Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Seen in 3D – cinema version. This oozes ambition right from the start. Music by Hans Zimmer, Christopher Nolan as executive producer, and a budget of a quarter of a billion. And lo and behold, it doesn't work. I wouldn't give Batman v Superman a Boo!, but in the context of the current boom in comic book adaptations, it's pretty damn weak. For one thing, I can't get my head around the script, which is utterly impotent ("Martha. Why did you say that name?" --- WHAT THE FUCK???). There are hints of Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy (the stylization of Gotham, the interweaving with politics), but Snyder, apparently in a state of psychopathic fear of future accusations that he's blatantly copied Nolan, chooses his own path again in the form of a digital orgy. Thus, in the space of 150 minutes, the motivations of the two superheroes are only very sporadically sketched out, whereas the best-drawn character is Lex Luthor, portrayed by the annoying Eisenberg (and I quite like Jesse otherwise). I purposely watched it in 3D to revel in the epic action scenes, but unfortunately I didn't get any. It's all so rushed, uncertain, and underdeveloped. It's the several years and especially the gradual building of the cinematic universe that really counts for something, because the viewer is better oriented overall and understands why a character does what he does. In the DCEU, they go about it exactly the opposite way and it feels like it too. Killed potential and, once again, after Man of Steel a very embarrassing result. A second disappointment. (06/03/2018)

You can only call Batman v Superman mediocre once you take into account its huge potential, which was more or less buried by unnecessary mistakes. Starting with Snyder's routine direction and ending with a rudimentary script without proper emotions, characters and twists, the film is a bore that naively understands darkness as more black on the screen. But rudimentary thinking is also connected with the two main characters. Instead of the chosen guardians of order, we get two little brats fighting over a toy in the sandbox. The only consolation is that Affleck's battered Batman at least looks far more natural during the dull beatings than if Bale was running around in the same costume. DC is floundering and it's only a matter of time before it puts itself out of the game for good. (09/12/2016)