Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was one of the most anticipated comic book movie adaptions of 2016, right up there with Deadpool and Captain America: Civil War. Fans of the superhero genre expected everything from a movie that was taking quite a few risks such as using a new actor as Batman, Ben Affleck, instead of the beloved Christian Bale and beginning a crossover of DC characters. Director Zack Snyder needed to prove that he could eclipse his previous struggles with Man of Steel and successfully set up a DC universe.

The marketing team for this film did everything they in their power to intrigue as many people as possible, spending a massive $160 million on marketing alone. Three full length trailers and several teasers were released in the three year span leading up to the movie’s release on March 25, 2016. All of this went into creating the idea the this film would be exceptional in the minds of the viewers.

The plot of the movie is fairly simple, yet the movie ends up seeming very complicated. Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) sees the damage and loss of life caused by Superman’s actions in Metropolis during Man of Steel, a previous film by Zack Snyder. He believes that Superman (Henry Cavill) has too much power and should not be the protector of the earth. Superman/Clark Kent, on the other hand, sees Batman as a threat to the peace he is trying to achieve. This builds tension between the two characters. While this is occurring, they are being forced into war by Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), who is scheming to control the supernatural powers in the world.

While this film did many things correctly, the positives were negated by numerous flaws. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice did an excellent job in their portrayal of Superman as too powerful in the eyes of Bruce Wayne, making him seem somewhat malicious. The film, however, did not give us any reason to side with Batman over Superman. While the studio should not have sided with one superhero over the other, as they did not, they did not give us a reason to take the side of either of the superheros, causing a lack of interest in the characters from the audience. Ben Affleck does an excellent job as Batman, but it seemed the script he was provided with was very lackluster, he had the opportunity to do much more with his role. This may also stem from the fact that most people remember Christian Bale as a more human Batman, whereas Snyder wanted Affleck to be more of the Batman from the comic books. Somewhat the opposite can be said about Henry Cavill as superman. He was the basis of the plot, and his acting felt more statuesque than Affleck’s. Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor was hit or miss. At times, the young, energetic Eisenberg proved a brilliant antagonist; however, at other times his role seemed too psychotic. Amy Adams as Lois Lane worked as the damsel in distress. She under-performed when it came time to break that role and help our protagonists.

For a movie called Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice you would expect a movie filled with constant action and violence between the two characters, right? This is where many people were mistaken. There were two major fight scenes combined into one during a movie that spanned for about 30 minutes of its lengthy 151 minute run time. While this works to build tension, it was drawn out too long until a final battle took place. One aspect that this movie excelled in was its visuals. From toppling buildings to dark, shadowy rooms, this movie displayed excellent cinematography; however, the movie fell short in a few other areas. There are many instances in the film that are unnecessary. The film seems to spend half of its time trying to build a sequel that has already been leaked instead of making the movie great as it could have been.

Overall, the film is not as awful as some proclaim it to be, yet it has not lived up to the expectations it garnered before its release. It has positive aspects with quite a few drawbacks. This film can be fun to watch if your expectations are not too high. It is not the greatest comic book movie adaptation ever made, nor is it the worst, I mean, they let George

play Batman at one point. 6.5/10