An Imperfect Balance of Artistry and Action

Rating: 5/10 (24 March 2016)

Three acts. First: Establish the scene and characters. Second: Uncover the story. Third: Fight the villains. This seems to be the basic formula for almost all the comic book movies. Batman V. Superman is no different in this aspect, but it is undeniably used this formula in a better way and is a better film than it's predecessor, Man of Steel. The story structure is very similar to that of Man of steel and this similarities cloud what is actually good about this film. The film collapses in the first act. There are many abrupt cuts and too many subplots to follow that it leaves the audiences confused and wondering what this film is actually about. The abrupt cuts are preceded by beautifully established shots, whose beauty the audience cannot enjoy completely because of the abrupt cuts. The character establishment was poor with the exception of Ben Affleck's Batman/Bruce Wayne. The old characters did not, in any way, bring something good to the table. Amy Adams and Henry Cavill are what they were in Man of Steel. Gal Gagot's Wonder Woman isn't much of a charm. The only good and balanced character was that of Ben Affleck. Jesse Eisenberg's overly dramatic depiction of Lex Luther is not what a comic book lover might expect. As shown in the trailers, Superman's morals and actions are questioned in the film, this point was not emphasized or explored in the film instead it cuts to the second act. The second act is very short lived but this is where the film starts to recover from its terrible first act. the action begins in the second act with a fair fight between Batman and Superman though it ends after only a few minutes, it is well choreographed and is action packed. After their fight, God and Men team up to fight the bigger threat at hand, Doomsday. This again is much like the fight between Superman and the Zod's followers in Man of Steel, both films climax on a bigger villain. Doomsday is born and wants to destroy everything in his path. The third act which mostly includes the fight between Doomsday and half- Justice Leauge lasts a good length, it is better than the second act in terms of action, the film only gets better in terms of action. Throughout the film there are plot points are trying to establish a strong base for Justice League, but in doing so it entirely deviates from the plot. Batman V. Superman has its moments. The film is not better in terms of story when compared to other comic book films, but none of the previous comic book films come close to Batman V. Superman in the aspect of beauty. The film is exceptionally well shot, (It is in the ranks of The Dark Knight)but as I wrote earlier in this review, the audience cannot admire its beauty because who fast they disappear. People will go to the cinemas expecting a good, action packed comic book film, but it is not what they see, and they might refuse to see the other good aspects of the film, without the beautiful shots the film would have ended up as another Man of Steel. The score is at times engaging but is is not memorable. Batman V. Superman is worth watching, at least once, for its beauty, if not for its story.