Clash of titans

Face to face

I'm not oblivious to the wave of negative reviews Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has accrued on its' opening weekend so far. The fact is that Warner Bros. follow up to 2013's Man of Steel falls under the typecast of films that are made specifically to please fans, critics be damned. I'd be lying if I said that critics are always wrong, because sometimes they are right. Most times however the opinions of what critics say can be disconnected by what fans deserve and what they really want; Dawn of Justice serving as another example of critics getting it wrong once again. In the aftermath of the battle between Superman (Henry Cavill) and General Zod (Michael Shannon), the world has come to see the man of steel as a flying beacon of hope and salvation. However, some are divided about his presence on Earth with others viewing him more as a threat particularly Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) who seems him as an omnipotent foreigner who answers to no one and could become a probable threat in the future. With vengeance on his mind, Bruce dons his bat suit to wage a war against Superman and force him to answer for his actions, unbeknownst to the two that a greater threat lies before them from a common enemy who's influence has manipulated the two from the beginning. Having seen the old-school Batman and Superman animated shows from the 90s, I get the gist of how these two giants meet (confront?) each other and that they weren't the best of friends to begin with. The set up feels different in Dawn of Justice, mainly to maintain the continuance from the previous film, and also to open up for the inevitable future solo films for the other DC heroes, hence the Dawn of Justice subtitle. Because of this the story suffers with all the backstory its' forced to push on us all the while trying to keep its' focus on Batman and Superman's conflict of ideologies. Lost opportunity there but not so much that it ruins the movie or the entire experience despite what so many critics are saying. By now, you've probably reached the conclusion that the film is just pretty much FX eye-candy; sugar-coated with little substance but not entirely. There's still plentiful to see, whether its' Cavill continuing to do justice to the blue suit, watching Affleck turn in a brilliant act as a grizzled Batman or witnessing Wonder Woman's awesome entrance into the DC universe. It may not reach the same level of Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy before it but as a popcorn blockbuster, it works. Like me, fans may nitpick a few details here and there, and people who aren't fans may not get why two of the most popular heroes in comic book history are having a throwdown; but in the end, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice delivers an awesome superhero melee match even if it's just a gateway movie towards a much bigger picture.

​-Reviewed by Razor, 3/28/16