Hey look everyone, Zack's found a hammer. It's a nice hammer, and an expensive one no doubt. Looks like he knows how to swing that hammer well too so watch out because Zack is going to beat you all upside your head with it until you scream mercy (and then he'll take one last shot or two just because that hammer cost so much money). That's what Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice was like to me. Now I have defended Zack and his movies in the past because they entertained me (except Sucker Punch). I enjoyed 300, Watchmen, and Man of Steel and that's a pretty solid number as far as directors go in my opinion. BvS however was just bad. My main issue was everything, and I mean EVERYTHING felt like a major event. There were none of those small moments that make a film charming and granted Christopher Nolan's Batman films didn't have many of those either. What Nolan's films did have though were rock solid plots (except the last one but by then he was mentally working on Intersteller). BvS seemed like Snyder threw everything at the wall and used whatever stuck. Written by the guy that wrote Argo, Chris Terrio and the guy that has written or had a hand in some amazing works and who wrote Man of Steel, David S. Goyer, you would think this story would have been sharp. Sadly that is not the case.
BvS is a droll film with a lot of uninspired dialogue and slow motion images (a Snyder crutch apparently) which I'm guessing was supposed to up the dramatic factor. It just became quickly annoying instead. And was there really a need to remind everyone yet again how Bruce Wayne's parents died? I think that moment is firmly cemented in comic book and super hero movie lore but yet not only do we see it once but TWICE in this movie. I cannot in good conscience see any of the upcoming DC slated movies if Snyder is at the helm because he seems lost. I really enjoyed Man of Steel which is why I saw BvS, but the deft touch he showed on MoS is missing here. Here he whacks you over the head time and time again it seemed like he felt the need to justify the $350 million dollar budget (that's production + marketing). The movie could have ended at least five different times instead Snyder continues to whack you in the head with that pretty hammer. The only saving grace in this film is Wonder Woman who is actually badass. She saves both Batman and Superman's bacon and looks like a force to reckon with. I don't know how her stand alone movie will be but if she's as ferocious as she was in BvS then that movie should be a hit.
The drawbacks on BvS are many and believe me, I didn't go into this movie looking for them. I really wanted this movie to be good. I seriously did, I swear it. But when you see a Batman without the nuance that Nolan's Batman brought to the screen then you see all the mistakes. I like Ben Affleck, but he looked like he was dressed in a costume that was two sizes too small for him. The Batmobile looked like an oversized dune buggy and we never find out what happened to his mansion which is a burned out husk (taking off from Nolan's Batman perhaps?). There is NO humor in this movie whatsoever and nothing endearing that would inspire repeat viewing and Jessie Eisenberg's Lex Luthor was a cross between his Mark Zuckerberg performance from social network and a wannabee Joker. There were some amazing moments in this movie but they were few and far between. The score by Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL was good but I would have loved if Hans used his Batman themes from Nolan's movies here. That would have sent me through the roof but that was missed opportunity. I wished I liked this movie more, I wished it were better but this is one super hero movie I have no desire to ever see again (along with every Fantastic Four and Ghost Rider film). I'll see you at the theater.
