Geek Outpost unites to review one of the year’s biggest films.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has finally hit theaters, and has been met with mixed reception to say the least. With critics and fans seemingly split over this long-awaited confrontation, we’ve decided to work together and tackle this review as a team.
Below are mini reviews of the film from members of our staff, each scoring the movie individually. Our official rating is the total average score.
Andrew:
Batman v Superman struggled at its core. The film was long, boring at points, and not even the epic fight scenes could save it. Ben Affleck was the shining gem of this movie and portrayed an excellent Batman. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman also stood out, but did not receive nearly as enough screen time as she deserved. Jeremy Irons played an excellent Alfred and is definitely another great addition to the series. Henry Cavill brings down the film and so does Amy Adams excessive time on-screen. Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luther gave off a more insane feel than a billionaire genius. The cameos for Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg were just straight up lazy, like really an email? We will have to see if the directors cut can bring the film any redemption. 3/5
Brad:
Batman v Superman was not all that it could be. It was just a sloppy movie overall. It felt like a Batman movie that featured Superman, and even less Wonder Woman (who by the way may have been the best part of the film). I will say I thought it did really well connecting to Man of Steel and building on those events, but then when it came to building connections to future installments and characters it felt strained and very unimaginative.
My biggest issue with the film overall is that it didn’t do the characters justice, specifically Batman. He does not kill. It is central to his character, only breaking it on a handful of occasions, yet he killed a solid amount of thugs in the most nonsensical of ways. Not to mention the weird dream sequences that really made little sense or have any major significance, which left me very confused in the way they were incorporated into the film. I did enjoy Ben Affleck’s Batman, he is more like my idea of Bruce Wayne than any of the previous actors who portrayed him. Then we have Wonder Woman, who was given little attention, and didn’t receive the screen time she deserves. Her character and introduction music in the film may be the part I enjoyed the most, and it did get me very excited to see the movie based around her coming out next year. The biggest issues the film faced was juggling too many characters, the same issue that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 faced. It wasn’t the worst movie experience I’ve had, but it just fell flat of the hype. 3/5
Dillon:
Although the build-up took longer than I thought, the fight scenes in the end were promising. Jesse Eisenberg did a great job as Lex Luthor, despite the negative reactions the fans gave when he was cast for the movie. The brief roles that the Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg could have been better. Introduction by email for all of these heroes is like smacking them all in the face, really. Honestly Zack, they deserve better. The heroes set up for future DC movies look good and hopefully, their stories won’t be put in the hands of Snyder. 3/5
Jack:
The first 10 minutes of this movie are perfect, but they’re the first 10 minutes to one of three movies happening inside this movie. Somewhere in Batman v Superman is a Man of Steel sequel, a Batman reboot and a Justice League set-up film. Our introductions to Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg are lazy. The writers had all the time in the world to think of ways we could meet these comic book legends, and we see them in clips sent to Wonder Woman via email. Ugh.
For all of its easy story-telling, sloppy editing and just general Zack Snyder-ness, the director knows his source material. The film looks like a live-action comic book, and the fight sequences, although brief, make sure to give each character his or her moment. Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot and Jeremy Irons are great additions to this universe, and DC has a bright future as long as they, along with Cavill, Miller, Momoa etc., are put in the right hands. I enjoyed the spectacle of Batman v Superman, but I’m not sure those hands are Zack Snyder’s. 3.5/5
Jake:
Batman v Superman: Yawn of Justice is a gorgeous disaster. It’s unfocused, miserable, long, and above all, boring. Despite Batfleck’s best efforts to carry the film, he is bogged down by Henry Cavill’s cardboard cutout portrayal of Superman, forced screen time for Amy Adams’ Lois Lane, and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, who has more in common with the Berries and Cream guy from the Starburst commercial than a threatening villain. Ultimately, the film does a better job of giving you a migraine than making you excited for Justice League. 2/5
Marc:
Batman v Superman delivers on a few core elements that fanboys will cheer at, but nothing else. With a trailer that revealed nearly everything weeks prior to the film’s release, the inevitable struggle of trying to cram too many character storylines into one film is apparent early on in Dawn of Justice. It’s hard to grasp just why Superman still feels the need to destroy buildings in order to fight the Caped Crusader, or why Batman bothers to bring Superman to justice at all as he himself kills bad guys in almost every conflict with them. Add the mess of a story to poorly edited scene transitioning, lackluster dialogue, and cliché moments around every turn, and you get a film that seems amateur at best and a train wreck at its worst. Zack Snyder’s indescribable motif of “no fun allowed” runs deep in this film, in a dark and dreary bore-fest that for some reason takes itself far too seriously and desperately tries to make sure the audience knows there is no hope of redemption for the characters in the title card all while trying to get viewers to understand that this is merely a setup film for the larger DC Cinematic Universe to come. It’s obvious through the writing and the final product that is Dawn of Justice that there were far too many hands involved to make this film work, and questionable as to whether or not any of them really know who Superman or Batman are or what either stand for. 1.5/5
Rob:
Batman v Superman is the perfect kind of DC movie if you have never touched a single comic book in your life in regards to both Superman, Batman, and the characters that are associated with them. Batman in Batman v Superman was unlike any kind of Batman we have ever seen before, but you can’t help but give Ben Affleck some credit for his work in the portrayal of the role. Jessie Eisenberg’s portrayal of Lex Luthor is much different from the original character in the comics and in the animated series. Henry Cavill’s acting as Superman bogs down the film and unfortunately the Superman in this film, just like Batman, is unlike anything we have ever see. The only two characters who seem to fit their role very well are Alfred and Wonder Woman. Gal Gadot’s work as the mysterious and powerful Amazonian is superb and you can’t help but feel impatient to see her very own standalone film. Unfortunately, even Wonder Woman can’t save this film from a measly rating. 3/5
Final Score: 2.7/5
