25 Reasons To See Batman V Superman: An Honest Review

Let’s begin by talking about Ben Afleck’s Batman…hands down the best Batman out there! We were very skeptical when we heard that Ben Afleck was dawning the cape and mask of the Dark Knight. But Afleck really captured the severity of the persona that defines who Batman is. The brutality that he is capable of and most importantly, the fear that he is able to instill on his enemies. This is truly the Batman we’d hope to see on the big screen.

That’s not an exaggeration. The visuals are absolutely stunning, crisp, sharp. It’s a feast for the eyes if anything else. We did not watch this movie in an IMAX theater, and that was a HUGE mistake on our part.

It’s not a secret that the score can either make or break a movie. Here it definitely makes it. Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL have anchored this movie in what we can only describe as a raging river; taking the audience on a trip through intense rapids. Prepare yourself for an adrenaline rush.

Ok so we already mentioned that Batman is on-point in this film. But one of the highlights to Batman’s success is his athleticism. We can guarantee you’ve never seen a Batman move, fight, flip, grap, punch, like this Batman. His fighting scenes are borderline genius. Again this is not an exaggeration. Former Batmans are notorious for being restricted by their suits; but for this Batman, Snyder employs some practical effects and CG which really paid off.

Hard to not give spoilers here, but let’s just say that Batman V Superman sets up what will eventually be the Justice League team, and it truly is an exciting thing to see. We’ll leave it at that. BUT, where critiques have said that this aspect of the movie is poorly done, we disagree. Maybe a bit ambitious, but definitely not meriting the inflated negativism that it seems to be getting.

Critiques have pointed out that Batman V Superman lacks humor. And they are correct. The movie is dark and serious, but we don’t see that as a bad thing. After all, you have two icons of different forms of “good” fighting each other: The cynical, dark, but down-to-earth Batman, vs the idealistic, boy scout, epitome of a classic do-good hero Superman. Now to be fair, yes, we agree it could have used more comical relief but again we think the negative criticism on this observation is inflated.

Though no Christopher Reeve, Henry Cavill portrays one of the best Supermans overall. He adds a gravity to the persona of Superman that is often missed by other portrayals. Again critiques have taken issues with how serious this Superman is, but from watching the movie we can say that it makes sense. Superman is doing battle to not only physical things, but emotional and psychological things as well…this is a Superman under pressure.

First of, this is the first live-action appearance of Wonder Woman (in a blockbuster movie) in her 75 year history. To see her on the big screen was quite satisfying. Aside from that, Gal Gadot does a really good job with the role and even manages to add some of the few but much needed comic relief moments in the film. Some have said that she quickly becomes “THE highlight of the movie” (emphasis added). We won’t go that far, but we will say that she is definitely a memorable addition to the film, and we CAN’T WAIT to see the new Wonder Woman movie coming out next year.

To be fair, the critiques are somewhat correct. The story seemed a bit choppy and at times not as easy to follow…and there’s a lot to follow. With that said, we think that the critiques (again) are inflating the issue. The story is a bit choppy and the narration at times seems forced but the grievance here is not so atrocious that the movie becomes utterly un-watchable.

We’ve already mentioned the spectacular beauty of this film. Again, that is not an exaggeration! One of the iconic visuals however, has to be the dream sequences…one in particular. Hard to say more without spoilers but trust us, this dream sequence is total eye candy.

There’s this tension in the film as the heroes wrestle with the realizations of who they are and what they are capable of doing (probably more evident with Superman). It’s interesting to see some of our favorite superheroes wrestle with these hard philosophical question against a back drop that reveals, in many ways, their weaknesses. Though we think this tension could have been explored more effectively with a more coherently written story, it’s a decent attempt to relate the characters to a more human scale.

Don’t miss these facts about Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Speaking of relating to a more human scale, The movie does a good job at showing the “weaknesses” of a being so powerful that he is almost like a god (which has been a major criticism of Superman in general: He’s not relatable). We know that Superman’s main weakness is Kryptonite, but this movie reveals that the Man of Steel is susceptible to something much more common and in many ways just as deadly if not more. Now is this reason alone sufficient to merit spending money at the box office to see Batman V Superman? No. But in the totality of the movie it adds an enjoyable aspect that fits well with the Superman narrative.

And what a fight it is. We’ll leave it at that.

He’s the guy that in the comics killed superman (who later came back…but that’s another story). His CGI is for the most part, on point. With that said, we enjoyed Doomsday, and the battle to beat him (man is hard not giving any spoilers away) is a pure delight to watch. Especially on a specific moment…you’ll know what where talking about when you see it.

This is THE Batmobile that Batman deserves. WOW, simply just WOW. And there’s a scene where this beautiful piece of equipment really shines.

Wonder Woman shows off her fighting skills in the most epic way. You can tell she’s an amazon warrior and it’s awesome to see.

The bald, older, collected Luthor is gone. Enter a younger, more methodical, and hairy Luthor (He actually has hair!). It’s a new take on an old familiar foe and it does take some getting used to. But Jesse Eisenberg does a good job at pulling this new Luthor off. He’s a complicated character as he should be.

One of the many questions about the movie before it came out was “how was this trio going to work together on screen” The answer: They did fine. Though in our opinion they could have benefited from more emotional investment. The fact is, the characters don’t know each other that well and with Wonder Woman having such a limited time on screen, its hard to associate a believable rapport among themselves. With that said, the team played well off of each other, especially for the last battle.

It’a an obvious reply to the criticism of the 2013 Man of Steel Superman movie. Though not a full answer, it’s good to see that this significant magnitude of destruction had some sort of consequences.

Ultimately a movie is supposed to entertain, and this movie does exactly that. Can it be better? Absolutely, but it’s not a waste of money to see two of your favorite heroes go at it. And for all of its flaws, Batman V Superman more than makes up for it.

I'd give it at least an 8 but I enjoyed it so much my heart screams 10! Hope you enjoy it as much as me. https://t.co/bTJ32ZzsSX

— Kendell B. (@kburton23) March 21, 2016

So Ben Affleck is my favorite Batman now.. #BVSPremiere

— Kendell B. (@kburton23) March 21, 2016

So lucky to have been at the #BVSPremiere last night and I still can't believe how amazing it was. Not good. Not great. Amazing. #BvS

— Tom Nolan (@ThatsMrTomNolan) March 21, 2016

What happened? On one hand you have a pre-screened audience that is ecstatic about the movie, and when is finally released the critics seem to not share the exuberance. It’s a bit suspicious don’t you think? If anything, this kind of discrepancy merits some personal investigation.

Speaking of critics, there seems to be a polarizing phenomenon when it comes to this film. Critics hate it and fans like it which leaves a person asking “what is going on?”. And after watching the film, all we can do is scratch our heads in an attempt to figure out why so much negativity? To be fair, the movie has it’s flaws, this is true. But in our opinion, it does not merit criticism like “No major blockbuster in years has been this incoherently structured” – Robbie Collin, “The result is an enervating two and a half hours” – Kate Muir. “If there’s any justice, dawning or otherwise, at the multiplex, audiences will reject Zack Snyder’s lumbering, dead-on-arrival superhero mélange…” – Joshua Rothkopf. Critics have been known to be wrong before, and we think they are wrong here. If we were to rate this movie, we’d give it 7.5-8/10. There’s room for growth, but overall a good film.

This movie seems to be specifically tailored to fans by making reference to the comics in various ways (can’t mention how in order to avoid spoilers) which could partially explain the vehement negativity coming from critics. Furthermore, if a viewer is familiar with the bright, almost campy feel of Marvel movies (this is not necessarily a bad thing), they might be disappointed with the dark tone of Batman V Superman. With that said, if you are a Superman/Batman/DC fan, it’s worth watching. If you are not, it’s still worth watching but you might miss quite a bit of references.

It’s good. Really good (but dark). We’ll leave at that.

Overall, we did expect more out of Batman V Superman and we have to admit, there are times when you are genuinely annoyed at certain parts of the movie that fail to make sense. However, it’s a movie that we feel merits spending the money to go watch (maybe not twice, but definitely once). The positive aspects of the movie far outweighs any flaws and overall is an enjoyable (somewhat emotionally taxing) movie.