The long wait is over

Rating: 7/10 (30 March 2016)

Films rarely get bigger then Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, seeing two titans of the comic facing off against each other for the first time on the big screen. Despite it weak critical reception Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has proved to be box office success, making $468.6 Million in its opening weekend, shattering a record. But is it deserving of its box-office or the critical reception.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is set two years after the events of Man of Steel. Superman (Henry Cavill) has divided opinion, some see him as a saviour, others a threat. The US Senate are running an investigation into Superman and his actions around the world. Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) saw the destruction of Metropolis and prepares to face the Last Son of Krypton while also investigating a human trafficker in Gotham. But as Superman and Batman prepare for battle the industrialist Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) is coming up with his own sinister plans, gaining access to General Zod's Earth Engines and Zod's body to achieve this.
Batman v Superman is a very problematic film, it's writing is all over the place, director Zack Snyder believed that being dark is being violent and Warner Brothers are rushing to set up their own explained universe so they can catch up to Marvel. But the film is not without fun - Batman v Superman much more like a Zack Snyder film, he is not trying so much to emulate the realistic style and look of the Christopher Nolan Batman series. The Man of Steel sequel felt more like Snyder's adaption of Watchmen, showing the wider impact of a man with the powers of a god descending upon Earth, resulting in shifts in society and politics. This is when the film is at its most interesting. It's not like this material has been untouched by superhero films, the MCU and X-Men films have looked at similar issues, yet Batman v Superman does it well, even if Senate Committees are not exactly the most thrilling thing to watch but it does set out a world that has changed. There is a mix of people being in awe at Superman and others in revulsion.
When Ben Affleck was cast as Bruce Wayne/Batman it was met with distain because of his role in Daredevil 13 years prior. Following Christian Bale was a tough act to follow but Affleck was able to pull it off. He had the physique for the role, being in great shape and he brought a darkness to the role. His Bruce Wayne was an older than previous incantations and an even more lonely figure, yet still willing to fight and as Bruce investigate, being perfectly suave. He is also more violent and sadistic then previous Batmans, which is disloyal to the character, but that is the fault of the writing, not Affleck. Affleck did prove the doubters wrong. He was the more interesting hero out of the duo, sidelining the Man of Steel.
Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor was the other major addition and he is without a doubt the worst portrayal of the character ever. He was just a hype brat that had no menace to him. All he did was speak quickly and asked like he was child on sugar rush. Eisenberg was just unbearable.
Gal Gadot as Diane Prince, AKA Wonder Woman was also someone that fans were keen to see, being the first cinematic iteration of the most famous female superhero. Gadot role as Wonder Woman was really just a teaser but she did well in the action scenes and it does whet the appetite for her first solo film.
The writing is where the film suffers greatly. There were reports that the screenplay was troubled and Argo writer Chris Terrio was brought in to do re-writes. When the film starts it tries to set up numerous plot threads that it is surprisingly difficult to keep track. The film throws in too many characters investigating too many things when a more straight forward approach would have worked. The writers were mandated to set up the upcoming DC Cinematic Universe so had to throw in references to other characters for the Justice League film. The dream sequences could easily have been cut, even if the post-apocalyptic Batman fight was one of the best action sequences in the film, feeling like an action scene from Watchmen or Sucker Punch.
Snyder's long time cinematographer Larry Fong works on Batman v Superman, replacing Amir Mokri from Man of Steel. And Fong's inclusion lead to a huge improvement to the action - Man of Steel suffered from having too much shaky cam and sudden zooms that made it hard to follow what was going on at times. The action in Batman v Superman was much more fluid, from when Batman goes into action to Superman's first proper appearance. When Batman was in action it felt very similar to the fight scenes in Watchmen.
Also Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL do deliver with the music, just like they did with Man of Steel. There are some beautiful tracks in the film. Zimmer said recently that Batman v Superman would be his last superhero score and he at least goes out with a good one. It would be great to see what Junkie XL can on his own, seeing he has done good work on 300: Rise of an Empire and Mad Max: Fury Road.
Batman vs Superman is nowhere near as bad as the critical response has suggested it is. It does deliver on action and builds on the foundations that Man of Steel set out. It was a tough to try and set up the DCEU and all its characters in one film and a few lighter moments wouldn't have gone a miss - even The Dark Knight Trilogy had occasional jokes.