Review - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

    Hey guys, Chuck here. Despite the film having split both critics and audiences down the middle, Man of Steel was financially successful enough to receive a sequel, which led many DC fans speculating which of Superman's adversaries we'd see Henry Cavill's Superman face off against. Some fans speculated the likes of Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Metallo, and even Bizarro. However, at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con event, during a Hall H panel, actor Harry Lennix was asked by Zack Snyder to read the following passage from Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns": "I want you to remember, Clark, in all the years to come in your most private moments. I want you to remember my hand at your throat. I want you to remember the one man who beat you." After that passage was read, a logo featuring the Superman emblem superimposed over the logo of a bat, revealing that Superman would next square off against Batman. However, would the first ever big screen clash between two of the most iconic superheroes of all time be a massive success or would it fizzle out on arrival. Let's find out as we take a look at Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. And for the sake of reviewing the best version, I'll be reviewing the Ultimate Edition as opposed to the Theatrical Edition. 

    The movie's opening credits sequence showcases the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne, played here by Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Laure Cohan of The Walking Dead fame, as well as their funeral. During the funeral, young Bruce Wayne runs off, and falls down a well, only to be surrounded and returned to the surface by a swarm of bats. Years later, we see Bruce Wayne, played by Ben Affleck, arriving in Metropolis at the time that the Kryptonians, under the command of General Zod, attempting to terraform the Earth into a new Krypton (this incident was depicted in Man of Steel, so we know how the Kryptonians were stopped). Bruce hurriedly drives to a Wayne Corp building in Metropolis, and calls the office en route to order an evacuation of the building. Although the Kryptonian ship is stopped, and flung back to the Phantom Zone, the grudge match between Zod and Superman results in the destruction of the Wayne Corp building, leading to the loss of lives, and a Wayne Corp employee named Wallace Keefe, played by Scoot McNairy, ends up losing his legs. The overall destruction and excessive amounts of civilian casualties enrages Bruce to the Kryptonians, leading him to suit up once again as the masked vigilante Batman. 

    Years later, free divers in the Indian Ocean lift a mineral out from under the water. A mineral left behind by the Kryptonian World Engine. We'll get back to that later on. Meanwhile, Lois Lane, played once again by Amy Adams, is in Africa along with photographer Jimmy Olsen, set to interview a local general, when it is revealed that Olsen is an undercover CIA agent, and that the CIA used Lois' credentials to gain access. After Olsen is killed, Lois and the general head inside, and several of who appear to be the general's men start killing everyone and burning the place. Shortly thereafter, Superman, played once more by Henry Cavill, arrives and rescues Lois from the general. This incident, among others, is a part of the platform that US Senator June Finch, played by Holly Hunter, is building to reign in Superman from acting unilaterally, and without the consent of the American government. Meanwhile, Clark is living with Lois, who unlike previous versions, is fully aware that he is Superman. Clark is also struggling with his job as a reporter for the Daily Planet, as he wants to get the truth out there, but is limited by the stories he is assigned by Perry White, played by Laurence Fishburne. One such story is a follow-up on a major college football game where Gotham City University lost to Metropolis State University. However, Clark is more interested in writing about the Batman, who has become more violent and aggressive towards criminals, even going so far as to brand them with the symbol of the bat. This new aggressive tendency leads Bruce to be reprimanded by his butler and loyal confidant Alfred Pennyworth, played by Jeremy Irons. 

    Meanwhile, LexCorp CEO Lex Luthor, played by Jesse Eisenberg, meets with Finch in regards to a mineral that has been discovered recently with the ability to decay Kryptonian cells, with the largest sample of this new mineral being found at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. Luthor and Finch also reference the so-called "Metahuman thesis," a theory regarding to ordinary people with extraordinary abilities (Gods among men, if you will). Unfortunately, Finch blocks the import license that Lex needs to ship the mineral into the US. However, he is undeterred from his plans, and hosts a charity event for the Metropolis library, to which he invites both Bruce and Clark, as well as Diana Prince aka Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot. Bruce attends in the hope that Lex has details on something called the "White Portugese," Clark is in attendance on assignment for the Daily Planet, where he gets into a back-and-forth conversation with Bruce about the difference in opinion that the two have on Superman and Batman, while Diana believes that Lex has an old picture that belongs to her. Clark is called away after seeing news footage from Mexico, and we have a montage of Clark saving lives everywhere, while many media personalities, and even astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, discussing Superman and his place in the world. Bruce, after another encounter with Diana, gets the hard drive that he had copied at Luthor's party, and breaks the military-grade encryption on it, learning that the White Portugese is a ship bringing the mineral that Luthor wants to Gotham, to be transported to Metropolis later. Bruce has a vision, in what is known as the "Knightmare scene," where the Earth has been overtaken by troopers, as well as Parademons from the planet Apokolips, all under the command of a tyrannical Superman, who kills Bruce. This is followed by a warning from the future by The Flash, played by Ezra Miller.

    Meanwhile, with help from Wallace, who is angry at Superman for the loss of his legs, works with Luthor to use a Senate hearing to bring down Superman. Lois, meanwhile, has been researching a bullet that she found in her journal, and learns that the metal in the bullet comes from LexCorp. At the hearing, Superman arrives and a bomb in Wallace's lead-lined chair detonates, killing many and injuring countless others. After helping EMT's rescue the wounded, and carrying out the dead, Clark flies off, returning to Lois later on, before hiking up a frigid mountain to talk to a vision of Jonathan Kent, played again by Kevin Costner. Bruce, meanwhile, having been thwarted in his attempt to get his hands on the mineral--you know what? Let's just call the mineral what it is: Kryptonite. Anyway, Bruce gets the Kryptonite, puts together an armored Batsuit, and creates three dust canisters and a spear rom the Kryptonite. Luthor then orders his main henchman Anatoli Knyazev, played by Callan Mulvey, to abduct Martha Kent, played by Diane Lane, and has another henchman collect Lois Lane. Luthor shoves Lois off the roof of LexCorp, and she is saved by Clark, who confronts Luthor. However, Luthor turns it around and gives Clark an ultimatum: kill the Batman, and Martha lives. Clark then flies to Lois, and tells her he is going across the Bay to Gotham to confront Batman. Meanwhile, having gained access to both Zod's dead body and the crashed Kryptonian ship, Luthor uses the Genesis Chamber to create a monster to destroy Superman.

    In Gotham, Bruce and Clark slug it out, with Clark trying to convince Bruce to help save Martha. For most of the fight, Bruce in undeterred, intent on destroying Clark. After mentioning the name Martha, which was also the name of Bruce's mother, Bruce pauses, demanding to know why Clark said the name Martha, when Lois arrives and tells Bruce that Martha is the name of Clark's Earth mother. Bruce, realizing that there was more to Clark than he previously thought, offers to go rescue Martha, telling Clark to face Luthor at the Kryptonian ship, where Luthor unleashes none other than Doomsday, the deformity born from Zod's body and Luthor's blood. Clark fights Doomsday, and flies it into space, where a nuke is launched to destroy it, to no avail. Bruce, having saved Martha, sees Doomsday and leads it to the abandoned port in Gotham, where the Kryptonite spear still was. Diana, having seen the events on the news, suits up herself and joins the fight, and a recovered Superman joins in as well. Now, the shot of DC's trinity of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman standing together is awesome, but the fight that follows between the three and Doomsday was just okay. The fight ends with Clark sacrificing himself to impale Doomsday with the Kryptonite spear, while himself being impaled by one of Doomsday's protrusions. Both Superman and Doomsday are dead, and the fight is over. Luthor, witnessing a projection of the demonic general from Apokolips, Steppenwolf, is arrested and taken to prison, and shaved bald (which is more in line with his comic book counterpart). It is in prison that he is confronted by Batman, who has arranged for Luthor's transfer to Arkham Asylum in Gotham, but Luthor warns of "his" impending arrival now that Superman is dead. Two funerals are held: one in Smallville for Clark Kent, attended by friends and family, as well as Bruce and Diana (the former of whom pays the funeral director anonymously), and another in Metropolis for Superman, which is held by the US military and now Secretary Swanwick, played by Harry Lennix, with thousands of mourners honor their fallen protector. 

    Batman v Superman, in its theatrical form, is a mess. However, the extra thirty minutes of footage restored in the Ultimate Edition does smooth out the story of the film quite a bit. Now, there are still ridiculous moments in the film, but at least the story feels more complete in the Ultimate Edition. Easily, the best parts of the film are Ben Affleck's Batman, Jeremy Irons as Alfred, and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. The CGI for Doomsday was decent, and I enjoyed Henry Cavill's return as Superman, not to mention the new design for the Batmobile. However, the main weakness was Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Jesse's over-the-top neurotic portrayal of the character was just way too cartoonish, it didn't feel like Lex at all. However, the big draw of the movie is that is showcased something fans of comics wanted to see for years: Batman and Superman on screen at the same time. In that regard, it worked well. Now, the theatrical version of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice only gets a rating of 2/5 due to that version's shortcomings, and a lack of explanation for certain moments. However, the Ultimate Edition gets a rating of 4/5. It's still a mess, but not as big of a mess. Now, Zack Snyder would continue the story with these characters in Justice League, but Warner Bros. and DC had more movies they wanted to make along with it, so my review of Justice League will have to wait, because my next review is on a movie that asks about what the American government plans to put together as a deterrent against future Metahuman threats, and who thought it was a good idea to make a black ops unit entirely out of supervillains. Join me next time as I take a look at Suicide Squad.