Superhero film gets mixed reviews
By: Ryan Permison, Staff Writer
Marvel has been king of the Cinematic Universe with its lighter tone, characters and connected storylines since 2008. Now, it is time to see what DC and Warner Bros. can do.
It all started with “Man of Steel” in 2013, when the world was reintroduced to Superman with a different tone and direction than previous installments. “Man of Steel” is one of the most divisive films among critics and moviegoers. When it was announced at San Diego Comic-Con three years ago that “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” was in the works, people all over the world cheered in anticipation.
Returning director Zack Snyder introduces us to a new Batman and to the first cinematic appearance of Wonder Woman, among others, with “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.”
Picking up 18 months after the events of “Man of Steel,” the world is wondering if Superman is friend or foe.
Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) is certain that Superman will eventually destroy more cities before he saves them. Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) is convinced Superman is a threat and should be dealt with as soon as possible. He tries to convince politicians that his way is better than what they have in mind. So both Luthor and Wayne have their own ways of preparing to fight Superman.
A mysterious woman, Diana Prince (Gal Gadot), is caught in the middle of all this when she plays a game of cat and mouse with Bruce Wayne. There is a lot going on in this film, and not all of it works out the way I thought it would. I expected this to be a certain kind of film and what I got was completely different from prior predictions. Needless to say, there are many surprises in this film.
The positives are that the cast did an incredible job—my fear going in was Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. He did not ruin the film, but he did bring it down during the first half.
The supporting cast of Perry White (Laurence Fishburne), Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and Alfred (Jeremy Irons) were a few of the standouts, and their characters really shined at times during the movie. The action sequences were amazing. When we finally get to Batman vs Superman, it is one heck of a brutal fight. The debut of Wonder Woman was really good, and her fighting style and suit are two of the best qualities of the film overall.
For the negatives, I thought the writing and development for Lex Luthor could have been better, but this character could improve in the next film. A few subplots were resolved too quickly—or they were not explained at all. Another negative would be a spoiler, so I’ll just say they went somewhere I did not think the film would go with one of the main characters. This was a set up for the events to come with solo films as well as the upcoming Justice League arriving in 2017.
Warner Bros and DC took many risks with this movie, and for the most part they pay off. I am very excited to see where the story goes next.
We won’t have to wait long until “Suicide Squad,” the next movie from the DC Cinematic Universe arrives this August. I give “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” eight out of ten.
