Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Batman vs Superman movie review

So I'm not a big fan of Ben Affleck as Batman. And I don't really like the Superman reboot very much (I lost my love when Superman finds out he's a father and his response is an aloof "I'll be around"). And I don't like the civil war among the good guys theme running through movies these days.

BUT.

This is a good movie. Once you get past Batman saying stupid things about Superman, the story plays out really well. Wonder Woman is great. Jesse Eisenberg tries really hard to summon his inner Heath Ledger and play a creepy supervillain. He does OK.

The movie tries to explore some God themes, and riffs on this idea from time to time, but it's like a junior high kid playing with concepts too big for his faculties. They throw in a few "God is dead" and "you can't be both all knowing and all good" phrases (neither of which Superman claims to be, I'll point out), and they do make the viewer think about the themes a little. But just a little.

There are some nice twists. A few cameos. Jeremy Irons and Lawrence Fishburne are wasted in their roles... Jeremy muttering bitterly about Batman's personal life and Lawrence spouting sound bites for their brief appearances on screen. Though I did appreciate this gem: "The American conscience died with Martin, Bobby, and John." That was food for thought, especially with this year's contenders for our next president.

EDIT: I agree, Batman needs an actual girlfriend, not some nameless, faceless woman lying next to him in bed. Very degrading to women, that scene...

The ending is very good. I liked it alot. And that, for me, makes for a good movie. It also opens things up for many more movies to come.

I recommend it, and I suggest seeing it on the big screen. I saw it in 3D, which added NOTHING (except $$). See it in 2D. But it's quite a spectacle, so I would see it in the theater, and don't wait for the DVD.

2 comments:

Laurie said...

As a family we enjoyed it. We all agreed Batman needs a girlfriend.

jefe said...

see my edit :)