Better than what people say

Rating: 8/10 (12 June 2018)

Dark and brooding. This describes both Batman and Superman. It's also very similar to how the film is shot. This colossal movie takes the opposite approach to Marvel and The Avengers, but that's pretty much how they want to compete with them anyways. A follow-up to Man of Steel, Zack Snyder is once again at the helm. I'm thinking his visual style should be the opening topic.
First, let's talk about the introductory 10 minutes. The opening credits is a stylish way to bring Batman's story back, and I enjoyed how it was kept brief with only the highlight moments (if you consider a double-homicide of his parents a highlight) since we all know the story already. The slow-mo works well in opening credits, and it's certainly cool, but Snyder definitely gets excessive with it. My favorite part of the film is what follows immediately afterward-- excluding the fact that Bruce Wayne was driving a Jeep Renegade. My favorite shot as well is in the 9/11-like destruction during the Man of Steel climax, but this time from a different perspective; and as the people dash away from the rubble, Bruce rushes towards it. The entire sequence, in fact, is powerful, for the film does a great job of playing off of one of my biggest complaints about Man of Steel, the destruction. Not only does this introduce the political aspect, but it also provides sound motivation for Bruce as he is unable to save the innocents from the crashing towers. This type of storytelling worked well, and maybe Snyder tried using it more in the form of those dreams/premonitions, but the vague references to comic book story lines didn't pull through in those scenes that may have been added just to put in the trailers. I will say, the one awesome moment is in the Batcave, and off to the side is what is presumed to be a Robin costume with a message from the Joker; don't worry, Snyder, I see you being clever.
All right, let's talk us some superheroes. The movie toys with interesting moral dilemmas with Superman, and I still love Henry Cavill, but the overall impact isn't there. There are some cool shots with him still: the people surrounding him with their arms outstretched, and then when he's in space with the sun behind helping to rejuvenate him. On the other side of the two-headed coin (Batman reference), I mean, c'mon, Ben Affleck is awesome. I have always been a firm believer that his directing is far superior to his acting, but don't let that take away from what he does. With the Dark Knight himself, I love the branding. I'm all for it. I was slightly taken aback, however, by the free-spirited use of lethal force employed to take out the goonies. Maybe more interaction would have me more willing to simply say bye-bye to the baddies, but it does retract a little from what Batman usually represents and is used more of a way to set up conflict with Superman. I have no issues with the bulkier suit either; it makes more sense to me as they play with this older version of Batman. Which reminds me, I wasn't as much of a fan as some of my friends were and how they will say how awesome it is, but watching The Dark Knight Returns (animated but still dark) is highly suggested to get more of a full circle of Batman. Oh, and brief shout out to Jeremy Irons. You weren't fully utilized as Alfred, but I look forward to what you will give us in the future.
Now we all know this sets up Justice League. And I was the most skeptical about cheap, forced ways of introducing the rest of the lineup, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was smart and to the point. Not sure how their looks are going to turn out, particularly when they get stand-alone films, but that will be a discussion for when the time comes.
The other very, very smart move was having Gal Gadot be Diana Prince for the majority of the film instead of Wonder Woman even if how it was handled still felt clunky in areas. The reveal worked in to their favor. But it does leave much to look forward to with future outings.
One of the issues I've noticed people have been most split on is Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. The best way I can describe his performance is as unconventional. At moments he was trying too hard to bring a more psychotic, schizophrenic approach, but in the context of the film it was a contrast vastly needed.
And that ties into the next topic: Hans Zimmer. When we last saw him in the previous caped entry, his dull performance led me to miss the John Williams theme. One of the best parts of the movie was Zimmer bringing out his creative soundtrack; each superhero got a unique theme, and Luthor's blend of quick violins was pure awesomeness and was a redeeming grace to every scene featuring him because it brought out the character Eisenberg desperately tried to portray.
To go back to the visual style, the film is too bleak; the lack of lighting renders some scenes as less effective, like the climax I will describe later. It caused too much straining to know what was presented on the screen instead of doing something like drawing attention to details to treat the observant, smart viewer. There are moments, but there's still a feeling that Snyder had to make sure he appealed to a wide audience, so the more hopeful viewer ends up being dumbed down to size to fit with the marketing. This isn't a dumb film, but a lack of deeper meaning behind visuals doesn't do much to stretch the brain.
Before we move closer to the climax, lets talk about Batman scenes versus Superman scenes. I enjoyed Snyder's use of Bruce. Sure, some scenes dragged the run time out a little, but you could tell he was having fun working with such a different character. This is most evident in the action sequences. You know what I'm talking about from the trailers when I say I loved the Batman: Arkham style fighting. As a slight downer, in one of those weird vision scenes, there's a really long, circling take where Batman tosses bad guys all around as they take him on one at a time for the most part. While the long takes are always appreciated, the delicate nature of not wanting to mess up the fight choreography did lead to a held-back effort from the stuntman and actors.
With glasses-wearing Clark Kent (still find the disguise lame, but I've had it explained that donning the glasses changes Kent's entire appearance, making it full disguise-- I like that explanation more, but it still seems kind of half-hearted), you'll get your fill of Diane Lane, Amy Adams, and Laurence Fishburne; but nothing better than from Man of Steel comes out, only scenes to propel the plot.
Maybe this is a slight spoiler coming in after 2 hours, but if you don't know that Batman and Superman fight and that Doomsday makes an appearance, then you're already a lost cause. Go be like Tom Hanks in Cast Away, but change up the story and stay on the island. And now that I have tossed out the people that must have put life on mute for the opening weeks of the film, let's talk. This movie has my favorite use of kryptonite. It makes sense, and Batman uses such a cool array of gadgets during the fight. I will say that the fight was totally unnecessary, but if I'm like anybody that paid to see this, I wanted a fight, and a pretty darn good one I got. I also enjoy the idea of putting Doomsday in. But if you've seen Godzilla, King Kong, or even Clash of the Titans (not the laughable original, doesn't count) and its older brother Wrath, then nothing new is added honestly. Big, huge, ginormous, CGI creature with a menacing roar threatens total destruction. I guess teaming up on him can satisfy the nerd in us, but it went too far over-the-top.
I am pleased with the outcome of the film, but the end has its predictable moments. If I had to summarize in one sentence, I would say that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a large improvement over Man of Steel and a very entertaining watch, but it doesn't hold the substance seen in The Dark Knight.