Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

The challenge facing the director of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was truly titanic. The creator of 300 and Watchmen had to do more than just make a spectacular movie about two mega-popular superheroes that would satisfy fans of both Batman and Superman. Zack Snyder was to lay the cornerstone on which Warner Bros. and DC Comics are planning to build their DC Extended Universe, the long-awaited response to Marvel's cinematic expansion. Did the director manage to achieve his goals?

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The task was further complicated by the fact that Marvel, which has been developing its Marvel Cinematic Universe since the mid-2000s, had 8 years and 12 (!) Odd films, which are not so easy to make up for. In addition, the competitors were clearly not going to slow down, having scheduled the premiere schedule until 2020, while planning to release 3 MCU films a year! Actually, this time pressure can explain some confusion in the introduction of the characters of the future DC Extended Universe films in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Snyder took a chance, deciding to close the gap with one jump, but it seems he miscalculated - the reception turned out to be too straightforward and frankly rude. However, for the attention paid to Wonder Woman, we are ready to forgive the director for everything.

To understand what Batman v Superman is, take Man of Steel, add pathos from 300 and madness from Watchmen, mix and multiply by two. In Man of Steel, Snyder has already shown us how inventive and mesmerizing battles between heroes equal to gods can look, in Batman v Superman the director introduces an ordinary person into a battle between almost immortal creatures, and Batman does not look like a whipping boy here. Rather, on the contrary: a cunning, purposeful and resourceful David, ready to slay his Goliath. However, despite the promises in the title, the confrontation between Batman and Superman is just a warm-up before the decisive battle.

Despite the impressive timing, which is as much as 153 minutes, the film looks in one breath. In the last third, which is an almost seamless battle of the main characters among themselves and with other opponents, it is generally impossible to tear yourself away from the screen. This is where IMAX is highly recommended.

If you, like many fans of Christian Bale's Batman, were hesitant about choosing Ben Affleck to play Bruce Wayne, we have good news for you. Affleck is great. This is perhaps the best Batman in the entire history of film adaptations - dark, furious, obsessed, real. Affleck is convincing both in action episodes and during social events. Here, however, his dreams ... On the one hand - this is a good way to visualize the storm raging in the hero's soul, on the other - too straightforward. The episode in the dystopian world is certainly good though.

Zack Snyder's Batman is clearly more decisive and darker than Christopher Nolan's Batman. The story of the Dark Knight sailing away into the sunset in the company of Catwoman has been safely forgotten. Robin fell, not even having time to appear on the big screen, and now Batman is not afraid to get his hands dirty. No, he still cannot kill a person directly, but he is not going to be alarmed with opponents, and if you need to blow up a couple of cars with bandits in order to achieve the goal, he will calmly go for it. We like this Batman much more than the emasculated versions of previous film adaptations.

Unfortunately, there is no disclosure of Clark Kent's character in Dawn of Justice. Superman is treading water, is engaged in self-digging and frankly slows down. In addition, the authors of the text put into the mouth of Henry Cavill must be slapped on the hands - too pretentious, too flat. Superman is clearly losing the character duel to his big-eared opponent.

But Wonder Woman undoubtedly pleased. Each appearance of the beautiful Gal Gadot on the screen is just a holiday. Snyder is obviously delighted to show her off in open-back evening gowns and a traditional Amazon outfit. The heroine Gadot is smart, elegant, charming and deadly. We look forward to seeing Wonder Woman's personal film, which is scheduled to premiere in 2017. Moreover, this is the first personal film with a superhero after a ten-year hiatus and, by the way, the only "female" film in both the DC Extended Universe and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Speaking of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, one cannot fail to mention the soundtrack by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL. The maestros seem to have surpassed themselves, the music here is an integral part of the picture, emphasizing what is happening on the screen, placing the necessary accents and adding nuances. It's worth giving an Oscar for the Wonder Woman theme.

But what Batman v Superman clearly lacks is humor and self-irony. The heroes of the picture are deadly serious and seem to have forgotten how to smile. For the entire film, you will hear exactly two jokes, and each of them deserves almost applause from the audience. In this regard, DC should learn from Marvel, whose heroes are not afraid to joke about both themselves and the situations in which they find themselves. Hopefully the upcoming Suicide Squad will win back for everything. However, the situation is now being corrected by Lex Luthor performed by Jesse Eisenberg. And although sometimes his antics resemble the behavior of the Joker, in general, the actor turned out to be a very interesting character, however, serious questions arise about his motivation.

So has Zach Snyder been able to lay the foundation for the upcoming DC Extended Universe films? Despite all the reservations, the time pressure and the complexity of the task are more likely yes than no. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice turned out to be large-scale, no not so, a SCALE, spectacular, beautiful film with a clearly verified picture that can be cut into posters. Hopefully the upcoming Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League, The Flash, Aquaman, etc. build on that success while also removing some of the haste and confusion of Dawn of Justice. And then we are in for a spectacle even more majestic than the battle between Batman and Superman - an epic movie battle between Marvel and DC, which promises to be very intense.

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