Not as bad as the press makes it out to be, but certainly flawed

Rating: 8/10 (25 March 2016)

I saw Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice on opening day in Beijing (where I currently work). I didn't have particularly high expectations going as, as I couldn't help but notice that it has been universally panned in the press. However, after having seen it, I personally don't think it's entirely awful. Certainly, the movie has a few notable problems. A few moments would have been better off cut out of the script. Really, in my opinion, the movie's main fault was simply that it was too ambitious. It set out to do too much all at once, leaving much of it feeling rather rushed and half-baked.
The movie gives the impression of being the product of a team of writers who banged out a first draft in a weekend and tried to throw as many ideas (and characters) in as they could, then didn't think to revise, instead immediately heading to the studio to shoot what they had. That's probably not far from the truth.
BvS could have been a very good movie, and there are a few enjoyable moments in it, to be sure. But the problem is, there were enough ideas and characters in this movie to set up a proper trilogy, which, I feel, is what they should have done. Instead, the studio tried to cram everything into one two and half hour clip show, which leaves the whole affair feeling overstuffed and, at times, completely incoherent.
This feeling of incoherence becomes especially apparent through a blatant non-sequitur which is neither explained nor even referenced at any time after it transpires. It just happens. End of story. If you see the movie, you'll probably understand what I'm writing about it. Obviously, DC is hoping to use this movie as a springboard for a series of movies in a shared universe, similar to what Marvel has accomplished. What I find refreshing about the movie is that it doesn't tap into the by now very familiar Marvel movie aesthetic. In recent Marvel movies, the productions are all very similar. They're rather banal affairs which seem to have emerged from the same playbook. Cookie cutter film making. No risks are taken, everyone is friends, and live happily together and don't think too much in their delightful PG-13 world. DC's movie is darker, and certainly more philosophical. The only philosophy to be found in a Marvel movie is that evil must be destroyed. Cue explosions. DC's movie motions to question the definition of evil and dabbles in moral ambiguity. And then it cues explosions.
My impression is that a Marvel movies delivers a narrative which goes, in essence, "Evil? Well, I got a gun! Boom Boom Boom! Good job, guys. High five!" End of story.
In contrast, DC movies, if BvS is any indication for the future, seem to be delivering a message more so akin to, "Evil? Well, I got a gun! ... But wait...er... What is evil? I mean, really... ah... ah, hell. Boom Boom Boom! ... Okay... er... good job? ... Ah, er... Well, uh, yes. Good job. Yes. Er, good job. I feel like I need to shower..."
I wonder somewhat if the reason the movie has been receiving so much bad press is simply because it doesn't follow along the mindless action train format set by the recent Marvel movies.
Honestly, this is hardly the worst Batman film on record, thanks largely to Joel Schumacher's earlier, abysmal, efforts in the franchise. It's not even the worst Superman film. Not by a long shot. Remember Superman IV? Pray that you don't.
One thing I find very interesting is that Snyder's Batman is not afraid of using guns and getting dirty. This is not the idealistic Dark Knight which we have seen in more recent films. In Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight, Batman goes to extraordinarily lengths to defeat the Joker without killing him. This idealism is gone in the new Bat. I feel the new take on the character would rather just have him blow a hole in the Joker's skull and be done with it.
This also leads me to ask, then, is this really Batman? Because Batman, to me, is not just a character, but a way of thinking. That is, defeating the darkness in humanity without succumbing to it one's self. That was one of the primary lessons in the Nolan's trilogy, at the very least. Perhaps this thematic change is just a reflection of a changing America. Out with the idealistic times of the Obama presidency and its message of hope and change, in with Trump and his message of ... well... "f*** you!"
Is it, perhaps, just a sign of the times; the product of a fatigued America which has given up on hope? Perhaps. Batman Vs Superman is not a bad film. But it could have been a much better one.
My personal rating: 7.9 out of 10