With the world infatuated with movies made by Marvel studios, bitter rival DC Studios couldn’t stand idly by. They responded to Marvel’s upcoming Captain America: Civil War blockbuster with one of their own by pitting their two cornerstone heroes against one another while adding an array of fan favorite heroes and villains.
Essentially a sequel to Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice not only entered the superhero movie competition, they caught up to their competitors. The movie shows us an older Batman, a fan favorite, fighting in Gotham for over 20 years. The events of the movie take place two years after the destruction of Metropolis in Man of Steel. Batman senses that a being with that much power is a danger to humanity and could turn against it in a matter of minutes, leading to our demise.
After three years of development and careful steps to ensure no miscasting, it’s safe to say the movie delivered on all fronts. The cinematography was more than expected from upcoming director Zack Snyder, who clearly upped the stakes over the course of this movie’s planning. The scenes were well written and carefully planned to perfection. The pacing was a little bit off in the first act of the film but quickly stabilized shortly afterwards.
What really separates this film from its predecessors and competitors is the dark factor. What’s meant by this is that DC studios wasn’t afraid to apply a layer of hyper-realism to an already dark movie. This movie doesn’t fit the criteria of a happy ending with audiences walking out with a smile on their face. It doesn’t provide a form of escapism audiences usually look forward to when witnessing genres of mythical fiction.
As for the actors, Ben Affleck quickly proved his critics wrong by delivering one of the most accurate portrayals in comic book movie history. Gal Gadot, who plays Wonder Woman, stole every scene she was in and was a focal point in ensuring the film’s success. Lex Luthor, played by Jesse Eisenberg, went above and beyond to show the maniacal side of business moguls during their thirst for power. He did it in a tasteful manner and became the character audiences would love to hate but respect.
Meanwhile, Henry Cavill, who plays Superman in the DCU debut, showed the flawed side of a being who most would consider perfect. Public opinions were against him despite proving himself worthy of being an asset to the people of Earth during his fight with General Zod in his 2013 film.
All in all, the movie was a solid start to a cinematic universe that’ll eventually branch out with many spin-off movies and character development plots. The movie deservedly gets a 9.5/10 for not only setting up the Justice League but also providing audiences with 180 minutes of pure genius.
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