Batman v. Superman: A movie worth seeing
“Batman v. Superman, Dawn of Justice” was one of the most highly anticipated movie releases of the year.
Since its Friday release, moviegoers have been packing theaters across the country for a movie that promises to finally settle an argument almost as old as the superheroes themselves.
While it does this and ended up being a great movie, it falls somewhat short of the movie I was hoping it would be.
The movie starts out strong, by highlighting both Superman and Batman at their best. Batman is shown as a shadowy warrior, brutally punishing the villains of Gotham with a vengeful rage. Superman is portrayed as an almost Godlike force, capable of being anywhere in the blink of an eye and all but indestructible. In fact, on more than one occasion in the movie Superman is compared to a God-like or Messiah-like figure.
The two finally meet in one of the best scenes in the movie, engaging in an interesting argument about their contrasting styles of superhero.
Speaking of their styles, I can’t write a review of this movie without saying something about Batman. The Batman portrayed in this film is a darker, angrier Batman than I’m used to. Oh, and his whole “no killing” rule? Pretty much more of a guideline than an actual rule.
Even if you set aside the scenes in the movie where Batman blatantly kills henchmen, when he and Superman fight there is no doubt that Batman is ready to put down the Man of Steel. This premeditated murder is a big departure from the Dark Knight I’m used to seeing.
Early on in the movie, the film raises a lot of big questions that are both relevant and thought provoking. As a society, have we, like Superman, been so busy asking what we can do that we haven’t paused long enough to ask ourselves what we should do? Is it justifiable to act outside the law like Batman? Or without oversight like Superman?
The film even grapples briefly with bigger philosophical questions about the nature of power, God, good and evil. Sadly, this early foray into the intellectual is quickly forgotten as the movie digresses into the prize-fight showcase that we all sort of knew it would be.
But as much as the film does wrong, there are even more things that it does very right.
Ben Affleck (Batman) and Henry Cavill (Superman) both give memorable and unique performances in their respective roles. Henry Cavill actually makes me like Superman, and that’s no small feat.
Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Lex Luthor is particularly memorable, giving us an antagonist that is a combination of Mark Zuckerbergand Victor Frankenstein. Eisenberg plays the supervillain drastically different in all of the right ways.
The movie also does what no other superhero movie has done well before: it shows the human cost of having huge battles in the middle of a population center. This makes the movie feel more real and gives a different perspective on our heroes’ actions.
Its incredible effects, spectacular fight scenes and its simple ability to make everyone in the audience feel a little like a kid again make the film exceedingly enjoyable. Cap all of this off with a strong and highly emotional ending, and you’ve got a movie well worth the price of admission.
All things considered, I’d say that “Batman v. Superman” squeaks into a four out of five star rating. The movie was entertaining and I’ll probably see it again before it leaves theaters, but it doesn’t quite live up to the high bar that it set for itself. Nevertheless, it makes for a great experience, and if you’ve got a free evening, make time for this one.
—colehammond95@gmail.com
@colehammondUSU