Even though, I am a huge nerd, I have, frankly, been very disappointed by most of the comic book movies I have seen lately (barring obvious exceptions -- I loved the first Avengers, Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies were fantastic and I’m a huge fan of the recent Deadpool flick).
I’ll be honest, I did not have high hopes walking into Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Ben Affleck just seemed like a weird choice. The whole concept of Batman taking on Superman seemed silly and incomprehensible. Plus, I’ve always personally thought Superman was kind of lame — since childhood (don’t judge me, lol).
But this movie surprised me and I actually walked out of the theater, filled with excitement and admiration.
***SPOILER ALERT***
I am going to start off with what I loved: Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Nailed it. When we first met her character, she’s intelligent, charming, beautiful, fashionable. mysterious and strong. Gadot’s performance is magnetic and intriguing. I was totally sucked in, just loved her from the get go. Later in the flick, she comes out firing, in one of the most epic fight scenes in film history. She’s tearing it up just as bad as the boys — in ways better. We see her Lasso of Truth, Bracelets of Submission and her magical Amazonian Sword. It’s just too awesome to explain with words.
The fight scenes… I mean, seriously though. INSANE. I am not usually a fan of CGI, but I didn’t find it that bothersome or vexing in this movie. Maybe I really stepped into the world Director Zack Snyder created. As I am sure you imagined, there’s an incredible throw down between the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight. Before their battle, I kept thinking, how is human Bruce Wayne going to even have a fighting chance against God-like Superman? This is dumb! Well with Kryptonite, of course (duh), and good ol’ smart Bruce uses it wisely. Don’t want to go into the details too much, but they have an unreal battle — breaking down walls, pillars — destroying an abandoned building. It’s just visually stunning. My eyes were wider than dinner plates, taking in this amazing match-up.
So, Wonder Woman and the fight scenes — I LOVED. LOVED…The last hour of the movie is intense and will have you on the edge of your seat! As for the first hour…I cannot say the same. I have a short attention span and I was bored. The plot in the beginning was too focused on establishing this animosity between Batman and Superman. I really thought it could have been simplified and condensed. The writers also created this elaborate, convoluted story to connect Superman, Batman and Lex Luthor. Sometimes, I literally had no idea what was going on. I remember thinking at one point: “Wait — what the? I am lost…” Never a good sign in a movie. However, it all connects later and you have this ah-ha moment: “OH… OK… Get it now.” But, did they really need to get into all of that? I don’t think so. The beginning is drawn out and a little tedious, but the ending makes the movie so worth the watch.
I approved of Ben Affleck. At first, it’s just jarring seeing him as Bruce Wayne/Batman. I just always think of Good Will Hunting when I see his face, but then it began to fit as the movie went on -- and I got over it. In fact, at one point I thought: “OK, I see you, Ben — you’re the Batman, I’m feeling it!”
Henry Cavill just is Superman/Clark Kent. He’s just a fine human specimen (let’s be real <3). He’s absurdly attractive and muscular, but has that naive blandness, which is innately Superman (in my opinion lol, sorry Superman fans)! His Clark Kent is adorable too. Really took me back to the old Superman flicks with Christopher Reeve, for some reason.
Jesse Eisenberg is awkward, maniacal, psychotic and strange. A perfect Lex Luthor. Sometimes, in the beginning, I felt like he was overdoing it, but by the end of it, I really thought he made Lex his own, gave it his own personal spin, which I liked.
Get ready for a slow start, but a wild finish. If you’re a comic book fan, it’s a must-see, but if you’re not, might be better to rent it later. All I got to say, I cannot wait for the Wonder Woman movie!!!!
