Admittedly I have been a fan of DC Comics for nearly 40 years so..you might think i'm biased but i'm not..in that I don't think DC walks on water. In fact...I thought Man Of Steel was actually one of the top 5 worst Superhero films I had ever seen. I am shocked however, to see how critics are panning Dawn Of Justice so much. I'll give minor spoilers at the end of this review to the two flaws I found with this excellent film. However..let me start spoiler free:
First..it needs to be said that Ben Affleck is probably the best live action Bruce Wayne we have ever had. When Affleck was first announced, I, like so many others had serious doubts..but I was very wrong. He turns in a performance worthy of the best Batman comics in history. I won't get into comparing him to past actors to have played the role, or this review will end up being far too long. I'll just say..if you have read any Batman Comics..not just the Frank Miller story that the film seems loosely based on...Ben Affleck will make you very proud.
The returning cast from Man Of Steel give more of the same. Henry Cavill in conjunction with Zack Snyder seem to feel the need to make Superman as dark as Batman...a choice I will never understand but..Cavill does however have a few pitch perfect scenes that I will briefly address in spoilers later.
Jeremy Irons is great as Alfred, and I hope his role is expanded in future movies. Gal Gadot is absolutely perfect as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. A character that has never been on the big screen in her 75 year Life..is again done proud. Gal is beautiful, classy, and tough..she will do amazing things in her solo film!
Another performance I found myself shocked to love was Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. This seemed liked terrible casting to me but...somehow it ended up working..really well. At some points this version of Lex can be downright scary. Which I much prefer to the campy criminal we saw with Gene Hackman or Kevin Spacey. Just wait until you see exactly how deranged this Lex can be! And by the way..just hearing a live action Batman talk about Lex or Metropolis...will have a true fan giddy with excitement! In summary before spoilers...Don't let critics sway you...SEE THE FILM...I'm sure you'll be glad you did!
Now...below are spoilers..regarding the best and worst parts of the film. If you haven't yet seen it..you have been warned:
There were just two flaws I found with the film...both of which were not the fault of the actors. One was a ridiculous dream sequence in the middle of the film..that has been eluded to in the trailers involving Batman..in the desert..shooting people. It is so misplaced and silly..that I have absolutely no idea why it is there. Batman using guns to kill..just looks ridiculous. Thankfully the scene is short and only a dream. The good part of it is..that it leads into the first of two cameos by The Flash...and it sets up who the Justice League Villain might be. Omega Symbol anyone???? The other flaw is that the final battle..no not the actual Batman/Superman fight..but the OTHER Fight is far too long. That was one of the biggest problems Snyder had with MOS...the final fight dragged on forever! Other than those two things the film is fabulous.
As I said earlier..Cavill who plays The Man From Uncle way better than he plays Superman has two standout scenes...where he gives Superman the sympathetic side he should have. The first is...a beautiful scene where he sees a vision of his dead earth father Jonathan Kent, while he is in the arctic. Cavill and Kevin Costners interplay was the only bright spot of MOS..and it is again on display here. The other great Superman scene is when he says two key words at the end of his fight with Batman..."Save Martha"! Those two words change everything between the two icons....and they give this version of Superman one of his best moments over 2 films! Again...see the film and judge for yourself but..I loved it!! I wish Zack Snyder didn't feel the need to be quite so artsy..with comic book heroes..and I hope he will be less so with JLA but it doesn't change all the good in the film..that makes it worth it!
This is the true Dawn of Justice!!
First..it needs to be said that Ben Affleck is probably the best live action Bruce Wayne we have ever had. When Affleck was first announced, I, like so many others had serious doubts..but I was very wrong. He turns in a performance worthy of the best Batman comics in history. I won't get into comparing him to past actors to have played the role, or this review will end up being far too long. I'll just say..if you have read any Batman Comics..not just the Frank Miller story that the film seems loosely based on...Ben Affleck will make you very proud.
The returning cast from Man Of Steel give more of the same. Henry Cavill in conjunction with Zack Snyder seem to feel the need to make Superman as dark as Batman...a choice I will never understand but..Cavill does however have a few pitch perfect scenes that I will briefly address in spoilers later.
Jeremy Irons is great as Alfred, and I hope his role is expanded in future movies. Gal Gadot is absolutely perfect as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. A character that has never been on the big screen in her 75 year Life..is again done proud. Gal is beautiful, classy, and tough..she will do amazing things in her solo film!
Another performance I found myself shocked to love was Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. This seemed liked terrible casting to me but...somehow it ended up working..really well. At some points this version of Lex can be downright scary. Which I much prefer to the campy criminal we saw with Gene Hackman or Kevin Spacey. Just wait until you see exactly how deranged this Lex can be! And by the way..just hearing a live action Batman talk about Lex or Metropolis...will have a true fan giddy with excitement! In summary before spoilers...Don't let critics sway you...SEE THE FILM...I'm sure you'll be glad you did!
Now...below are spoilers..regarding the best and worst parts of the film. If you haven't yet seen it..you have been warned:
There were just two flaws I found with the film...both of which were not the fault of the actors. One was a ridiculous dream sequence in the middle of the film..that has been eluded to in the trailers involving Batman..in the desert..shooting people. It is so misplaced and silly..that I have absolutely no idea why it is there. Batman using guns to kill..just looks ridiculous. Thankfully the scene is short and only a dream. The good part of it is..that it leads into the first of two cameos by The Flash...and it sets up who the Justice League Villain might be. Omega Symbol anyone???? The other flaw is that the final battle..no not the actual Batman/Superman fight..but the OTHER Fight is far too long. That was one of the biggest problems Snyder had with MOS...the final fight dragged on forever! Other than those two things the film is fabulous.
As I said earlier..Cavill who plays The Man From Uncle way better than he plays Superman has two standout scenes...where he gives Superman the sympathetic side he should have. The first is...a beautiful scene where he sees a vision of his dead earth father Jonathan Kent, while he is in the arctic. Cavill and Kevin Costners interplay was the only bright spot of MOS..and it is again on display here. The other great Superman scene is when he says two key words at the end of his fight with Batman..."Save Martha"! Those two words change everything between the two icons....and they give this version of Superman one of his best moments over 2 films! Again...see the film and judge for yourself but..I loved it!! I wish Zack Snyder didn't feel the need to be quite so artsy..with comic book heroes..and I hope he will be less so with JLA but it doesn't change all the good in the film..that makes it worth it!
This is the true Dawn of Justice!!