We fans have been anxiously “Waiting for Gadot” to arrive after seeing Wonder Woman in the trailers, but while her performance steals the show, it’s too little too late from a narrative standpoint. This is then exacerbated by a lazy solution: well, we better add another hero (Gal Gadot). Just as we’re about to accept Luthor as the chief villain, Snyder unleashes another major super villain in the final 15 minutes. But this is a 21st-century blockbuster where a simple hero vs. This three-way struggle might have worked if the filmmakers left it at that. Superman build, the title characters begin to split time as dueling heroes who must learn to work together - “Avengers” style - against the real antagonist Luthor. But just like Val Kilmer and George Clooney, this Batman must split screen time with too many other famous figures. Initially, the setup suggests Superman as the misunderstood protagonist and Batman as the scorned antagonist, roles that both Cavill and Affleck sell with charisma and bravado ( Cheer up, Ben: you’re actually a very good Batman, particularly in your suave Bruce Wayne tuxedo scenes). Man toward a jumbled finale.įans who are hoping for a well-told story building toward, you know, Batman v Superman will feel slighted as the filmmakers opt instead to give us “Batman v Superman v Lex Luthor v Wonder Woman v Another Villain Who Shall Not Be Named.” With this much clutter, you can’t quite possibly give each character his or her due, paying each lip service instead of building the proper character arcs. Its tone rarely lets loose to have a little fun - as Nicholson’s Joker said, “This town needs an enema!” - while the story can never decide which of its brooding characters are its heroes and villains, pondering God vs. Still, all the clever lines and unique comic-book connections can’t overcome the film’s relentlessly depressing mood and inherent identity crisis. We we won’t say what, so as to avoid spoilers, but the revelation helps to provide a pivotal turning point in the characters’ relationship. Terrio and Goyer also deserve kudos for finding an often overlooked, yet vital family coincidence between the Superman and Batman comics. “Next time you see that Bat Signal, don’t go into the light,” Superman says, to which Batman replies, “Do you bleed? You will.” Both lines pay off later on. Goyer, co-writer of “The Dark Knight Trilogy” (2005-2012), this blockbuster script finds glimmers of killer dialogue between two trash-talking heroes. But a new evil mastermind is on the rise, Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), hoping to stoke the flames of resentment between Batman and Superman.Ĭo-written by Chris Terrio, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of “Argo” (2012), and David S. Wayne creates his own alternate identity as the caped crusader Batman, who stages vigilante justice out of his Bat Cave in Gotham City - assisted by butler Alfred (Jeremy Irons) - protecting innocent citizens while branding his captured criminals. Turns out, a loved one of billionaire Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) was in one of the towers (a grim 9/11 reminder), planting seeds of revenge against Superman (Henry Cavill), who is busy writing for his editor (Laurence Fishburne) and protecting lover Lois Lane (Amy Adams).
We pick up where “Man of Steel” left off, amid Superman’s defeat of General Zod in a battle that destroyed much of Metropolis. Over the course of 2 1/2 hours, you’ll learn that little has changed in the overkill approach, as Snyder doubles down on many of his worst instincts. Now, the two franchises collide in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” pitting two of the world’s most iconic superheroes in a dream death-match. The other saw a failed remake with “Superman Returns” (2006) that required an immediate reboot in “Man of Steel” (2013), which inserted way too many opening set-up scenes, ignored the Lois & Clark romance so much that the final kiss felt unearned, and built to an overlong action climax that left many wondering whether Zack Snyder (“300,” “Watchmen”) was the right director for the job. Inarritu to swoop in with Keaton for a superhero satire that bookended the era with a Best Picture “Birdman” (2014). One franchise defined the very best of the superhero flick, as Tim Burton delivered a darkly-comic Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson in “Batman” (1989) before Christopher Nolan created the genre’s greatest with “The Dark Knight Trilogy” (2005-2012), allowing Alejandro G.
WASHINGTON - It was the best of genres, it was the worst of genres, a blockbuster Tale of Two Cities, Gotham and Metropolis, and their superhero saviors that became global icons, The Dark Knight and The Man of Steel.