First Take: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice- I’m not angry, just very disappointed

Spoiler free as usual. Because even I can’t work out what happened.

SYPNOSIS: Fearing the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on the man of steel, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs. With Batman and Superman fighting each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is created by Lex Luthor. It’s up to Superman and Batman to set aside their differences along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex Luthor and Doomsday from destroying Metropolis.

Zack Snyder is a director who for many is a Marmite-like figure- some love him, some hate him. Following up on 2013′s Man of Steel, Batman v Superman made me realise that Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy (and I know it’s unfair to make this comparison considering the contrasting themes) are a much better presentation of one of DC’s most popular characters.

Batman v Superman has major narrative and pacing issues, with plotlines going all over the place and a structure that makes the film very difficult to follow, especially with its 2 hour 31 minute running time- as a result the film feels like the marketing team has made Snyder put together a tame cut just to secure the 12a certificate (yes, we’re getting a 3 hour uncut version on the Blu-ray) for its cinema run. The main issues lie with the script from Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer, as none of the dialogue is coherent, and bits of it blatantly look like they’ve been hastily rewritten to add more emotional depth.

Performance wise, Ben Affleck is passable, yet very convincing as Batman, with Henry Cavill following up his introduction in Man of Steel with another believable performance. However, I have to commend Amy Adams, as her performance as Lois Lane holds the film together, alongside a seriously solid DC universe debut for Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. The direction is good, but there is too much reliance on CGI, with some very well thought out cinematography from Larry Fong. Another highlight of the film was Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL’s very unique score (especially that Wonder Woman theme), but that only made this overly long film bearable. 

THE VERDICT

This is by far one of the biggest disappointments of 2016 so far- Warner and DC now need to do something big to rival Marvel in the comic book adaptation stakes, because right now I feel that Civil War will outgross this by a considerable margin.

Rating: 2.5/5