Movie Review: Batman V Superman

The characters of Batman and Superman have existed since the 1930’s yet they have never appeared in the same live action movie. Batman V Superman is the first time the two will share the screen, along with Wonder Woman and some cameos from other Justice League members. The film has received heavy amounts of backlash from critics while audiences have been praising the film. With the huge difference in opinion between audiences and critics it is hard for many to judge whether or not seeing the film will be worthwhile, so who is right: The audiences or the critics? Both it turns out.

Batman V Superman is definitely not the horrible film many critics are calling it. There is definitely much to be enjoyed in the movie. You can definitely tell that Zach Snyder has a love for these characters and there is a large amount of fan service in the film that fans of the characters will really appreciate. All of the action is really enjoyable and well done. However there is not enough action for the running time of two and a half hours to hold you throughout. There are probably going to be parts where you notice how long you have been sitting in a theater.

There are parts of this film that could have been removed or reworked to improve the fluidity of the plot. While these unnecessary additions are enjoyable, if they were removed from the film it would have went more smoothly.

The most controversial element of the film before it was released was the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman/Bruce Wayne. One of the few areas that critics and audiences seem to agree on is that he was possibly one of the best aspects of the film. He brings the Batman character to the screen in a way that has not been seen before but still feels familiar. The action sequences involving just Batman are some of the best action scenes with Batman in any Bat-film. The way his character is portrayed in the film is one that we have not seen before and Ben Affleck brings an intensity that improves the conflict between Batman and Superman. He is not the campy Batman of the 1960’s, this Batman is willing to blur the lines between good and bad to protect people which may be off putting to some viewers.

However, Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor jr. (yes, he’s actually Lex Luthor’s son) is more of a nuisance than the intellectually impressive figure Lex Luthor should be. He was more annoying than overpowering. There were many times where they seemed to be taking his character in an interesting direction, but they never followed through with this. Hopefully, if they bring Lex back for future films, they turn him into a better villain. Characters like him and Lois Lane actually felt like they were crowding the movie. In a movie called Batman V Superman, the two should not have the spotlight taken away from them as much as it was.

While Lex Luthor left much to be desired, Wonder Woman was fantastic. Finally seeing her on screen was great. Getting to see her in costume and charging into the action was incredibly satisfying. I really enjoy the direction that they are taking with her character and left the movie most excited for the Wonder Woman solo movie.

My biggest issue with the film was that the title fight, while incredibly well done, was not enough to make up for all the buildup to the fight itself. Zach Snyder definitely has an eye for visuals and the fight scenes in the movie really show, but it did not feel like it paid off. Had the film taken out some of the unnecessary elements and lengthened the fight, it would have definitely been more satisfying. However they do handle the god vs man aspect of the fight in a way that will definitely please fans.

Batman V Superman is definitely not the perfect superhero movie, but it is far from one of the worst. Whether or not you like this film is really going to depend on whether or not your opinion on films leans more towards how general audiences feel or how critics feel. There are things that everybody liked in this movie, but there are many things that people are torn on. Whether or not these affect your enjoyment of the film depends on the viewer. I personally enjoyed the majority of the movie, however, there were some things that people in the theater were not pleased with. The things you can definitely look forward to are great visuals, a great Batman, and some impressive action.

Rating: Batman V Superman could have been better, but what it did right was really amazing.