How can you follow up such an outstanding trilogy of Batman movies directed by Christopher Nolan with a new Batman saga? Unfortunately, the answer that you can’t, with Batman vs Superman, directed by Zack Snyder, a muddled mess void of any fun whatsoever.
This film was designed to be the springboard for future Justice League movies, but if Snyder’s style continues in the same direction, the franchise is headed for big trouble and possible future box office disaster. The fact that it only scored a 27% on Rotten Tomatoes is very telling.
The film opens in a familiar setting where we are “treated” yet again to a quick Batman origin story where once again, we see Bruce Wayne’s parents murdered, with young Bruce Wayne being the only witness. (How many times do we have to see this?) He falls in a hole… surrounded by bats… he’s transformed… we get it.
We move forward in time to present day Metropolis during the last few moments of the battle between Superman (played by Henry Cavill, in a truly thankless role) and General Zod (played by Michael Shannon) from the equally uninspiring “Man of Steel” as they batter each other around as buildings crumble and disintegrate all around them. One of the people caught up in the devastation, which was tastelessly cribbed from 9/11, is Bruce Wayne, now played by Ben Affleck. This Bruce Wayne is older and cynical, and has a super-sized chip on his shoulder.
The devastation caused by Superman brings his trustworthiness and motives into play, and before long, Superman is the subject of a congressional committee inquiry led by a congresswoman played by Oscar winner Holly Hunter. There’s more to the inquiry than meets the eye due to the machinations of Lex Luthor, erratically played by Jesse Eisenberg. His character was all over the place, which is indicative of the entire piece as a whole.
But wait… someone else is thrown into the mix, and that’s the enigmatic Diana Prince, played by Gal Gadot. Neither Bruce Wayne nor Clark Kent know what to make of her.
Before long, Superman and Batman are pitted against one another and square off in one of the longest, most senseless most drawn out battles in recent film history; at some point, they make nice and then have to contend with Lex Luthor’s latest creation, Doomsday, which seemed to be slapped in at the last minute. There were too many moving pieces in this script, and unfortunately Zack Snyder handles none of them well.
Everyone in this film seemed to be ticked off about something. There was no sense of fun. No sense of adventure. Amy Adams’ Lois Lane was treated as an afterthought, and seeing Diane Lane’s Martha Kent being victimized in this film sent this reviewer over the edge.
I have serious doubts that I would want to invest in a Justice League franchise film after seeing this multi-million dollar slugfest. Rumor has it that the films will “lighten up” in the future. Warner Brothers says it’s learned its lesson. I’m not sure I want to find out if they’re right.