Batman (Ben Affleck) is the mover and shaker of this movie. It turns out that he was in Metropolis on the day that Superman (Henry Cavill) tangled with General Zod (cf. Man of Steel) and witnessed the vast destruction. Later, he argues to Alfred (Jeremy Irons) that Superman is too powerful to trust and that he should be treated as a villain. To that end, he prepares for the battle. However, Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) also has grand plans. He has gained access to the Kryptonian ship and General Zod's corpse (a very undemanding return role for Michael Shannon); Lex has grand plans.
The movie spends a lot of time being over-serious. It is as if the director is unaware that his source material is a COMIC book. There should be some light-hearted scenes. Nope. It is one long serious slog. The only point of light was Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot). Yes, her complete lack of backstory and joy in battle made her a breath of fresh air compared to the grim warriors of Superman and Batman.
For me, Christopher Reeve was Superman. He took Clark Kent in a very different direction of George Reeves. His Clark was something of a stuttering oaf whereas his Superman was a cheerful hero with a ready quip to make light of danger. This wide gap in personalities made the silly glasses disguise more palatable. Whereas Cavill poses as god figure who lingers on the scene for some adulation by the peasants, Reeves was a happy savior with a ready mood-lightening quip. "Flying is the safest way to travel," he told Lois after rescuing her from a helicopter crash. Henry Cavill's Clark is no different from his Superman; grim and serious. Batman already has the grim and serious covered.
Yes, Superman dies. Mostly. I was really annoyed that the movie ended by essentially announcing Superman's resurrection. Let's just undermine the emotional impact of his death. In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Spock died. His body was shot into space and that looked to be the end of Nimoy in the role of Spock. Or, more recently, there is Jon Snow from Game of Thrones. Yes, there is a priestess who may be able to raise him from the dead but such is left to be determined in the next season. Heck, Jon Snow may REALLY be dead and out of the show. I don't know and that makes it really cool. With Superman, there is no doubt that he is alive and will appear in the Justice League movie.
Affleck's Batman was overburdened with dreams and visions. His nightmares should have been cut from the film. The elaborate post-apocalyptic dream sequence of Batman's troops battling Superman's minions was too much. Okay, I GET IT ALREADY! Yes, Batman distrusts Superman. Quit hammering me over the head with that message. Then there was the bizarre dream in which some bat monster bursts out of his father's tomb. Why? And then the Flash appears via time travel to offer a warning. Can we focus on today's story and leave Justice League stuff for those movies. If we must hint at them, hint! Subtly. SUBTLY!!!
Lex Luthor was a criminal genius but also a manic madman. Yes, as is often the case with most of the roles Jesse Eisenberg plays, the character is jacked up on Mountain Dew or some other caffeine-rich substance. He might even be using amphetamines. Hetalksveryfastanddoesnotpauseforbreath. The man must have a second job as an auctioneer. However, I liked him. He made for a fine and dandy bad guy. Also, his manic act offered some much needed levity.
I liked it more than I expected I would. I had heard a lot of negative reviews which may have inoculated me from having high expectations. There is a good story here. More stuff needed to end up on the DVD deleted scenes. Too much of the tone reminded me of a soap opera. Even the happy scenes are overwhelmed by this feeling of dread. This movie needed Heath Ledger to show up and ask, "Why so serious?"
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