Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Zack Snyder/Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter and Gal Gadot

It's difficult to expect something new from a flick like Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, now that superhero movies have become multiplex repertory. And what two superheroes have been depicted on T.V. and movie screens more than the Caped Crusader and The Man of Steel? Spiderman and the X-Men come close but still fall short of the exposure the DC comics characters have garnered over the years.
What more do audiences need to know about Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne; their super alter-egos and their respective origins? Snyder's film knows we know all about them yet his story still draws from their familiar pasts for psychological motivation, particularly Bruce Wayne's.

But what can one say about the film, with its requisite carnage, deafening sound effects and its heroes turning city skylines into mounds of steel and concrete? Does Snyder's film offer a refreshing take on the characters or a new, exciting story; something to renew audience interest in the overly familiar? My answer to the afore-posed question is a resounding no, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun to watch. The movie relies on our curiosity about what might actually happen if Batman and Superman tangled more than our fascination to keep us in our seats.
In spite of its cacophonous incoherence and it's more-of-the-sameness, the movie manages to be an enjoyable two-and-a-half hour spectacle. I guess I had better find it passably entertaining; there is surely more to come.

In the film's opening scenes, we are immediately dropped into the action, as Batman/Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) watches as Superman (Henry Cavill) wreaks havoc on city skyscrapers while battling an alien ship and his nemesis; fellow-Kryptonian General Zod, who he manages to defeat and kill.
Though Superman's exploits are highly regarded by the city news-rag The Daily Planet, Batman looks askance on his destructive impact on the city. It isn't long before the two superheroes find their respective crime-fighting pursuits clash, bringing them face to face in a stay-out-of-my-way confrontation that almost comes to blows.

But unbeknownst to them, a young tech CEO named Lex Luthor (played eccentrically by Jesse Eisenberg) has drawn on General Zod's attack as a pretext to plan his own defense of the planet against more of Superman's kind. When a chunk of Kryptonite is found on General Zod's downed ship, Luthor seeks U.S. Senator Finch's (Holly Hunter) consent to allow its importation. Unsure of Luthor's real motives, she refuses him, though we know he will hardly be thwarted by government regulations. Able to test the effects of Kryptonite on cell samples of Zod's body, Luthor discovers Superman's vulnerability. He wastes little time in putting his discovery into effect, as does Bruce Wayne, who manages to make a similar find. Luthor, having run afoul of Batman, devises a devious plan to make Superman and Batman fight, hoping for a scenario of mutual assured destruction.

Though Luthor succeeds in his nefarious endeavor, the two heroes finally realize they are fighting on the same side. When Luthor's plan fails, he devises an alternate plan to destroy Batman and Superman using the technology on General Zod's ship. Mingling his blood with that of the dead Kryptonian, he creates a monstrous creature whose strength proves to be too much for Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman (Gail Gadot); whose timely arrival is prompted by the unfolding crisis. Though the heroic triumvirate fights valiantly, they find the creature almost invulnerable. Superman's love; Lois Lane (Amy Adams) demonstrates some heroics of her own when she repurposes a Kryptonite-tipped spear of Batman's design for the fight against Luthor's monster.

It isn't difficult to plot the rest of the movie and as we're allowed teasing glimpses of other superheroes, we know the film is headed to franchise paradise.

The film has so much working against it, particularly our over-familiarity with the characters. Another of its many flaws are the performances by Cavill and Affleck, which are mostly wooden. Cavill, who can usually be counted on to be lifeless onscreen, makes the usually unexpressive Affleck look as though he's overacting. Amy Adams is a welcome sight, as is her performance, which is one of the few that isn't leaden. More relief from the stiff acting comes from Eisenberg, who gives Luthor a nerdy genius makeover.

What usually makes a long superhero seem longer is nonsensical, urban destruction, which becomes almost a joke. If I were a city official, I might regard Batman and Superman's heroics as more of a menace and nuisance than Luthor's nefarious deeds. How does the city tolerate so much destruction? Oh well, I guess Gotham's urban planners, architects and contractors will always have work.

Snyder and the writers try hard to introduce moral and ethical angst into the film as the question of vigilantism is posed and briefly pondered, but this seems like a tired subject for a superhero movie.

At 155 minutes, the film should be intolerable but surprisingly, it isn't. It also isn't great or even particularly good, but it is entertaining enough, which is the new modified high-praise assessment audiences have reserved for superhero movies now. What the movie needed was a smattering of Deadpool's humor to liven up Gotham. Too bad it's too serious to have moments of levity.

In spite of its shortcomings, I have a mild, grudging affection for the movie. I wouldn't dissuade anyone from paying to see it, but I wouldn't urge anyone to hurry to the multiplex either. It's dumb fun, which is preferable to just dumb. If you don't know what I mean, just watch Miracles from Heaven. Amen.