Veteran director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) makes his third venture into the DC Universe with the highly anticipated Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Starring Academy Award winner Ben Affleck (Argo, Good Will Hunting) and Henry Cavill (Man of Steel, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) as the titular characters, respectively, Dawn of Justice sets the Justice League universe off to a visually impressive and fast, though perhaps a bit rushed, start.
The majority of the film takes place 18 months after the events of Man of Steel, but it begins with a familiar scene outside a Gotham theater. Following this introduction, the audience is brought to Metropolis, the ending scene of Man of Steel (2013) and reminded of the destruction of the city through Bruce Wayne's point of view. After a brief sequence of Bruce making his way through the city, he sees Superman for the first time, wreaking havoc in his fight against General Zod. Wayne Tower is one of the buildings to fall victim to the carnage, and Bruce watches as the Kryptonians continue their ruinous rampage. This is the moment that solidifies Bruce's determination to eliminate Superman, setting up the eventual title showdown.
Dawn of Justice is the introductory film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), DC's answer to the slew of Marvel films that have topped box office charts for the majority of the last decade. The DCEU does not, however, have the luxury of multiple origin stories. The Marvel Cinematic Universe released Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger before Marvel's The Avengers came out. The DCEU currently only has Man of Steel. As a result, three members of the Justice League, whose origin films will not be released until after Justice League Part One, had to be briefly (read: very briefly) introduced in Dawn of Justice. Although these introductions surely were appreciated by fans and built on the preexisting hype for the Justice League movies slated for 2017 and 2019, they felt rushed, and while the ending of Dawn of Justice left the audience wanting more, it also left a lot to be desired. That being said, the 2 hour and 31 minute run-time of Dawn of Justice stayed true to its name. Easter eggs were dropped throughout the film, and it certainly set the stage for the bulk of the upcoming DCEU.
Although Christian Bale's Batman has generally been agreed upon as the best Batman to grace the silver screen, Ben Affleck's take as an older version of the bat vigilante was refreshingly well done. Part of this can perhaps be attributed to Snyder's vision of the more bulked and athletic Batman who beats down his enemies in a far more nimble fashion than previously seen. The dark and brooding aspect of his character continues into this adaptation, but the latter half of the billionaire playboy description is almost nowhere to be seen, maintaining the darker tone of the movie.
Sitting opposite is Henry Cavill's Superman, Dawn of Justice being his second portrayal of Kal-El. There is effectively no difference between Man of Steel and Dawn of Justice's Superman, which can be expected given that both the actor and director are the same. In Dawn of Justice, however, he has to deal with his actions being scrutinized because the world is aware of his existence. It provides the somewhat expected conversation of "Superman is doing good, but he should not be immune to the consequences of his actions," but it's a subject that is not fully expanded upon and appears to be ignored for the remainder of the film once Jesse Eisenberg's (The Social Network, Zombieland) Lex Luthor begins making his moves.
Eisenberg's depiction of the bald CEO of LexCorp is the most obvious out-of-the-ordinary rendition of the typically calculating and menacing character. Full of awkward social tics, occasional monologues, and surprising hair, Eisenberg's Luthor is clearly different from general expectations--but not to a fault. The same can be said of Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious), who breathes to life Diana Prince/Wonder Woman in her first live-action theatrical appearance. Not much was known about the Amazonian warrior princess and how important of a role she would play in Dawn of Justice, but after watching her character unfold throughout the film, it's safe to say she exceeded expectations.
The remainder of the star-studded cast, including Oscar winner Holly Hunter (The Incredibles, O Brother, Where Are Thou?) and Oscar nominees Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix, Mystic River) and Amy Adams (American Hustle, The Fighter), are left to the wayside with minimally important storylines. Although Adams' Lois Lane continues her romance with Clark Kent, her character doesn't have the same type of impact it seemed to have in Man of Steel. Her fiery attitude and stubbornness in the pursuit of a good story are staples of her character and persist throughout the film, but for the majority of her screentime, she feels reduced to a damsel-in-distress.
Making his return is Academy Award winning composer Hans Zimmer (The Lion King, The Dark Knight). Zimmer has cemented himself as one of the industry's best, and he proves it again in Dawn of Justice. Along with JunkieXL (Deadpool, Mad Max: Fury Road), Zimmer brings yet another amazing score, this time with specific themes for every major character, resulting in a well-rounded and familiar score that's bound to return in future installments of the DCEU. Together with cinematographer Larry Fong (300, Super 8) and the rest of the supportive ensemble for this film, Zimmer has helped craft a gorgeous cinematic experience.
Justice League Part 1 reaches theaters in November of 2017. Between now and then, the DCEU will release Suicide Squad, which comes out later this year, and Wonder Woman, which is set for a June 2017 release. While there are head-scratching moments, Dawn of Justice definitely has its high moments, and Snyder does a perfectly decent job of interweaving three major comic book characters and setting the stage for the remainder of the DCEU.
