Welcome to the Main Event! This is the fight you’ve all been waiting for! This is the movie that you’ve dreamed of, since your first nerd boner, sitting in your Superman, Batman, or Wonder Woman pajamas while eating cereal and watching Saturday morning episodes of the Justice League cartoons, or in my case, carefully turning the pages of some of your favorite comic book heroes.
This movie delivers on every single promise of being jam-packed with fan service to some of your most favorite moments in DC comic books, cartoons and games. Without spoilers, I sat in awe and watched while Zack Snyder’s team recreated panels and shots of some iconic moments from the Dark Knight Returns, and so much, MUCH more! And the best part is that this movie treats all of this rich DC lore, with the utmost respect of never straying too far from the original vision, but just enough to clearly identify itself as its own. It also doesn’t over stretch its bounds. It’s clear to see that this movie is DC’s move for setting up something big with their cinematic universe, and while they do add a ton of content, it never distracts from the battle you came to see.
Henry Cavill does a good job of reprising his role as the Man of Steel. The small town boy scout, now turned big time reporter, struggles with his duty of maintaining an image as a hero to the people of Metropolis. These people are divided about the idea of having an alien as their saviour who is protecting their planet. Rising up through the destructive path of Supe’s good intentions is Ben Affleck’s H.A.M version of the Dark Knight. Affleck’s charm makes him a natural playboy Bruce Wayne, but at the same time Affleck executes on what is clearly Frank Miller’s adaptation of a no-shit, hard hitting, borderline anti-hero, who’s hell bound on making our boy in blue answer for his injustice. This dark combination makes for the best movie version of our beloved Bat vigilante. Rounding out the hero cast is the stunning Gal Gadot’s version of Wonder Woman, who is surely to have men drooling long after they roll the credits. However, Gal’s performance isn’t only meant for the spank bank – her serious seductive and ass kicking skills prove that she is much more than just sideline eye candy next to our Titans and will surely be able to hold her own in the stand alone Wonder Woman film to follow in 2017. And playing puppet master behind the scenes is Jesse Eisenberg’s eccentric Lex Luthor. A young corrupt lunatic / mad billionaire corporate genius, with a serious issue of men running around in tights, acting as Gods. Unlike the composed refined portrait of Luthor in the DC renditions of the past, Eisenberg’s Silicon Valley, sneaker-wearing, power-driven, megalomaniac is a refreshing and fun take on this modern day villain.
While the plot and writing for Dawn of Justice is packed with your standard comic book clichés and forgivable holes, DC’s one movie (exposition catch up) brings its audience up to speed at a well-paced and clear-to-understand fashion. So no need to worry about reading a thousand comics, or dating a nerd to catch you up, this movie has got you covered. BvS explodes with amazing CG visual effects that had my eyes at full attention. Each smack-down moment is chalked with clear detail, making you feel that you are truly front row for this spectacle, but as the movie ramps to the biggest gladiator match in history, it’s the non-stop action after the main fight card that kept my ass glued to the seat. And the film comes to a conclusion, with a disappointing no after-credit scenes, it’s clear; DC’s shots fired. This isn’t the end for DC, only the dawn of a new and bright beginning.
Batman V Superman – Dawn of Justice is CERTIFIED Swagger.
Written by M. Brevetti