Ben Oliver

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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Do you bleed?
28 March 2016

Ordinarily, I like to put up a little synopsis of the film I’m about to review but in this case I think the title says it all. Batman fights Superman.

Goodness only knows why they keep giving Zack Snyder films to make. After the ok 300, the passable Watchmen & the dire Man of Steel it’s hard to think of a director with such a unique, singular vision that still manages to disappoint at every turn. Like Michael Bay he has a particular style to his work and, like Michael Bay, he needs to stop.

Batman v Superman has its moments though, notably the solo-Batman stuff. Ben Affleck could probably pull off an older Batman in a film version of The Dark Knight Returns. Amy Adams is always good value for money and here makes her mark as Lois Lane. There’s a… memorable… bath tub scene, which frankly is surplus to requirements but I’m not complaining. Jeremy Irons makes for a good Alfred, world weary, wise and sardonic.

The opening scenes are also pretty well thought out, we see the final battle from Man of Steel through Bruce Wayne’s eyes and it does prove to be an interesting perspective.

It’s a shame then that overall Batman v Superman is a long, loud mess. Lex Luther (Jesse Eisenberg) is in this but has no real drive or reason for doing any of what he does. Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) also makes an appearance and suffers from the same problem.

The real crime is that Snyder bores us into submission with noise and slow motion. Perhaps if he played more stuff at regular speed we could be out of the cinema quicker. The last hour or so plays out like a repeat of Man of Steel only with Batman standing at the sidelines (doing naff-all).

This is a weak entry into an already shaky franchise. There are glimmers of hope but nothing saves this from being the gloomy snooze-fest you were expecting.