Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
16/04/16 Filed in: Cinema
Back to the cinema after the school holidays and this week it was the epic battle between these two superheroes. I was intrigued on two levels: firstly, why two good guys should fight and, secondly, how Batman, despite his abilities, could hope to take on an indestructible opponent.
The answer to both conundrums becomes clear as we are shown the destruction of Metropolis as a result of the earlier battle between Superman and the evil Zod, which leaves Batman highly distrustful of Superman, who he feels would be able at any time to wreak havoc, should he so choose. Add to this the devilish scheming of Lex Luther, who I thought was interestingly portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg, whose aim is to set the two crime fighters against each other. Then we have, of course, a large chunk of Kryptonite, the final leveller in the battle that was to ensue.
In this film Batman's suit is more like armour and he certainly comes across as a much meaner figure than in earlier films, his demeanour matching his outfit. Superman is much nicer, his relationship with Lois Lane (Amy Adams) being sort of out in the open on this occasion. In fact his rescuing of Lois early on in the story turns out to be the result of a Lex Luther plot that is part of the grand plan to undermine Superman's public persona.
The answer to both conundrums becomes clear as we are shown the destruction of Metropolis as a result of the earlier battle between Superman and the evil Zod, which leaves Batman highly distrustful of Superman, who he feels would be able at any time to wreak havoc, should he so choose. Add to this the devilish scheming of Lex Luther, who I thought was interestingly portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg, whose aim is to set the two crime fighters against each other. Then we have, of course, a large chunk of Kryptonite, the final leveller in the battle that was to ensue.
In this film Batman's suit is more like armour and he certainly comes across as a much meaner figure than in earlier films, his demeanour matching his outfit. Superman is much nicer, his relationship with Lois Lane (Amy Adams) being sort of out in the open on this occasion. In fact his rescuing of Lois early on in the story turns out to be the result of a Lex Luther plot that is part of the grand plan to undermine Superman's public persona.
We have to wait a bit for it, but the confrontation is inevitable, with Superman finally goaded into the fight to save his Earth mother, Martha. Meanwhile Lex has another iron in the fire, in the shape of an alien ogre that he somehow incubates, so when Batman and Superman finally realise that their fight might be the wrong one, they turn their attention to the indestructible ogre. This is also the cue for Wonder Woman to enter the fray.
It's all good superhero fun with plenty of destruction. In fact it amazes me how Metropolis manages continually to rebuild itself. The ending is, in fact, a bit of a surprise, although I guess it has set things up for at least one sequel, with Wonder Woman likely to be joined by some more amazing characters. The Dawn of Justice part of the title alludes to what may be coming in future instalments.
Reviews have been decidedly luke warm, with the Rotten Tomatoes' critics only stretching to 23%, although the audience reviews on the site manage 69%. In fairness with all the Batman and Superman films that we've had over the years I guess the director needed to look for some new angles, but I'll leave it to you to decide whether his efforts have succeeded.
It's all good superhero fun with plenty of destruction. In fact it amazes me how Metropolis manages continually to rebuild itself. The ending is, in fact, a bit of a surprise, although I guess it has set things up for at least one sequel, with Wonder Woman likely to be joined by some more amazing characters. The Dawn of Justice part of the title alludes to what may be coming in future instalments.
Reviews have been decidedly luke warm, with the Rotten Tomatoes' critics only stretching to 23%, although the audience reviews on the site manage 69%. In fairness with all the Batman and Superman films that we've had over the years I guess the director needed to look for some new angles, but I'll leave it to you to decide whether his efforts have succeeded.