A Dark Universe!

Rating: 7/10 (25 March 2016)

The 'Batman v Superman' blockbuster is in many ways the most awaited film of all time. Ever since I was a kid there have been numerous attempts to begin projects bringing together the two most iconic superheroes of all on the silver screen, without success. The ultimate superhero pairing between 'Superman', who represents this out of the world symbol of piety and absolute power with the 'dark knight' of Gotham, the fallen and troubled billionaire whose actions are more of those of a vigilante than a saviour. Traditionally 'Superman' and 'Batman' are the polar opposites of each other and that is the reason why there have been hundreds of animation movies made featuring both, yet the silver screen never witnessed their colossus duel before. Now finally, we have 'Batman v Superman - Dawn of Justice'. The expectations unbelievably high and the build up at fever pitch, this movie doesn't quite deliver. The film goes along at a brisk pace with impressive action sequences but lacks real depth which we seem to have in many of Marvel's cinematic universe movies. 'Batman v Superman' is huge no doubt but CGI and special effects can never be a substitute for quality film making and good story telling. The film features three primarily superheroes with the 'Caped Crusader' and the 'Gotham Knight' being the real focus yet the film seems more geared to building the much awaited and long delayed 'Justice League' movies as opposed to focusing on the greatest duel in cinematic history. Even the concepts explored in the film seem to be muddled and confused with each character portraying a dark side and even the premier combatants facing too many of their own demons. No doubt, 'DC' and 'Warner Bros' have made a concerted effort to portray a dark world for their movies yet any superhero flick featuring 'Superman' needs to respect his universal image of being mighty and noble. In DC's 'dark universe', both of these characteristics have become muddled in a world where people have turned away from the lovable alien. On the positives however, Ben Affleck is epic as 'The Batman' taking his tormented hero into a new era and Gal Gadot is also impressive making her debut as 'Wonder Woman'. I wish that I could say the same for the greatest of all superheroes and the reason why we have 'DC' entering into their own cinematic universe. Henry Cavill portrays a 'vulnerable' Superman which made me a life long DC and Superman fan a little uneasy. It seems to me if 'Justice League' is to be successful in the same way as their counterparts; Marvel's 'Avengers' phenomenon has been, they need to re-think and become clear on how each character has to be portrayed and remember that the focal point has to be 'Superman'. The 'Son of Krypton' needs to remain recognisable to fans and critics even if it is against the backdrop of a world in chaos and a Universe about to explode with the introduction of a 'Meta-Human' population. zulfbookz@gmail.com (@zulfmanauthor)