As promised, here is part 2 of our review for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

 

Review

“Tashneem” – Let me start by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, more than Man of Steel (hated it), but it goes without saying that it did have flaws. There are certain flaws that can be overlooked, while others are just too annoying to be avoided.

FLAWS:

Lois Lane- I cannot stand her (this coming from a kid who aspired to be Lois Lane from a young age). She’s needy, overly emotional, weak and just all out exasperating –technically the equivalent of A WIMP. She had little to NO point in the movie. However, I can see her why Snyder went the way he did. Showing us how, frustratingly, important this character is to the protagonist, Superman, thereby introducing the themes for future DC movies. But honestly, she was just too hard to like. He might have highlighted her importance, but he inadvertently made her the most unlikable Louis Lane I’ve ever come across. I mean she’s an, apparent, ‘award winning journalist’ that can’t handle life threatening situations or think on her feet. Complete BS.

Superman- Oh, Superman, how you’ve changed, gone is the goody two-shoes hero who fought for ‘Truth, Justice, and the American way’. Snyder, you kept the ‘American way’, but WHAT HAPPENED TO TRUTH AND JUSTICE? Superman makes rash decisions without considering the TRUTH and wreaks havoc without considering ‘Justice’. This leads him to have a ‘macho man’ pissing contest with Batman, his ignorance and failure to learn the truth blinds him (spot on for the ‘American way’, Snyder). I was left with so many Justice Vs Morality questions regarding this version of Superman. Does the end truly justify the means? Does this version of Superman even have a moral code? I know why he had to kill Zod in ‘Man of Steel’, but why didn’t he show any remorse in this movie? Supes has major moral issues, top that with daddy issues and you get Snyder’s Superman. I personally think Snyder hates Superman’s ideology; this might be the only reason to Snyder’s madness. This Superman kills, threatens with ‘death by Superman’ one-liners, is co-dependent, a relationship addict and more importantly puts his own needs before saving lives.  Yet again, I know Snyder played with these themes for future DC movies, but the core goodness/ethics of the first Superman is officially GONE, so let’s take time to lament the original ‘Death of Superman’ by the hands of Snyder and roll out the red carpet for Lois Lane’s BitchBoy.

Batman and Superman’s fight scene (all of them)- Ah, the pissing contest between Batman and Superman. What pisses me off with Snyder is that he thinks he can change the core strengths of characters and just get away with it. Batman’s core character strength is his mental power. He is a problem solving strategist, cunningly 3 steps ahead of his enemies. I find it so hard to believe that he is manipulated by Lex (for 2years) and that he is governed more by emotions than logic or reason. Don’t get me wrong, the essence of Batman was there and I have to emphasize the GREATNESS of Ben Affleck. However, the plot formula used to the build-up of the fighting scene and the end of the scene was mediocre, felt wrong and out of place. It was a serious scene, but I could not stop laughing at how easily it was to stop the fight.

Comic Book References- Speaking on behalf of the people that I’ve received feedback from (Non-comic book readers) the action scenes were the best thing the movie offered. People found it hard to fully understand the ‘complex plot’, the unsettling visualizations and the countlessly evident comic book references. This made the movie seem more complicated than what it actually was. One thing everyone agreed with is the fact that Lois Lane IS infuriating.

Now that my rant is over, let’s dig into the HIGHLIGHTS.

HIGHLIGHTS:

Lex Luthor- My favourite Lex is portrayed by Michael Rosenbaum in the series Smallville. He was entertaining, brainy, charismatic, epitomized verbose, wickedly funny, darkly vulnerable and just too likable. Rosenbaum nailed Lex’s human complexities; since Hackman was way too frivolous and Spacey was too uptight.  However, here comes Jess Eisenberg. YUMMY. YUMMY! He is hip and now, conniving, sly, insincere, pleasantly irksome, a bit clinically insane and deviously arrogant – BAD TO THE BONE. His mannerisms reminded me a bit of both Light and L in the anime ‘Death Note’ and The Joker in ‘The Dark Knight’. Is it wrong that I was rooting for Lex? After Superman’s big fumble in ‘Man of Steel’ and Batman’s ego issues, Lex has all the right to be crazily vigilant. I’m sure he just fears there would be an upcoming reality show ‘Vigilantes Gone Wild’. *It should be noted that the most likable characters were Lex Luthor and Alfred J. Pennyworth (And Batman to every biased guy in the world)*

Batman- And by Batman, I mean the actor BEN AFFLECK. He was AMAZING. He was BRILLIANT. He truly embodies Bruce Wayne/Batman! I feel like Affleck really does have some sort of darkness following him around and it can be seen in his depiction as the aged Cape Crusader, tainted by disturbing and traumatic tragedies. If any reviews scared you away from watching this film, find hope in Affleck. He outshines Keaton, Clooney, Kilmer and even Bale, without even trying.

Comic Book References- I loved every single reference and I am sure I missed a couple, which made me love it more! From the partial perspectives of those involved in the after-math of Kryptonians destruction, to the subtle introduction of Darkseid and The Justice League, to the prophesized vision (a dream within a dream) of ‘Injustice’…I loved it all! One thing Snyder did right was add these small clues for the lovers of comic books. Did he intentionally confuse newbies, thereby, ostracizing them, who knows? This might be the reason for all the unneeded hate from the critics.

PS. If you are a comic book virgin, either read DC or “Get yourself a geeky friend: Batteries not included. Might be hazardous to health, symptoms include: Knowledge overdose and head implosion. Handle with care.” –Oh, how times have changed!

All in all, I enjoyed Batman v Superman and will be watching it again. It might be because I hated ‘Man of Steel’ so bloody much and had little expectation for another Snyder Superhero movie. It might also be because Avengers: Age of Ultron was so bad that I’ve turned sides. Either way, it is worth the watch even with Lois’s revolting personality. 7/10

Well there you have it, please leave your thoughts and share with friends.

One of our other reviewers, Ramz, posted his thoughts as well on another blog.

http://ramzeeandthejillybean.blogspot.co.za/2016/03/batman-vs-superman-dawn-of-justice.html?m=1