Batman v Superman

COURT TRANSCRIPT

PROSECUTOR: State calls the case of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to order. We allege that there is no place on the big screen for two DC superheroes. Or a dozen. This will decide ... (sees a note.) No, I don't want peach tea.

JETHRO comes in and shoos out the courtroom. The Courtroom EXPLODES with whipped cream.

JETHRO: It could've been worse. Like the movie.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice stacks a lot of eggs in one basket. It's a sequel to Man of Steel, Superman's movie. But then there's Batman. A few supporting characters from their lives. And Wonder Woman. And cameos from other DC Comics stalwarts. They were in a hurry to get their movies started, weren't they?

Anyway, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) was in Metropolis when General Zod wrecked the place and fought Superman (Henry Cavill) in a cataclysmic free-for-all. Bruce is mad that a few employees were among the casualties. So he revives his old alter-ego, Batman, to get back at Superman. Meanwhile, antisocial rich nerd Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) hates Superman too, so he invests in Kryptonite to kill the Man of Steel. He also covertly harasses Batman and Superman to get them at each other. 

All Superman wants to do is the right thing. But a lot of people, especially Batman, think he'll go evil. It doesn't help that Bruce has nightmares of Superman as king of the world. So what's a Superman to do? Fight? There's a lot of that. Meanwhile, Diana Prince (Gal Gadot), the Amazon known as Wonder Woman, comes into the plot. And Lex has something cooking in the remains of Zod's ship.

I've just realized something: typing The Amazing Spider-Man 2's synopsis was easier than this.

Zack Snyder, working from a script by David Goyer and Chris Terrio, is the director again. The screenplay, as previously stated, throws in a lot of DC Comics stars into the mix. The most obvious nods are cameos by our heroes' future co-stars of the Justice League; take them out, and we'd lose little. What're they doing in the movie with little explanation? Luthor's henchmen, Mercy Graves and Anatoli, are major DC characters, but their backstories don't weigh down the film (then again, they don't have much development).  A lot of story elements are resolved questionably. Then, there's big action. 

But I tolerated this film. Despite the multiple story elements crashing in, there was a compelling story. It, at least, tries to integrate the action scenes into the story. There was also humor rising above the self-serious tone. The visual effects were serviceable, never intrusive. Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL's score was a memorable collaboration. The only thing that would've killed the film was a loud theater sound system.

The cast helps a lot. Ben Affleck, as Batman, made for a great hero. His first scene had him drive into the Metropolis chaos and helping a few survivors. He'll act even if he gets in danger, too. Cavill, as Superman, was much more relatable here than he was in Man of Steel. Gadot needed more space in the story, but from what we have, we have a strong, fearless heroine. Her first appearance in her super alter-ego was met with applause at my screening. Eisenberg's Luthor swings between affable and petty. But when he gets petty, he gets dangerous and scary. No actor was out of place in this DC movie.

Batman v Superman just needed a narrower focus to get a better story. But if you want big action, you won't be disappointed. And if you are disappointed, at least we have The Lego Batman Movie coming next year. I'll bet that one, like almost everything, is awesome.