Miscarriage of Justice

Every now and then, a friend posting about a movie will say something along the lines of: "I thought it was going to be really bad, but it turned out to be decent." Usually, that sort of review makes me think: "if you thought is was going to be so bad, why did you see it?" Well, I must now point the finger back at myself, as I have watched a movie that I not only thought would be bad, I'd been explicitly warned it was bad by just about everyone I know who saw it.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is inevitably compared to films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and always comes out worse in the comparison. The DC creative forces were trying to force their own Avengers before putting in all the pre-Avengers legwork Marvel did to make that happen. I've heard it all. The characters felt off. The atmosphere was relentlessly grim and dark. So why see it? Well... Wonder Woman did turn out to be fairly good. And Aquaman looked like it might be entertaining. But maybe I should see Justice League first? And maybe that requires seeing Batman v. Superman first? See, it's this whole road to hell you walk one step at a time or something.

The movie marks the first appearance of both Batman and Wonder Woman in the incarnation of the DC Universe that began with Man of Steel. Horrified at the destruction in Metropolis at the climax of that film, Bruce Wayne is determined to find a strategic advantage over Superman and, if necessary, use it. Agitate with some manipulation by Lex Luthor, and the two heroes are soon at each other's throats.

It's an incredibly silly and internally inconsistent film. Though ostensibly a response to audience criticism over the wanton destruction of Man of Steel, the movie itself builds to a finale also marked by casual carnage and the annihilation of countless computer pixels. The characters are tissue thin, blowing in the breeze in whatever way the plot requires; Batman's attitude pivots in a literal instant at the crescendo of the movie (as has been widely and deservedly mocked).

The movie clocks in at two-and-a-half hours, and yet it somehow manages to feel strangely truncated. For one thing, we're denied a satisfying helping of the few parts of the movie that do work. Gal Gadot makes a striking entrance as Wonder Woman, though she appears in perhaps 15 minutes of film at best. She doesn't have any worthwhile scenes of her own, either; she just shows up randomly in advance of her far better solo movie. Scenes abound in the movie that feel oddly edited, as though lines were cut from the top or sliced from the end in an effort to get in, get out, get on to the next moment as soon as possible.

Worst of all is the portrayal of Lex Luthor by Jesse Eisenberg. Sure, many actors have played the role on film and television over the decades, so it's wise to try and chart a different path. But the script kneecaps his performance right out of the gate with an unrecognizable take on the character. The Lex Luthor of this film doesn't seem brilliant or tactical, he seems like a crazed force for entropy, as though a late find/replace command on the script substituted all previous references of the name "Joker."

What's good? Well, besides Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman, not much. Jeremy Irons is fun as an especially weary and put-upon Alfred. Amy Adams is a likeable Lois Lane (though very much underused in the story). The music by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL is bold and clever, weaving together several disparate themes that don't necessarily seem like they would have worked together (and that don't copy Zimmer's previous Batman work for director Christopher Nolan). And... that's about all.

I'd say Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice rates about a D+. It's the brazen blockbuster that really is as bad as people say it is. And yet, it suckered me in too.