Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - SPOILER FREE REVIEW

 
   Holy crap, world! Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is finally here and it comes to us on the heels of scathing critical reviews and an overall divisive feel from fans who have seen it already. Much like Man of Steel split the viewership, BvS will ultimately do the same. Boiled down, of you liked Man of Steel, you'll like BvS. If you didn't like Man of Steel, you positively won't like BvS. Simple as that. Director Zack Snyder laid the foundation for a fantastic comic book world with these two films, and BvS holds nothing back in expressing its intent to build this cinematic universe. But when you get down to the nitty gritty, this movie will make a butt-load of money while ticking off a butt-load of fans. Just like Man of Steel did.

But that doesn't mean it's not awesome!

   Know going into this movie that there is a lot of stuff that happens. Watching it is like swallowing a turkey whole and then trying to digest it afterward. The movie starts by letting you know it's a sequel to Man of Steel by following Bruce Wayne as he witnesses the battle between Superman and Zod. Fearing the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman decides to take matters into his own hands in taking on Superman. The world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs, questioning Superman's validity. With Batman and Superman fighting each other, a new threat by Lex Luthor appears. It's up to Superman and Batman to set aside their differences in order to defend Metropolis.

   This movie isn't perfect. No film is, really. Where people will find the most fault with this movie is in its structure. Unlike Man of Steel which had a fairly straight-forward, linear narrative, BvS is a bit disjointed and sporadic in its story-telling...and I really dug that. A lot of people won't. For me it felt almost poetic in its structure. Poetry dismantles predetermined rules for writing and structure and does so while evoking strong, emotional responses. BvS is no different. It doesn't follow the standard linear narrative, and I feel it was purposefully designed that way. Some might say it's "sloppy editing". I say it's poetic narrative. I was kept in edge, wondering what was real, what wasn't. The film has this emotional resonance that will stick with you, and a lot of that comes from how it's structured. The story plays a big part in that as well. The beginning is almost like a political thriller, discussing the philosophy of Superman and his accountability for his actions in Man of Steel. These actions illuminating Bruce Wayne's motivations to take him down ring with a sense of realism and believability. The movie definitely shifts gears about halfway through but that's perfectly alright in my book.

  
   Be it known that amidst the controversy behind the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman, I stood on the side for good in support of that choice. You can read about my thoughts on why here. I'm proud to say that after seeing it, "I told you so" just seems fitting...because Affleck nailed it! I mean, my word people, I'll go on record right now and say that although I absolutely loved Christian Bale's Batman, Affleck's Batman is the best on-screen Batman to date. It's as if he was taken straight out of the comics; ripped from the pages of Frank Miller's book "The Dark Knight Returns". This iteration is extremely dark, and Batman does things in this movie that we're not used to seeing him do, which will make some people question, maybe even strongly dislike this version. I really enjoyed that aspect of him, and his actions aren't for nothing. Even Henry Cavill's Superman in Man of Steel was a completely different version than what we had seen before, and a lot of people disliked that, but he works within the universe being built. Again, that being said I think there's gonna be people that will see this Batman and be turned off by him. Zack Snyder is doing what we all want Hollywood to do and that's make something "new". I'm always saying that there's no originality in Hollywood any more. If you're gonna reboot something, bring a new aspect to it in order to make it fresh. Snyder did that with Superman, and he's done it again with Batman, and I tip my hat to the guy because he gave me a Batman that I can't wait to see again and again.

   It's so hard not to delve into spoiler territory, I'll leave that for my other review. I merely just want to get some overall thoughts down. Let's see, OH! Wonder Woman. We all know from the trailers that she's in this, and she's definitely one of the highlights of the entire film. She got the biggest response from my showing when she appeared. Gal Gadot is completely believable as the character, and the tiny morsel we get of her will leave you hungry for more. Good thing her movie is the next one to come out. This film sets up the Justice League, and some might feel this intro is shoe-horned in. In a sense, I get that. But honestly it's so cool you can't help but feel giddy. Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor is an extremely different take, and I think his character was creepy and conniving. Jeremy Irons as Alfred was brilliant. The acting, visuals, story, and execution of said story was overall enthralling. And the action? SO. FREAKING. AWESOME! The title bout between Batman and Superman was visually stunning, brutal and intense. I was amazed by the entire sequence and the ensuing action that takes place after with Lex's "abomination". The action in this movie surpasses that of Man of Steel and is so fun to watch. I don't know if I want to say any more because It might lend to spoilers so, just know that it's awesome!

   We all know that everyone and their dog will be seeing this movie this weekend and the storm of controversy will ultimately ensue. Critics already seemed split, leaning towards disliking the picture. The only way you'll know if it's good is to see it. For me, this movie gave me a new, awesome Batman, who alone was well worth the price of admission; a stunning battle between these two iconic characters, a laid foundation for the Justice League, and an overall need to get to a theater right away and watch it again!