Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (No Spoilers)

On paper the movie seems like it would be amazing, but unfortunately some of the directors choices and possibly the studio intervention hold it back from being the Batman vs Superman movie we all deserve.

The Good:

+ Zack Snyder knows how to make a beautifully shot sequences. There are moments in the film when the camera pans over gorgeously rendered CGI environments that an make you stop and look in awe. Snyder also knows how to direct an action scene. Often during quick cuts in a fight the audience can become lost as to characters positions in the fight. This leads to viewers not having any freaking clue as to what is going on (see almost any Michael Bay movie). However, Snyder can show big action set pieces with every piece being perfectly choreographed and depicted.

+ Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman is perfect. You can tell that he loves the character and wants to due the beloved character justice. The only bad thing that I can say about Batman is that I didn't see enough of him. There are some other... umm... liberties that are taken with the Batman character that some die hard fans might find against character, but that honestly doesn't bother me too much, although I do believe it should and could have been handled differently.

+ Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman steals every scene she is in. If BvS did only did one thing, it was make me extremely excited for the Wonder Woman movie to be released in 2017.

The Ehhh:

~ Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman has a great Superman in him. However, because of the lack of a great script and directing, I fear that we may never see him tap into the potential I know he has.

~ Motivations. The only characters motivations that seem completely fleshed out are Batman's. Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor seems to be more lost than the Joker usually is and Superman is too busy moping around to ever figure out what he is even trying to accomplish.

~ Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. I put him in the Ehhh section for a few reasons. I feel that a modern day young Lex Luthor could potentially behave much like young internet CEO's. However, I think it was taken way too far over one way. More balance could have made for an interesting Lex.

The Ugh-ly:

- The script/screen play/story board. When action is present in the movie it excels, but where there is simply dialog, the movie falls apart. BvS feels like multiple distinct movies with no thread to tie them together. While the plot is building, character's motivations become muddled, their actions are confusing and sometimes you just don't know what the heck is going on.

- Bloated plots. There are so many plots that could have been completely taken out of the movie. You can feel how Zack Snyder had a vision for a Man of Steel sequel that completely became over stuffed when the studio came to him with a desire to throw in more plot points to set up future movies. Basically BvS has the same basic problems that both Iron Man 2 and The Amazing Spider-man 2 had.

- Some comic book knowledge helps. I do read a fair share of comics. However, the average moviegoer will be lost a few point. Luckily those points aren't necessarily plot relevant, but why include them at all if they don't move the plot along?

Overview:

If you enjoy a spectacle then about 45 minutes of this movie is for you. See it during a matinee showtime to save some money but still get the theater experience.

Grade: Matinee Showing