Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: Directed by Zack Snyder. Starring Henry Cavil, and Ben Affleck3/24/2016 There’s a film out there—not a good one—called Pompeii. You probably don’t remember it because admittedly it’s kind of terrible, except one moment. At the very end, the film plays a moment of such sweep, such a delicate camera, such a cathartic moment. It’s not effective enough to save the movie though. It’s a perfect moment that a movie like itself doesn’t deserve. Pompeii is Batman v Superman. Batman v Superman doesn’t deserve its rousing moments. It’s too incompetent otherwise. That hurts too. Man of Steel, for all it’s violence, was a full blooded and earnest action movie. Superman was a likeable and inspiring character, and each of the other characters were given something heroic to do. It was structured well. It was almost poetic in its use of imagery. Batman v Superman retains that for its first scene, which is probably the most excellently staged killing of Batman’s parents put to screen. But then it cuts to the ground level view of the attack of Metropolis, and problems seem to rise immediately. The usually still camera of Zack Snyder is shakier than it usually is, Superman is no longer heroic. Cut to a generic and deflated desert area… oh god. No. The blood is gone. The personal drama. The moment of awe when Perry White stares into the eye’s of his weeping employee caught under the rubble of Metropolis, as the Man of Steel gets up finally to win. Anything of that sort is lacked here, and that’s probably a focus issue...or maybe it’s just Batman. Hell if I know...guys let me level with you here; I’m wildly caught off guard. I haven’t seen such an empty piece of work since...well maybe Pompeii. Batman v Superman is indiscernible from it’s predecessor. Sure, Man of Steel was washed out, but it had hope. Batman v Superman has one excellent villain (Jesse Eisenberg is about the only thing that works here), well choreographed but sloppily photographed fight scenes, and the WORST TYPE OF BATMAN YOU CAN HAVE. I watch movies for the feeling I get from the good ones. I like Superman because it means something to me that a person on Earth with all the power in the world would use it for good. I like Batman because...well everyone gets angry and wish fulfillment is awesome. I like Lois Lane because will they won’t they bull is awesome. I like Wonder Woman because she’s abjectly feminine, and because she is a well drawn female character that doesn’t even prompt the conversation of how she can kick as much ass as the men. She’s just Wonder Woman. Yet, with this movie I saw a Superman that was looked down on and didn’t use his powers for good. I saw a Batman that I wouldn’t want to be. I saw a Lois Lane that said she loved Superman, but lacked the ability to show it, and I saw a Wonder Woman who...actually she was fucking awesome and completely in character. And yes it might be just because my versions of Superman and Batman aren’t there, but the filmmaking incompetency here is still apparent. Snyder, usually a great visual stylist, presents images that shake, and disorient the audience. Why pay $400 million dollars on a movie if the audience can’t properly see it? I don’t blame you if you look down on this review. It’s sloppy, fragmented, and probably not worth your time, but I guess that’s the perfect way to convey this movie. Go see Zootopia, or 10 Cloverfield Lane. You’ll be happy after those.
1 Comment
Jamie Tipton
3/29/2016 03:37:17 pm
What do you think could have been changed to make it better? Do you think that, with the footage that was filmed, there is a way to make a better movie?
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CategoriesAuthorHello welcome to FilmAnalyst. My name is Stephen Tronicek, and I really like movies. This is a way to get my opinions out to people. Thank you for visiting. |