Direction: Jack Snyder; Cast:
Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Jeremy
Irons, Holly Hunter; Story: based on characters published by DC
Comics; Screenplay: Chris Terrio, David Guyer; Cinematography:
Larry Fong; Editing: David Brenner; Music: Hans Zimmer, Junkie
XL; Producers: Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder; Genre: Action; Location:
Gotham City and Metropolis; Distributor: Warner Bros Running Time:
151 minutes
Technical
assessment: 2.5
Moral
assessment: 3
Rating:
V14
Eighteen months prior to the present times,
Bruce Wayne (Affleck) loses his father as he witnesses the destruction caused
by Superman’s (Cavill) battle with Zod in the Metropolis. For Bruce, Superman’s
presence attracts alien hostiles and his over protectiveness for Lois Lane
(Adams) puts the entire society in danger. Fast forward to the present, Clark
Kent, now a senior reporter in the Daily Planet, frowns upon Batman’s vigilante
style in combating crime. Meanwhile, Lex Luther has been plotting a scheme to
frame Superman for countless loss of lives in an encounter with an African
dictator and eventually have him and Batman battle to death. Amidst this
complication, another superhuman, alien—Wonder Woman—is trying to make her own
investigation before Lex discovers the rest of her kind living on earth.
Superman
vs. Batman: Dawn of Justice is one of those movies whose outcome does not
meet expectations set by all the hype of its publicity and anticipation of the
fans. It is disappointingly awkward, slow paced and illogically convoluted.
Affleck and Henry have no chemistry as “frenemies” or charm as the unknowing
victims of Lex’s insanity. Wonder Woman is like a stick figure surfacing merely
to parade her evening gowns and flash that synthetic smile. The real let down
is the direction—or the lack of it. There are just too many subplots that need
to be explained and back stories that had to be exposed at the expense of
moving forward. By the time the action picks up, viewers are already too
exhausted trying to put pieces together. Holly Hunter’s Senator Finch and
Affleck’s worn-out Bruce Wayne are the performances that saved the film, as
well as Zimmer’s dramatic scoring. Sadly, not enough to make viewers believe
all the wait and anticipation was worth it. At the end of the movie, you simply
don’t feel any sympathy for any of the characters.
What does it
take to be a hero? Bravery? Courage? Superhuman powers? Gadgets? Intelligence?
Cunning? Maybe all of the above because these qualities make one SUPER. But at
the same time, we can’t produce a real superhero/heroine even with all of them
combined. Why? Because our superhero has to have a heart and soul. A heart that
empathizes with the oppressed, the victim, the one in need and a soul which
pushes one to sacrifice him/herself to save someone else and to dedicate
his/her existence for the betterment of the world. The heroes in this film are
as super as they can be but every inch human as well. While Batman and Superman
had their boyish moments of territorial aggression and dislike for each other,
they were able to overcome their grudges to save Superman’s Martha - and
figuratively Batman’s Martha as well. At the end of the film, Superman chooses
to sacrifice himself to save the world and Batman chooses to honor his
sacrifice by gathering and protecting other super humans so they can in turn
continue saving the world.
