Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) Movie Review (Spoilers)

         

            This review is going to be about Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and why people should see it. I am first going to give a quick background of the movie and its correlation to other movies within the genre. This is important in understanding the meaning and significance of the movie beyond the film itself. I saw the movie on the opening night which was March 25, 2016. It was, as for many, my most anticipated movie of the year. It was highly anticipated mostly because it was within the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), which is a universe within cinema where all of the movies and characters are connected. In a way, they all create one big story that is told through all of the different films. For example, the first movie in this universe is Man of Steel (2013). This movie shows the origins of Superman and how he became the savior that he is known as today. The DCEU was developed to fulfill fans’ dreams of seeing all of the DC Comic superheroes (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, etc.) come to life. This universe was developed mainly because Marvel, DC’s top competitor, introduced the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) in 2008 and have produced 13 movies since. These movies have proved to dominate the box office and lure fans in to want more and more. So, DC Comics teamed up with Warner Brothers Studios to develop and plan out the DC Universe. Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is the second edition to the DCEU and I highly recommend seeing it.

            Following the film’s genre, there was also a clear sense of what the characters’ motives and drives were throughout the film. Batman had intense hatred for Superman in the first and second acts because, unknowing at the time, he was being manipulated by none other than Lex Luthor. Lex was the clear antagonist in the film and hated Superman because knowing that there was a being out there capable of flight, super strength, and laser vision made this psychotic genius feel small and lesser of a person. So, his plan was to convince Batman that Superman was a huge threat to the world and that he needed to be stopped. Ergo, over the span of 18 months, he would frame Superman and make it look like he was a destructive force which finally made Batman feel the hatred too. Superman, the protagonist in the film, struggled throughout the movie to deal with the falsified perception people had on him. He tried to win over the people but everything he did seemed to be turned around on him. So, when he tried to convince Batman that this was all Lex’s doing, Batman did not believe him and they fought. The emotion and realism brought to the characters is what made them relatable even during a fight as epic as this.

            In addition, the characters’ adaptations were not only faithful to the comics but also new and innovative to fit in with modern times. The actors portrayed them in such a way which convinced me that these superheroes existed. Ben Affleck played Batman in the film. His casting was greatly feared by fans but it ended up being one of the best parts about the movie. His portrayal of Batman/Bruce Wayne was spot on, mastering the dark, gritty nature of the character. Erik Kain, a film critic for Forbes writes, “Affleck is the perfect choice for an older, more jaded and bloodthirsty Dark Knight. I mean, branding the bad guys? That’s about as dark as it comes”. In addition to Affleck, Henry Cavil, who played Superman/Clark Kent, put on over 30 pounds for the role. He looked like he was actually made of steel. Many people will then say you cannot just look the part but you have to act the part. This is completely true. Fortunately, he nailed the performance with a phenomenal mixture of a serious savior figure with that of an average, hardworking journalist at the Daily Planet. The most important part of these actors’ performances was that they made these characters believable and that they would actually live amongst us. The humanization of these superhero figures is a common error filmmakers make when taking on this genre.

Moreover, the director, Zack Snyder, is the one in charge of it all. He is known in the film industry for having beautiful visuals in his movies and this one did not fall short. The camera shots and editing did not feel choppy or badly put together. The scenes flowed and the action was what stood out. The time spent on the action scenes, particularly the fight between Batman and Superman, was choreographed in a very unique way. The fight seemed real even though they were not actually hitting each other. But, the camera angles made it look like they were. In addition, the CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) and green screen seemed to flow very well. I could not tell when real props were used versus when it was computerized. 

The original score in the film, composed by Junkie XL and Hans Zimmer, fit the setting in which it was placed. After Lois, Superman's girlfriend, had come to stop the fight and explained to Batman what Lex had done, Batman and Superman teamed up instead of fighting each other to defeat the common enemy, who was Lex. He had created a monster to fight them called Doomsday which derived from the planet Krypton where Superman is from. As they start to fight this monster, Wonder Woman enters! Her entrance shook the theater with its constant pounding of the drums and the electric guitar taking on the new Wonder Woman theme. The score added to the entrance making it that much more legendary as the audience gets to see the trio from the comics, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, fight against Doomsday. Then, towards the end of the movie, after Superman died while killing Doomsday in the process, the score was beautifully done as they brought back Superman’s childhood theme from the first movie, Man of Steel. This made everyone watching want to cry after they saw the death of their most idolized hero. 

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is a movie that I highly recommend you see if you want to have a fun film viewing experience. The movie has realism, symbolism, and a consistent tone that drives the film. The movie has opened up a whole new universe as it lays the foundation for the DCEU and who knows, maybe Superman will return somewhere along the line.