Batman vs Superman

Released: 2016
Grade: D+

Summary

Two years after Man of Steel, Batman is determined to stop Superman, since he has unlimited power and could easily take over the world. Meanwhile, Batman himself runs amok and unchecked in Gotham, as a vigilante. As the world turns against Superman, Lex Luthor sets up a showdown between both Superheroes.

Commentary

When this movie first came out, I really wasn’t very interested in it. After all, it seemed so much like Avengers: Civil War (which came out in the same year), that I wondered if the writers copied each other’s work. I finally saw this movie this past weekend, so at least I can check the box.

I was rather disappointed in this movie. This movie was completely underwhelming. Clocking in at well over 2 and a half hours, this film is one bloated mess of CGI extravagance that can’t make up its mind or tell a cohesive story.

I must admit I’m not a fan of “realistic” superhero stories. I really don’t want my Superheroes to have bad attitudes, operate above the law, kill people indiscriminately, have more vices than virtues, or etc. Having dark character superheroes doesn’t make the movie more realistic. After all, this is all fantasy to begin with. I don’t want to see Superman with an identity crisis or Batman with an inferiority complex. But then, this is exactly how the film was intended.

OK, so go with that if you want. But when it all comes down to it, the actual fight between these two characters takes less than 7 minutes. The entire rest of the movie is focused on a bunch of other Batman fluff, such as his background story (which we see something like 3 or 4 times in flashback scenes), his investigation into other superheroes presently at large, and his crazy dream sequences. And if that’s not enough, there’s even a nonsensical Congressional investigation into Superman’s activities and his unchecked powers. Most of this could have been removed from the film entirely, and it wouldn’t have changed anything.

I remember when this film was released that there was a lot of praise for Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Some people even went so far as to say she steals the show. That’s really quite a feat, considering she’s in the movie for about 15 minutes or less. Actually, I wasn’t blown away by her performance, but she does make for an excellent Wonder Woman. It seems the only purpose of this film is to set up future films for her, Justice League and Aquaman.

What all this means is that Batman vs Superman tried to do too much. It would have been better if it had a little more focus – and if it wasn’t so dark too.

Of Note

The prisoner number for Lex Luthor at the end of the film is TK421. That’s the same number of the Stormtrooper in Star Wars (A New Hope) who was not at his post.