A bungled mess!
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Written by: Chris Terrio, David S. Goyer
Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg
Swift shot: A real shame this one just disappointed the hell out of me. My kid liked it, but this one wasn’t really for the kids. With mostly cape on cape violence, there was a lot of room for emotional sub-text, but it was wasted in an attempt to appear dramatically significant . . . a nod to the Bard, no doubt. Ghosts appear, and dream sequences lead our heroes to some major decisions instead of actual detective work by the most famous detective in comic book history! I mean, never before on film has there been a stronger need for diplomacy between two combatants that refuse to talk. The reason they won’t talk is never legitimately explained.
British thespian Henry Cavill once again dons the tights and cape of our most beloved Kryptonian. Now he’s shacked up with Lois Lane (Adams) and it’s fairly evident to anyone who has been paying attention that there’s a link between the two. Of course, Lex Luthor (Eisenberg) is Superman’s nemesis, although for some reason we never find out why he loathes Superman. We just learn he’s nuts and doesn’t like tyrants, because his dad had to bow to one most of his life. Ok, whatever. Moving on.
American actor (who is a much better director) Ben Affleck attempts to wear the iconic ears and cape as Batman, but this Batman is a grizzled old veteran, and for some reason that is never explained in the film, he doesn’t actually work in tandem with the police anymore. Yet, Superman makes a comment about the “Bat Signal” being closed for business. So, does he use it, or not? Dialog like this throughout the film seemed weak and pointless.
Also, this Batman seems to have zero qualms about killing bad guys. I actually liked that, but it diluted a big part of what makes Bruce Wayne who he is. And, The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) is who they got to portray Thomas Wayne, and he doesn’t just go out without swinging. In fact, the writers indicate he was accidentally killed by . . . the gun, because the mugger was struck by Thomas in defiance. If only Thomas hadn’t resisted, he and his wife, Martha would still be alive. Yea, I SHIT YOU NOT – – – They “went there.” And if you love liberal media icons, you’ll wet your millenial panties, they are peppered throughout this film. Ironically, to give the film credibility! Ha! The Joker would be proud! The amount of them in the film borders on sycophantic. See if you can spot them all. #DrinkingGame
So Superman finds out Batman is getting more ruthless as he begins leaving a special mark on his victims. And Superman, as Clark Kent, wants to expose the Batman for what he is, a criminal without scruples. Meanwhile, Batman is convinced (through dreams) that he must kill Superman, an alien who brought nothing but destruction to Earth. And Lex Luthor is somehow manipulating the entire showdown through a ridiculously written scandal surrounding the CIA and African warlords. The scandal brings Superman to testify before Congress on why he chooses to save some but not others.
What happens next is spoiler alert territory, so I won’t even tease at the outcome of the clash between man and god.
It wasn’t a total piece of crap, I actually loved the special effects and the fights were again on a huge scale, like with Man of Steel. But, these were two allies beating the living shit out of each other, so I wasn’t rooting for anything but for it to stop. And at such a long run time, there were a few false endings that just annoyed me.
Dawn of Justice does bridge the next DC films to make Justice League a reality, but it takes a long time to build up to it, and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is almost as much of an after-thought as Lex Luthor. I’ll chalk this one up to bad writing at an attempt to put all the cool pieces on the board together, where Avengers pulled it off, Dawn of Justice failed to make the film as entertaining as it could have been. And sorry, Ben, but you are no Batman.
