“The world only makes sense if you force it to,”
utters Ben Affleck’s Batman. It’s a line
pulled straight from Frank Millers’s comic The Dark Knight Returns which
inspired the film and it sums up the reception upon its release.
Batman V Superman divided critics, but having recently acquired the standard DVD release I thought I’d give it another watch.
Many people feared that Affleck would be an ineffective as
the Caped Crusader, but he held the film together. His interactions with Jeremy
Irons Alfred was one of the highlights. The relationship between the butler and Batman added a
bit of heart and warmth to a very dark story. Alfred acts as a father figure,
and it’s a shame that he does not feature more in the movie as his wit is well received.
The fighting style employed
by Batman is impressive. It is clearly inspired by the Arkham Asylum game. In
the past Batman could barely turn his head, but in this film he had no problem
hurling people about. The ‘World’s Greatest Detective’ actually gets to use his intuition
for once as he goes in search of kryptonite rather than having it handed it to
him on the plate by the plot.
The film has many problems. It is simply too long. Some
people say that the ultimate edition is better, but there is no way on can
justify adding more depth when it drags on in the theatrical cut. One only
listen to Jesse Eisenbergs ramblings for so long. I preferred his performance in Zombieland.
There are some nice
set pieces such as the amazing introduction scene in Metropolis. Despite the
strong start the film becomes more muddled as it progresses. Too many strands
have been shoved into this story. It tries to set up the Justice League, and
please comic book fans. There is nothing wrong with that, but the execution is
poor in some parts. The dream sequences of dystopian futures feel very out of
place. While these scenes are impressive
to watch, they add nothing to the plot and maybe they should have been saved
for a future film.
While this feature was billed as a sequel to Man of Steel I
find it interesting how little Superman has to offer. While Henry Carvill can
play a very convincing Clark Kent he is often overshadowed by his co-star.
Batman V Superman has some electrifying elements, but also
moments of madness. The pace is all over the place, but there is enough good
stuff in there to make it worth watching. Although for some that is not enough for Frank
Miller as when asked the about the film by Variety his response was a rather sarcastic “Your
welcome!”
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