Movie Review -- Batman VS Superman: Dawn of Justice

Today we have Zack Snyder's follow-up to 2013's Man of Steel. This time, multiple superheroes join the party for an epic beat-down. Should you go see it? Let's find out.

 

The story picks up nearly two years after Man of Steel. Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) was in Metropolis when Superman (Henry Cavill) duked it out with General Zod (Michael Shannon), and witnessed the carnage firsthand. People Bruce cared about were killed in the battle, giving him a great mistrust of Superman.

 

Early on, Lois Lane (Amy Adams) gets into some hot water in the Middle East and has to be saved by Superman. However, a betrayal makes him look like a villain, and the public begins to turn against him. Charismatic (or demented) billionaire Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) takes advantage of this when he gets his hands on some Kryptonite and proposes weaponizing it (just in case).

 

But Bruce Wayne gets wind of this plan and decides to jack the Kryptonite for himself. He also views Superman as threat to mankind and becomes determined to get rid of him personally; this is a different Dark Knight than we're used to. Unfortunately for them, Lex has access to much more than Kryptonite, and proceeds to create a biological weapon to dispose of Superman in case Batman fails. And when mysterious Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) gets involved, you have a recipe for excitement. Let the battle commence!

 

Zack Snyder. Christopher Nolan. Hans Zimmer. David S. Goyer. When these four guys get together, awesomeness ensues, and Batman vs Superman is no exception. You have the fantastic directing of Snyder, Nolan's Batman experience, Zimmer's unparalleled musical score, and another solid script by Goyer which will make you question what it means to be a hero. Not to mention the stunning visuals. Simply put, this is everything you want in a superhero movie. It's at least as good as Snyder's previous effort if not better. Some people may be turned off by the suddenly homicidal Batman, but I appreciate this different aspect of his character. If you enjoyed Man of Steel, you're going to love Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice.

 

But if you didn't like that one, this may not change your mind. And at two and a half hours, you may find your patience tested. I myself prefer to watch movies of this length at home where I can pause it and come back to it later. Also, there is one very confusing sequence which had me questioning my sanity and one I hope gets explained in the forthcoming Justice League movie.

 

Nevertheless, this is a stellar effort and I look forward to future entries in these various franchises.

 

"You don't owe this world anything."