Following on from the mixed reception he received with Man
of Steel (2013), Zack Snyder’s follow up had many people anxious of what to
expect. With a huge promotional campaign advertising the clash of two of comic
books best-known superheroes, the stakes were high in the audience’s minds. But
could the film actually live up to this hype? The answer in this case
unfortunately, is, not really.
Following the aftermath and destruction of Metropolis,
Batman (Ben Affleck) vows revenge against Superman (Henry Cavill). In the
meantime, Superman is stuck dealing with the repercussions of the previous film,
whilst Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) attempts to manipulate each of them for his
own sinister purpose.
On the whole, this sounds like a simple story to follow. Two
essentially good men are led by their own sense of doing the right thing into
fighting one another; whilst in the background, something sinister remains. These
ideas together should be the basis for an interesting and fun comic book movie,
but, unfortunately for us, this isn’t the case here. And the sad thing is that
it isn’t the essential parts of the story being told that are the true let
down, it is the forced expository elements that are there to help build for
future movies in the DC universe.
Yet whilst there are parts of the film that do drag on, that
doesn’t mean that the entire piece is a let down. Affleck is a strong stand in
as Batman. Henry Cavill likewise has a good presence as superman, while Gal
Gadot proves a strong choice in her supporting role as Wonder Woman.
In terms of the visuals, the film has the same strong sense
of style and direction seen in Zack Snyder’s previous works. He is able to
craft interesting scenes and set pieces and combine them with stunning visual
spectacles. At his best he is an inventive director, yet his artistic visuals
do sometimes get in the way of the key story elements.
Most of the films key issues however come from the script. Problems
of character motivation and their principles changing on whim make the film
seem rushed and lazily written. Lex Luthor in particular (the main villain of
the movie) doesn’t have a clear motivation for his actions, and goes from
appearing cold and calculated to goofy and bonkers for no real reason.
Overall, is the film good? No, but it does have some interesting
elements to it. Some critics have been a little overzealous with this one. Are
there problems here? Certainly, but a film critic is supposed to look at the
whole of the picture, not just the elements that stand out most to them.
