Incredibly,
it’s now been nearly sixteen years since X-Men
began the incredible (and somewhat exhausting) avalanche of superhero films
that continues to this day. Since then, we have seen all kinds of comic book
characters make the jump to the big screen, from household names like Spider-Man and
The Incredible Hulk, to relative obscurities like Ant-Man and the Guardians of
the Galaxy. But while the Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone from strength to
strength, DC Comics has had a tougher time establishing itself as a big-screen
force; it had a major success with the popular Dark Knight trilogy, but what DC really wants is a cinematic
universe to call its own. Batman v
Superman: Dawn of Justice is the first step towards achieving that goal,
but does it stand up as a film in its own right? Let’s take a look!
After a
quick run-through of Batman’s origin story (theatre, dark alley, mugger,
gunshots, dead parents, well-full-of-bats, etc.) we jump forward in time to the
city of Metropolis, where a helpless Bruce Wayne witnesses the destruction of a
Wayne Enterprises building during Superman’s battle with General Zod from the
end of Man of Steel. It’s an
effective sequence that clearly establishes Batman’s issue with Superman, and
we soon learn that Superman is to face a government investigation regarding his
role in the destruction. Meanwhile, the villainous Lex Luthor has found some
Kryptonite, and plans to use it as part of a twisted genetic experiment. Upon
learning this, Batman steals the Kryptonite in order to destroy Superman once
and for all, while Luthor manipulates Superman onto a collision course with the
Caped Crusader.
As you can
see, there’s a lot going on in this film, and I pity the poor overworked soul
who had edit all of this together; not only does it need to establish a new
Batman, it also aims to introduce us to the entire DC Universe, act as a sequel
to Man of Steel, set up a future
Justice League film, and provide a satisfying conflict between Batman and
Superman. Whereas Marvel spent eight years slowly building towards a showdown
between Iron Man and Captain America, Dawn
of Justice has to accomplish the same feat – and plenty of others - in just
one film, and as a result the movie often feels jumbled and unfocused. There is
an awkwardly place flash-forward scene in which a trench-coated Batman runs
around shooting at people in a desert (?), as well as strange, shoehorned-in cameos
from Aquaman and The Flash. At times it feels like the film is suffering an
identity crisis, torn between being Batman
v Superman or Dawn of Justice.
Happily, the
last third of the film sees everything finally fall into place. Having spent
the first two acts slowly (so very slowly) moving the pieces into place, the
movie palpably shifts gears, cranking up the action while managing to tie all
of the dangling plot threads together. This section of Dawn of Justice is truly a great spectacle, and redeems the film
somewhat after the glacial pace of the early sections.
Pacing
problems aside, where Batman v Superman
really shines is in the performances. Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman is
superb; you really get the sense that has been worn-down by twenty years of
crime fighting in the frankly hellish Gotham City. His Batman is a truly
frightening creature, and the scene in which he is introduced is like something
out of a horror film. So bitter and vicious is this version of the Dark Knight
that you wonder whether Bruce really cares about fighting crime at all, or if
hunting down criminals is simply a means for him to vent his bottomless well of
rage. Superman gets slightly less attention, but comes across as a man who only
sees in black and white trapped in a world of grey areas. He is genuinely trying
to use his powers for good, but cannot see that the consequences of his actions can
often be devastating. The star of the supporting cast has to be Gal Gadot as
Wonder Woman, making the most of a small but effective role, while Amy Adams
and Jeremy Irons give good performances as Lois Lane and Alfred Pennyworth,
respectively. Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor sometimes becomes slightly grating,
but you can tell that he is totally invested in the role.
As a film in
its own right, Batman v Superman is
less than the sum of its parts; a collection of interesting characters and
ideas presented in a strange and incoherent narrative. However, as an introduction
to the DC Universe the film is much more successful. Director Zack Snyder and
his team establish a world that is distinct and different from the Marvel
Universe, and create endless possibilities for sequels and spinoffs (the
prospect of solo films for Batman and Wonder Woman is particularly exciting).
The sometimes excessively dark tone might have to be toned down in future instalments
(the moment when someone finally cracks a joke, a full two hours into the film,
is quite jarring), but it is good that DC is trying to find a unique identity
for its films as opposed to simply aping the Marvel approach, which must have
been tempting. It is entirely possible that, once the DC Universe is fully
established on the big screen, we will look back on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as the beginning of something
truly special.
