Spectacle and atmosphere abound... but at the cost of all else...

Rating: 4/10 (1 April 2016)

It was never going to be easy to re-introduce Batman onto the big screen after Nolan's fabulous "Dark Knight" trilogy, but Ben Affleck quells all doubt in a superb performance.
That said, it's worth beginning with the movie's good points. Firstly, the effects are amazing, as one would expect from a modern big- budget superhero flick. Superman's on-screen presence in particular is mesmerizing, and the combat towards the film's climax is grandiose in both its brutality and its spectacle. The casting itself seems spot- on, with stand-out performances from Ben Affleck's older, blooded portrayal of Batman to Jesse Eisenberg's young Lex Luthor. Eisenberg steals the scenes in which he features, perfectly defining Luthor on the cusp of becoming the cold, measured DC villain we know and love.
Unfortunately, there isn't much more positive praise to be said. The narrative just doesn't seem justified and - especially in the first half - is just shameful. Those who haven't seen the previous "Man of Steel" are left in the dust at certain moments. Scenes are hastily stuck together without any explanation, and Superman's vendetta against Batman's "unchecked" status seems ridiculous given that Batman doesn't posses any of Superman's Godlike powers. The fight itself lasts a mere ten minutes in an over-long and drawn out picture. Though Ben Affleck's performance is strong, Batman's character in this film seems uncaring... overly brutal and violent. Despite Batman's iconic "anti-hero" personality, it is as though Zack Snyder didn't know where to draw the line between a hero with a troubled past and a plain thug. The writing is average at best. This shows most evidently between Henry Cavill's dialogue with Amy Adams... a missed opportunity, as while both are perfectly casted, their scenes seem contrived and clichéd by their lines. Their relationship doesn't develop at all and doesn't seem genuine, which detracts from Adams' presence in the film. A final issue is the lighting and camera work. Batman vs Superman is an undeniably dark film, but the lack of light contrast on display was a terribly over-contrived attempt at creating atmosphere. Some scenes are so unnecessarily dark that all on-screen coherence is blurred, and this isn't helped by the shaky camera styles employed in certain scenes, which blur and shake to the extent that the shots employed seem a messy attempt at editing together a scene.
Overall, Batman vs Superman isn't a terrible film. It's arguably much more emotive than "Man of Steel", with it being evident that Snyder and his crew wished to create something packed with energy and atmosphere. The problem is that this comes at the cost of everything else: narrative, plot, a good script... none of these are present. It's a shame given that the film's effects and casting render it a wasted chance to create something truly special. Like Marvel before this, this new generation of DC film-writers is going to have to choose between going for all out spectacle, or creating a more balanced picture worthy of viewing.