Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Movie Name: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Year of Release: 2016

Director: Zack Snyder

Stars: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Laurence Fishburne, Gal Gadot, Scoot McNairy, Callan Mulvey, Tao Okamoto, Lauren Cohan, 

Genre: Adventure, Adventure, Fantasy

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 4

Synopsis & Review:

Following the successful "Man of Steel", director Zack Snyder is back with a sequel, which places two of the biggest DC Comics characters against each other. The film showcases the events of "Man of Steel", this time around showing the perspective of Bruce Wayne/Batman, as he witnesses the destruction and death that the battle between General Zod and Superman bring to the city of Metropolis. A lot of questions pop up in the aftermath of that battle, and Lex Luthor with his lack of scruples and limitless ambition, seizes the opportunity to gain access to information and ultimately power to himself. He orchestrates a conflict scenario between both Batman and Superman, hoping one will terminate the other, while still having a final ace that will allow him to destroy the victor. Unbeknownst to him however, a new figure shows up to aid these conflicted heroes.
Zack Snyder has a heavy act to follow, since Christopher Nolan set a different bar for Batman films, where the hero is more than just a two-dimensional character fighting caricatures. "Batman v Superman" tries to be a lot of things, and compress a lot of story lines into a single film. There's an attempt to create a sequence to "Man of Steel" while simultaneously introducing Batman's mythology as a preamble to create the following film, "Justice League" which is now shooting. The screenplay ends up being one of the murkiest subjects in the film, since the characters motivations are barely there, and most of the supporting actors (and their characters) have little to nothing to do. The first two thirds of the film are its most successful: the director creates a bleak environment where these characters exist, and there's definitely a ponderous tone to what is being showcased (the fear of terrorism, of invasion), however the last act, becomes a tone deaf showcase of digital effects where at some point it just loses its impact due to the repetitive tone it adopts. Ben Affleck manages to create an interesting version of Batman, while Holly Hunter, Amy Adams and Diane Lane, for all their talent and charisma, have little to nothing to do. A very uneven film from a very uneven director.