There's a moment in the titular fight scene of Batman vs. Superman in which the camera pauses on Superman's face. It briefly appears as if he's had a moral realization and might try to reach for something deep. Instead he returns to his pointless, CGI-filled fight with Batman. That scene more or less summarizes my frustrations wit Dawn of Justice.
The central premise of Batman v. Superman is that Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill) are at odds; each believes the other to be a menace to society. But the film doesn't bother to fully explore their philosophical differences or properly develop the two characters' respective psychologies. It really just plays out as the two resenting the attention the other receives. Batman and Superman may have different methods, but nominally shouldn't they be above the kind of childish pettiness that fuels the majority of the narrative? And if not - why? Neither Batman nor Superman ever tries to engage the other in any serious discussion, and the result is a two hour long pissing contest between two moody adolescents both can't understand why they aren't the unanimous prom king.
Batman v. Superman is the exact opposite of Batman & Robin, in that it takes itself as seriously as possible; it's what I imagine Alejandro G. Iñárritu wishes superhero movies would strive for. It's clear the movie has little intention of providing the sense of escapism and wonder usually associated with the genre. On face that's not an issue, because the best superhero stories can also provide cutting commentary on the structure and institutions that comprise the societies they protect. Unfortunately, Batman v. Superman lacks the necessary intellectual and emotional heft to pull off this type of introspection. The movie raises questions about how much power any one being should have, and on the limits and problems of vigilante justice - but it never attempts to answer them, because Batman and Superman are too busy fuming at each other from afar.
Henry Cavill is bland; Ben Affleck's acting isn't so much bad as nonexistent - I get that Batman isn't the most expressive character, but the occasional facial expression (or really just anything other than a blank face) might be nice. Gal Gadot is solid if not spectacular with the material she's given as Wonder Woman - she's the only one who acts like a superhero because the only one who acts like an adult. I would argue Senator June Finch (Holly Hunter) is the most compelling character in the movie. Normally the meddling senator feels like a convenient plot device in these movies, but Hunter raises all the right questions in a firm and cogent manner. Hunter elevates her role to audience surrogate, and in some ways protagonist, by convincingly exploring issues far more interesting than our two leads can be bothered with. Hunter's scene-stealing performance is compact, and I wish she had gotten a bigger role. As Lex Luthor, Jesse Eisenberg ratchets up his usual camp to an unbearable limit. Tom Hanks didn't ham it up this much in Forrest Gump. Even Kevin Spacey never hams it up this much in House of Cards. Hell, even Christophe Waltz never hammed it up this much in Big Eyes. Eisenberg approaches the role like he's auditioning to play Joker in Joel Schumacher's sequel to Batman & Robin. Not only is Eisenberg's performance irritating on its own merits, it's completely out of place with the rest of the movies tone, and it makes Lex Luthor the least compelling villain of all time.
Eventually Luthor manages to manipulate Superman into fighting Batman, setting off the much anticipated fight. Batman and Superman don't actually have any reason to fight, and their "dispute" could be solved in 20 seconds if the two of them just talked like normal human beings. It's impossible to care about the outcome of the fight, its entire existence is predicated on nonsense. It's possible the film wanted to use this fight to show the folly of man, and comment on male egotism; the fact that Amy Adams is the one who breaks up the fight and allows them to communicate with each other would support this. The cynical side of me believes this lame miscommunication was simply an excuse to bombard us with more CGI. This Batman/Superman fight scene is interminable, as is the final fight sequence.
Batman v. Superman could've been a fascinating movie. It could've explored deontology vs. utility though Batman and Superman's respective approaches to fighting crime. It could've been a deep dive on what checks and balances superheroes ought to have in place. Hell, it could've been a fun buddy crime-fighting romp. But it's none of those things; any hint of a good story is smothered by over-reliance on loud but hollow fight sequences, poor acting, dour writing, and general joylessness.
Grade: 3.5/10
