Back in 2007 and 2008, before the Writer’s Guild strike sabotaged the film completely, Warner Bros. and DC Comics greenlit what would have been the introduction of a super hero film universe. To be directed by George Miller of “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Justice League Mortal” was intended to spearhead a super-hero movie revolution and would have pitted DC in direct competition with Marvel, which was then planning their Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The film was eventually scrapped after an infamous amount of behind-the-scenes turmoil. Flash forward to present day, WB, DC and director Zack Snyder are setting the stage for a planned “Justice League” movie. The first phase of that is “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” a film that, for the most part, is just as sloppy as its name.
Coincidentally, the film borrows concepts, whether by accident or not, from that abandoned “Justice League” film: superheroes that have already been established in their world, a paranoid Batman, heavy influence from particular source material and the overall theme that these super human beings may need to be put in check. Audiences will never get to see Miller’s vision for these characters, but they do get to see Zack Snyder’s, which may turn out to be another failed attempt, despite actually seeing the light of day.
If Snyder had to be described in one way as a filmmaker it would be “well-intentioned.” It’s a curious thought as to why he has been given the keys again and again to bring to life some of the most controversial projects in comic book movie history. Whether it be adapting “Watchmen,” considered to be the greatest graphic novel of all time, or finally pitting the two most revered super heroes of all time against each other, Snyder has been trusted to be the architect of comic book fans’ dreams. Why? Because he makes these movies “for the fans,” which, as “Watchmen” and now “Batman v Superman” have proven, isn’t necessarily a good thing.
“Watchmen” was a well-adapted film, but carried little of the actual originality that made the graphic novel so compelling and honored in the first place. Snyder’s “Man of Steel” was at least a little more focused and didn’t carry with it the weight of jump-starting an entire cinematic universe. Now we have “Batman v Superman,” which, like Snyder’s past films from “300” to now, is basically a comic book jumped off the page and onto the screen. That seems to be Snyder’s appeal. He brings comics to life and fans are eager to eat it up whether it’s good or not.
The problem is that the film cashes in on the assumption that the majority of the audience watching has read these comic books and is heavily invested in their history. Much of the film is set up for future projects, which was expected, but nevertheless feels forced. A small percentage of the film’s audience will know its source material. A well-crafted story is able to sate those fans’ cravings but also create an easy-to-follow journey for those casual moviegoers. The film overlooks this basic concept.
Further, the film’s plot also fails to be sensible in its structure. It starts off well enough, opening on the battle between Superman and Zod from “Man of Steel” but from Bruce Wayne’s perspective. It’s actually well-done, thrilling and gives Wayne/Batman motivations. From there, the film tumbles into a mess of forced plot devices. Things happen because the story demands it, not because it’s what these characters would actually do or how the action would play out. For instance, the “epic” fight between Batman and Superman comes to an abrupt halt, and without giving away spoilers, their relationship takes a complete 180 for no apparent reason other than because the plot demanded it.
Unless the audience has been living under a rock, they already knew these characters would come together one way or another against a larger threat. That, and most of the revelations in the film, was revealed in trailers ahead of time. The film lacks any real sense of urgency or danger, in turn taking away the thrill, because it’s all so predictable. A lot of that falls on the film’s marketing, which isn’t exactly the fault of the filmmaker’s, but it’s still an issue.
The other part of it falls on the story telling, or lack thereof. The film lacks emotional weight, mostly because in the end, nothing really matters. There is a looming threat that is teased throughout the film that will eventually bring the rest of the Justice League together. Casual movie goers are left to assume that this threat is pertinent to the story because Batman “sees it in a dream,” but that doesn’t mean it deserves investment from us.
Speaking of threats, Jessie Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor is absurd. Whereas the rest of the film is heavily influenced by Frank Miller’s graphic novel “The Dark Knight Returns,” this Lex seems straight out of a campy 1950s Superman comic and doesn’t fit in with the rest of the tone at all.
Ben Affleck’s Batman is the best part of the film and his eventual solo movie is something to anticipate. This Batman is older, grimmer and worn out. He lacks patience and he’s out for blood. It’s a different take from what we’ve seen in past incarnations, which is refreshing.
The same can be said for Henry Cavill’s Superman, who is an alien being who is out of touch with this world. This incarnation of the character is far different from the Superman we’ve been accustomed to, much to some people’s chagrin, but what Snyder did with the character in “Man of Steel” was refreshing compared to the past interpretations of Superman being a “big blue Boy Scout.”
Seeing how Superman’s presence affects the course of the world is appealing and themes that haven’t really been touched upon in the past. DC’s characters have always embodied “God-like” beings, whereas Marvel’s appeal to the common man. However, this doesn’t mean that the film has to abandon all sense of fun and excitement. The ultimate issue with DC’s universe right now is that it doesn’t fill us with joy in its own right. It doesn’t have to follow Marvel’s formula to be entertaining, but if it can’t be entertaining with its own formula, then it will fail.
Take Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy for instance. The filmmaker managed to create a “realistic” world while still captivating the audience. Snyder’s hyper-stylistic direction teeters the line between realism and extremism, which creates impressive action sequences but never fully immerses us in the world he’s created. He wants us to feel for these characters, but never gives us a reason to.
“Batman v Superman” thrusts the audience into a world where its characters are already established, with Superman’s arrival being the catalyst for their reveal. It’s an intriguing set up, but future films will have to correct the wrongs of “Batman v Superman” if DC wants to create a universe worth caring about.
