Superman, seemingly on top of the world, met his match in Batman in the highly anticipated film “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” The two and a half hour knock-down-drag-out between the two heroes kicked off this summer’s blockbuster season.
Released March 25, this film is the second installment in the DC Extended Universe and a follow-up of the 2013 film “Man of Steel.”
The film discussed the world’s fear and distrust of Superman and showed while he was helping people, he was also hurting them, which in turn, provoked Batman’s rage and subsequent retaliation.
Superman, on the other hand, believes Batman to be dangerous. Businessman Lex Luthor, whose main goal is to destroy Superman, aids in pitting the two heroes against each other and creating a fight of epic proportion.
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” broke the Warner Bros.’ studio record for biggest opening weekend with $170.1 million, beating out “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.”
Currently, the film has made $420 million in the box office with a budget of $250 million. However, over $150 million was spent on marketing and promotion.
The film provides viewers with a lot of firsts. This is the first live-action film to feature both Batman and Superman, and also marks Wonder Woman’s first film appearance.
“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” provided viewers with a sneak peek of Gal Gadot, who makes a marvelously powerful Diana Prince. Her solo film is planned to be released in June of next year.
Cameos of Flash, Aqua Man and Cyborg can be found throughout the film. These serve as Easter eggs for the upcoming solo and Justice League films.
The film was built on an emotional foundation, with both Batman and Superman attributing their problems to their childhood traumas.
The casting and acting was superb. Jesse Eisenberg has perfectly crafted the art of Lex Luthor and his frequent egomaniacal power trips. Ben Affleck shines not only in the role of Batman, but also as Bruce Wayne and was successful in channeling his character’s rage.
But, there was little character development. The film based its characters off of assumptions and few introductions were made— too much was left unsaid and unexplained.
The film serves as a stepping-stone to the superhero movies to come, but otherwise lacks a specific purpose. Two noble heroes face each other, but seem to fail in establishing a particular goal. For an action movie, the film lacks action.
After the Batman verus Superman problem is solved, there’s not much else. The ending is deflating and anti-climatic. It desperately needs to turn in another direction, but falls flat.
There is no clear victor in the fight between the heroes, but that doesn’t leave us without a winner— the fans are the ones who prevail. “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” may not have been a big hit with the critics, but is being lauded by viewers as an extraordinary achievement and well worth the wait.