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Post by Chewin on Mar 23, 2016 17:13:42 GMT -6
Alright, just came out of the movie theater and here are my thoughts;
Honestly, I'm actually surprised by how well the movie actually turned out for me. I had little to no expectations, other than expecting a massive clusterfuck, and with early Rotten Tomatoes reviews being so critically low, I was certain that was exactly what I was going to get. But I have to say, I personally disagree with most critics out there, cause it is really not that bad of a movie.
Let's start with the characters; Ben Affleck KILLS IT in his portrayal as the caped crusader and billionaire playboy! He is the very definition of Batman on screen for me, just as much as RDJ is Tony Stark. Not only is Affleck's performance solid, but the movie manages to portray Bruce Wayne as a complex, multifaceted character that incorporates the essential characteristics on what defines both personas, utilizing his skill as a charmer, detective, scientist, vigilante and more, to define what kind of character both Bruce Wayne / Batman is. This is a very extreme version of Batman (of course something which will be the topic of controversy for many fans), but the movie goes its way to actually "show, don't tell" approach to portray exactly why he thinks the way he does (though there are still questions to be answered on some fronts), and I actually cared for Bruce throughout the movie, and that is saying something.
Superman offers a nice development over the character that was given in the prequel movie, and was pretty much on par what I wanted the movie to do to further him as a character. The political, medial and religious perspectives that centers on him is quite a mature and realistic take on Superman's role as a figurehead--showing various perspectives from different angles--and are aspects that fascinate me and I found were handled quite well, but I can easily see why people would rather not have topics like these present (as my mother said when talking about the film, she found them dull). Suffice to say, they worked for what they set out to achieve, to a point at least.
Wonder Woman largely plays as a background character, who is more of a mysterious figure with her own agenda which isn't explored much but maybe that was for the best (the movie is crowded already). I wouldn't sing praises for Gal Gadot's performance as WW, but to her credit she did pull of a solid performance. I have no issues having her in future movies.
Lex Luthor is... well exactly what you expected him to be like if you watched the trailers. He does offer some clever machinations in the movie to make him a rather competent enough of a villain, but Jesse Eisenberg's eccentric behavior is really more ludicrous than impressive, and not in a single scene did I see Lex Luthor.
The rest of the cast aren't exactly noteworthy. Aside from Jeremy Irons who is great as Alfred, and I got a few chuckles from him which was what I wanted, though then you have Lois Lane who is... pretty pointless and becomes again a damsel in distress. Ah well.
As for story, well it is a mixed bag. The first act (and some parts of the second) is great in my book, wherein the movie offers a political thrillers of sorts, with the narrative focusing on Superman's various exploits, Batman's internal and external troubles that he faces, along with Luthor's scheming. These three threads offers some relevant and grounded take on several different issues that works to strengthen the movies various themes and tie in together quite nicely, to make the conflict between Batman and Superman feel relevant and is handled in a more complex fashion, wherein you get to see both character's perspectives to identify how different yet similar they actually are... until the movie comes crashing down in the third act, wherein the movie focuses its sole attention to give a visual spectacle and throw in various future tie ins and plot threads that will only be relevant in future movies. There is the problem with the story of the movie, it's not cohesive, and in turn the climax of the movie feels rather shallow and bizarre. It doesn't really want to tell anything meaningful, which is a shame since the ingredients are right there in the movie, but Zack Snyder really is desperate to sell his big DC universe that he simply can't wait to show his toys before they are even out of the factory. The story is not complete shit by any means, but the script simply was not able to handle its various aspects properly, and the movie turns into a bit of a mess. Not as big as I expected it to be, but still one to leave a mark.
Visually and cinematography-wise the movie is a splendor, which is what you'd expect from Snyder to deliver. There are some great scenes, and a multitude of various combat sequences to leave you impressed (most involving Batman really), so on that front I was entertained 100%. The score was also quite good, and there were a few soundtracks that I really liked, both somber and accelerating.
So overall in my book, the movie does not deserve the low ratings it is receiving. I'd even go as far and call it a rather OK movie; that offers a visually stunning experience, with a good cast, some interesting ideas, but are hindered by a lack of focus. Most importantly for me was that it was entertaining, and I didn't leave the theater annoyed. Most likely due to my low expectations, but I ain't complaining.
I honestly though don't want Snyder complete control of future installments, and I'm glad Ben Affleck is handling the directing and script of the future Batman movie, because I believe he can make something great.
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