Dog’s Movie House: “Dawn Of Justice” Entertainingly Overstuffed!

 

 

Howdy Folks! It’s The Kendog!

 

 

 

While I respect my fellow reviewers, I have to say most of them missed the mark when it comes to their reviews of “Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice.”   The movie is neither tired, nor overlong, nor overly gloomy. It doesn’t have the bounce of, say, most of the Marvel movies and it’s certainly not perfect, but “Dawn Of Justice” sticks many more landings than it misses. Director Zack Snyder gets a lot of flak (bordering on outright hate) from the internet community, but aside from one outright flop (“Sucker Punch”) Snyder has done some fine work. His DC Universe may not be all sweetness and light, but it’s certainly an intriguing place worth visiting.

 

 

 

https://youtu.be/AgQrxGV7Brk

 

 

 

“Dawn Of Justice” picks up before “Man Of Steel” ends, only from the perspective of Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) who watches one of his buildings reduced to rubble during the climactic battle between Superman (Henry Cavill) and General Zod (Michael Shannon). The raw, undisciplined power on display causes Bruce to reassume the mantle of the Batman in an attempt not only to fight crime in neighboring Gotham, but to come up with a plan to put down an alien who could potentially destroy the planet.

 

 

 

https://youtu.be/vtLQ52tH7hA

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Superman has become something of a divisive figure in the public eye. Most seem to view him as something of a savior, but many, including Senator Finch (Holly Hunter) believe that Superman needs to be held accountable for his actions. Agreeing with her stance is billionaire industrialist Alexander “Lex” Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), who bears a grudge against this would-be “god” and is determined to bring him down.   He gets the opportunity when Superman is framed for an incident in the Middle East and Luthor finds a mysterious green meteorite with mysterious properties that any Superman fan knows will have dire consequences for the Big Blue Boy Scout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Except that Superman isn’t the Big Blue Boy Scout. . .at least, not yet. Much like “Man Of Steel” director Snyder and scripters Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer are very much interested in exploring the human, flawed side of the one who would be Superman. While this leads to a lot of griping and groaning among the fan base who long for the good old days of Christopher Reeve and Gene Hackman, I find this particular take to be a refreshing departure from the norm. This Superman is still becoming the Superman we’re used to seeing and still making (though not as many) missteps along the way. Because he is of two worlds, Clark Kent still has doubts about where he belongs and in one important scene, wonders if he’s trying to fulfill a promise to his dead father(s) rather than being true to who he is. His only true connection that he can trust is his love for reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams, very good despite a somewhat underwritten role). Everything else is up in the air for him. Credit to Henry Cavill for continuing to find the good in a character that, as written for this film, could have come off as cold and difficult to embrace.

 

 

 

https://youtu.be/htxhdKHfwRg

 

 

 

On the other end of the spectrum we have Ben Affleck’s Batman, which may be one of the best representations of the Caped Crusader ever put on screen. It’s been twenty years since Bruce Wayne started wearing the cap and cowl and putting down Gotham’s criminals and that war has worn The Dark Knight down. Affleck is wonderful here, playing Wayne like a grizzled, cynical soldier who continues to fight despite his declining faith in the individuals he assigned himself to protect. He’s still the smartest guy in the room, but his rage works as a handicap as much as an asset and it allows him to be uncharacteristically manipulated by others. It also helps that Affleck put on a ton of muscle and the fight scenes are a beautiful yet brutal ballet of bone crunching violence.

 

 

 

https://youtu.be/PBjQEqgpkUo

 

 

 

 

Much like “Man Of Steel,” “Dawn Of Justice” takes the slow burn approach to building the action. Snyder has to keep a ton of balls in the air, metaphorically speaking, and although he drops a couple of them, most of his scenarios are skillfully executed. Not only does he have to continue developing Superman as an evolving character, he has to reintroduce the Batman and introduce Wonder Woman all while moving the central story forward. At the same time, “Dawn Of Justice” is the launching pad for DC’s extended cinematic universe, so he has to set up other characters and scenarios that will play out in future films. Geez, remember when making a movie was simply about making a movie.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the action does come, however, it does not disappoint, and Snyder is at his most versatile here, providing sequences of mayhem that somehow have weight despite all the computer imagery being thrown around. It also appears that Snyder has learned his lesson from “Man Of Steel” in that the smackdown battles have a much better rhythm than in Superman’s first outing. This film is terrific at showing the awe-inspiring power of these beings as well as the consequences of these battles on their surrounding environments.   They also address the issue of collateral damage (one of the bugaboos of “Man Of Steel”) in a way that’s fairly organic to the story being told.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That said, “Dawn Of Justice” is not perfect. Like I said, Snyder and his crew are juggling too many balls in the air and a couple of them drop. The reveal of the other soon-to-be-Justice League members was, for lack of a better word, lame. It stops the movie cold and the only reason it doesn’t affect the movie more is that the sequence only lasts for a couple of minutes, tops. There’s no need for this scene and it takes us away from the more compelling story. Some of the dreams Bruce has regarding not only an alien invasion but also a visit from the Flash are also somewhat confusing. I can understand Bruce nightmaring about Superman as a dictator, but what’s with all the alien bug imagery? It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, although both scenes are compelling in a visual sense.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The battle in the title, while extremely well done, is resolved in a somewhat truncated manner. It’s not as bad as the internet trolls would have you believe, but it doesn’t stick the landing as well as it could have if given a few more minutes to develop. The actors sell the hell out of some vague writing in this sequence and as a result the scene does carry some emotional resonance, just not as much as I would have like to have seen, especially given that it changes the nature of the Superman/Batman relationship.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I would have also have like to see a little more Superman in my Superman/Batman film.   Cavill is terrific as Clark, but his part feels a tad underwritten for the flagship superhero in the DC Universe. “Dawn Of Justice” seems to be more of a Batman film with Superman in a meaty supporting role. The only thing that saves this is the last third of the film when Superman really comes to the forefront.

 

 

As for the performances, Cavill and Affleck are very good, with the latter bordering on great. I can’t wait for a solo film with Affleck’s Batman. Gal Godot is very good as Wonder Woman, though she doesn’t get a whole lot to do until the last act. But when she shows up in uniform, the crowd I was with went nuts. I know Gadot was a tough sell (even for me: “The skinny chick from Fast And The Furious is Wonder Woman. . .c’mon!) but she really nails the physicality of the role

 

 

Now I may be in the minority here, but I really enjoyed Eisenberg’s portrayal of Luthor. Yeah, Lex is a spastic geek, spouting quips and sputtering in a fashion that would make Jeff Goldblum in his prime proud, but there is something sinister and angry underneath the clownish performance that manifests itself in Eisenberg’s eyes. It’s almost as if Luthor is playing a role for the public that hides the true evil within.   I enjoyed Eisenberg’s performance greatly.

 

 

The supporting cast is also very good, with Jeremy Irons taking top marks as Alfred. He’s not afraid to take Bruce down a peg or two, yet his support is unwavering even when he knows it might result in the death of the man he thinks of as a son. It’s a nice change of pace from the fretting Michael Caine interpretation in the Nolan films (particularly in “The Dark Knight Rises”) Adams has some nice, if truncated chemistry with Cavill as Lois and Laurence Fishburne and Diane Lane get some nice moments as Perry White and Martha Kent, respectively. One of the more intriguing performances comes from Scoot McNairy as Wallace Keefe, a former Wayne employee who loses his legs in the battle of Metropolis. His arc and subsequent actions signify a big turning point in the film and, although he’s not onscreen long, McNairy does leave an impression.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To sum up: “Dawn Of Justice” is still a little to overstuffed to be considered a masterpiece, but when it’s firing on all cylinders (which it does often) it’s one entertaining ride. Snyder and company continue to improve in their handling of these characters and with a little more work, this version of the DC Universe could give Marvel some serious competition down the road. Strong performances, a gritty yet not overly glum aesthetic, and some incredible action scenes make “Superman Vs Batman: Dawn Of Justice” a definitely better than average comic book movie. See this on the biggest screen you can. 4 Out Of 5 on Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!

 

“Superman Vs Batman: Dawn Of Justice” is Rated PG – 13 for intense sequences of violence and action throughout, and some sensuality.