Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Reviews

Rating: 8/10 (25 March 2016)

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE is an incredibly fun movie. There are a handful of moments that frustrated the living hell out of me, but I was able to surpass them the more I continued watching the film, and I'm glad I did. Just like MAN OF STEEL, the film is split towards the middle with fans and critics. It's a love/hate film. It's not for everyone I must say.
Let's start with the negatives. I hated when they killed off characters that have a significance to the lore of the DC Universe. I won't say who, but to those who have seen it, you know what I'm talking about. Another thing that I had a problem with was the pacing of the film and that it was a bit all over the place deciding whether it wants to be a Batman vs. Superman movie or a Justice League prequel. Another topic that is similar to that is that it is too focused on world building, which was one of the main problems with IRON MAN 2 and THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2. Not to say that I hate those movies, but one of the main problems is that it's too concerned with creating this world and forgetting that they're making a movie. One element that aggravated me was some of the choices some of the characters make in the film.
Now, on with the stuff that I loved. The best part about the movie is the Trinity itself. Henry Cavill remains to be a fantastic Superman, But the real scene stealer's are Ben Affleck as Batman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Every scene Batman was in were some of the best parts of the film, and when Wonder Woman appeared on screen in costume, the crowd cheered. After seeing her, now I'm even more pumped to see her solo movie. Another actor who I thought did a phenomenal acting job was Jeremy Irons as Alfred. There was something about him that made me think "Yes! THAT is Alfred!" and I honestly have to say that he might be my favorite Alfred in general. The action sequences are absolutely gorgeous. There's a reason why Zack Snyder is one of my favorite visionary directors of all time, and this film goes to show why. And when the fight goes down, it is glorious! It's Frank Miller's BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS graphic novel come to life, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Now, I'd like to talk about an element of the film that I felt very mixed about, and that is Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. When I first heard about this casting, I was 100% on board because of his performance in THE SOCIAL NETWORK. I thought to myself "If he plays Lex like this, it will be perfect." Well, I was in for quite a treat. Eisenberg's performance reminded me too much of Jim Carry as the Riddler. In fact, if I was told that Jesse Eisenberg was cast as the Riddler, I would have been more on board for that. However, the upside to that is Eisenberg is having a blast with this role and owns it as his own. He didn't seem too much like himself, which is a good thing. There were a few moments where he came off as a threat, but there were too many moments where he came off creepy or laughable. Hopefully, he'll evolve in the future.
Overall, BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE is a solid superhero film with a handful of flaws that people will notice but forgive, or be unforgivable depending on who that person is. It's not the greatest superhero film, but then again, it's not the worst. I'm looking forward to seeing Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, Cyborg and many other characters get there own solo films after viewing this. I know that there is too much world building in this film, but at least it's a world that I'm looking forward to, especially with a Justice League movie coming out next year.