Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, 2016 — ★★★
“Nothing can stay good in this world” — Superman.
At one point in the film, an exasperated superman utters these words. It is when he realizes that his dad’s teachings are not the only way of the world. On this realization, he course corrects himself. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the crew behind this project.
DC’s superheroes are way more powerful than their counterparts in Marvel. And arguably the most iconic person from the DC world is a simple mortal human being, The Batman. This results in conflicts. At one end of the spectrum you have a believable superhero which can be brought into the realms of reality, and at the other you have a magnificent larger than life power. The problems become worse when it is the realism route you have already taken and are loved for it.
The Dark Knight trilogy was fantastic. It was loved by fans and critics alike. Well… not the last one, but it is okay. Couple that with the success of Gotham, Smallville type of TV shows, you understand that DC can not or does not want to handle epic proportions of conflict with a lot of moving parts. They have not attempted it yet (Uh-hmm… Green Lantern) and hence this attempt feels spotty.
Zack Snyder gave us a 40-minute fight sequence in Man of Steel. He knows what he can do best. From 300 to Sucker Punch, he has shown consistently that he has a detailed out vision of a fight sequence. He knows his camera angles. He knows his over dramatized color tones. It was clear from trailers that this movie also has his characteristic stamp. He has dream sequences for Batman so that he can truly put his imagination on screen.
No director working on Batman project can resist showing the scene of his parents death or the dark knight surveying the area before engaging the fight. Snyder does all that too. However, that was not expected of him. Ben Affleck’s batman has crossed the edge, he has become much darker. Why is that? An average comic book fan, if he is expected to know what Joker did to Robin, already knows Batman’s origin story. Why put an emphasis on that? Why not show what made Batman darker, haughty and colder. Even in the most conflicted moment of a fight, an appeal is made to his soft side by reeling in the parents angle. We do not want that. We want to know what happened to him. That is the value add. We do not see that here.
It is as if we are seeing two different movies. A part of it contemplates about how humanity can co-exist with a being so powerful that can level the entire planet without breaking a sweat. It talks about our attempts to bring that much power under the democratic ambit. These are big questions, these are the questions we are faced when we talk about driverless cars, robotic surgery machines etc. We are talking about giving power to something or someone without known ways to enforce accountability. It needs discussions. These are existential fears, the feelings of helplessness or being at a mercy of a Godlike entity who walks among us. An omnipotent one by relative standards who smiles at us as he rescues us from floods or fires. What if this smile ever vanishes?
After an origin story, in which the existence of earth is threatened, you expect the aftermath to be its sequel. You expect, for the most part, the movie to depict how humanity wraps its heads around the scope of things. This followed by someone like Doomsday, which helps humans to stand with superman and consider him as their protector. Where does Batman fit in all this? Right… Nowhere.
Yet we have the other part. The part that brings the most loved character back on screen and pits him against the supposed protagonist of the movie for a complete commercial intent to wash off the stain that was Man of Steel. Didn’t they play the card too soon? DC needs to be comfortable on the path they have chosen, or throw it all out of the window and follow Marvel. From its attempts at TV or in the movies from Batman begins, DC has taken the route of showing an adult superhero. It brings the drama back to the screen while sticking with the superhero context. If there is Marvel, there can still be DC. Both do not have to be the same. I do not have a strong affiliation for any of the comic book houses, but I know this. When I want a casual entertainer I go see Avengers. When I want a well-made drama I go and see Batman Begins, again. DC has the abilities and the characters to show that superhero movies are not automatically action films. Superhero as a subject can span in multiple genres. They need to be confident in what they are doing. I didn’t see that in BvS, not at least in the later half of the film.
There is a reason why I called this spotty. As the first half is more of a philosophical discussion, the later suddenly shifts tracks and goes haywire. There are so many moving parts that you are left wondering what just happened. I just contested the place of batman in the film. I was definitely wondering where to keep Wonder Women and Doomsday. They combine at least two comic books, The Death of Superman and The Dark knight Returns. Why complicate it? Why burden the plot? How can I give them enough room so that they matter? I can’t, but I’ve got an answer, not a satisfying one. Justice League.
It is like clicking a photograph where the multiple subjects are at varying distances from the lens. Snyder wanted to bring all of them into focus but he could never. What results in a blurry photograph, focussing at nothing in particular.
DC universe is made of silos. Gotham and Metropolis are rarely juxtaposed in a way that can create a sense of continuity. Marvel, on the other hand, has real world cities where things happen, so the way they are building their cine-universe makes sense. DC portrays Gotham and Metropolis as twin cities in this. The comic books have no continuity there. I see no need to wire everything together to create a cinematic universe. There can be crossovers, but we need not necessarily engineer it from the start. Marvel did it because it makes sense, DC did not have to follow. A good example in recent times is Deadpool. They have no place to fit him in the larger scheme of things. He stands alone, so has a lot of freedom and he excels in it.
I am going to go to traditional review bits now. Everything said till now mostly was complaining in nature, which mostly questioned the thought process behind the plot and execution that is Batman v Superman. But what it is, is now out there. On screen. Does it entertain?
It was interesting to notice how TDK starts with Joker, TDKR starts with Bane and BvS starts with Batman. There is a pattern here. All those characters have taken more screen time than the protagonist. From dream sequences to smirky Bruce, we get enough of Batman. We have to remind ourselves that this is a Superman movie.
Snyder is typical with the choice of colors and action sequences. He excels in the fight sequences. Those are definitely enjoyable. The way camera travels between Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman and Doomsday is impressive. Wonder Women entrance in the fight is lovely. Few minutes following that is bliss for any action movie lover. Snyder isn’t overhyped in that regard.
The acting is good. Henry Cavill rarely gets any chance to express. But he shows restrained presence in the scenes which demand it from him. His exasperation standing in an unfortunate incident is very well conveyed. Amy Adams as Lois Lane is good. though, she has very few things to do. Ben Affleck kills as Batman. All those skepticism outbreaks after his casting are proven conclusively wrong. He brings out a very menacing, disdainful, dark knight. He is wired, no-nonsense types and has utter disregard for this over-powerful alien. It shows. Michael Caine has sealed Alfred for me. There is no other. However, Jeremy Irons does not disappoint completely. He has his moments, but he is too young for the role and it shows.
Casting skepticism is perfect for Jesse Eisenberg. He is irritating in most of the scenes. That was definitely not the Lex Luthor I had expected. His delivery and timing both go off for the most part. His backstory and disdain are never fully explained, so he comes off as a borderline insane character, which is a wrong portrayal of a very intelligent person in DC universe.
Hans Zimmer should be credited for the overarching thick gloom that makes you hard to breathe. His music from the Dark Knight Trilogy to this one is one of the reasons why DC universe is so dark. Probably, that was expected of him, and he delivers. His heavy organs and ambient music have a colossal impact. One that I can remember is the soundtrack when Wonder Woman engages in the fight. That is somewhat different from Hans’ other work, but it is exciting and full of energy. It has his characteristic ambiance along with sharp smirk of Wonder Woman herself. I just loved that entire sequence.
As a standalone movie, it is dark and brooding. In combination with Man of Steel and other DC ventures, it is darker. If DC is going on that path willingly, I just hope they go all in and be confident about it. I have my skepticisms about the casting of JLA because even flash feels darker than he should be and I am not happy about it, but I will stand with DC if that tone is a well-thought and informed decision.
Marvel movies are about day and DC is reigning in the night. As Marvel makes a foray to darkness with the likes of Daredevil, I hope DC finds something to counter. They are doing very well in their animation studios. I would not mind one of Lego movie types depiction of DCU characters once in a while. As more and more movies come with a morose setting, it is going to be progressively harder for DC to climb back from the extremes. I hope DC knows that well.
