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck). It is so flimsily tired as the only motivating factor. It’s as if what made THE DARK KNIGHT so successful has been forgotten. Affleck, looking the part, is hamstrung immediately.
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The commencement is in director Zack Snyder slow motion. Normally I am a fan of his artful use of slowing down combat to savour combat choreography in Snyder’s 300-WATCHMEN-SUCKER PUNCH (regardless of the qualities of the films). The bright cinematography of that trio allow an audience to take in the fights, in contrast to the terrible shaky-camera fast-editing of incompetent directors. Though, with MAN OF STEEL he created a murky colour palette (not gritty), and messy moviemaking, for some reason, which has carried over to BATMAN V SUPERMAN. Only one standout fight, a Bruce Wayne nightmare envisaging a post apocalyptic world ruled by a fascistic Superman, has Batman take on a coterie of assailants. It reminds of Rorschach’s police ambush in the significantly underrated WATCHMEN (arguably Snyder’s only good project).
Bruce Wayne decides to kill Superman because even if there is a one per cent chance Kale-El has malicious intent that is justification enough. What? The bright billionaire has thrown logic out of the window. At the same time, Clark Kent wants to end Batman’s reign, because he has gotten a bit more physical with the likes of human traffickers. What? They pummel each other, a more matched encounter than some might have predicted thanks to the son of Krypton holding back and Batman using kryptonite. They quickly make up after a ridiculous dialogue exchange, and team up to fight a monster created by Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg – who is unusually terrible here, hamming it up to the rafters, chucking in annoying ticks). Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) turns up to lend a hand. That is the plot. I kid you not. A saturation of crummy computer effects brings artifice to the fore. Where is the tangibility of the world? Wafer thin dramatis personae and inane explosions give the feel of a Michael Bay crap-fest. (Wait till you get a load of how they introduce fellow Justice Leaguers Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg.)
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