Finally decided to drop by and post after what seems forever. And what better thing to start off with than a movie review? Be aware that there will be some spoilers, so read at your own risk.

Now though I am a Marvel fan, I enjoy DC as well, and was eager to see their own cinematic universe take off. Regardless of what anyone says, Man of Steel was a decent film and one of the best for Superman, so I was excited to see the followup.

Having now watched the next entry in the DC cinematic universe, I will be honest and say I can understand where the naysayers are coming from. While it’s my personal belief that critics enjoy only the crap of movies, their criticism does have some merit.

Batman v Superman runs almost two and half hours, and the first half is a bit of struggle. The very beginning starts out well enough with recapping (yet again) the death of Bruce’s parents and his encounter with bats. Then we switch to that scene in Man of Steel where Superman engages General Zod, only this time it’s with Bruce from the ground. The frantic rush to save the employees of Wayne Tower flows well, conveying the terror and frenzy of the moment, and shows us why Batman distrusts Superman so much.

After than, though, things seem to take a dive. The story does not flow well, with scenes being thrown in the wrong place and getting chopped prematurely. The political turmoil over Superman and references to his “savior qualities” sprinkled throughout the film, rather than enhance the film, actually feel more distracting than anything else, and seem to have little impact on the rest of the world. What little you do see is regulated to nothing more than the brief clips you saw in the trailers, instead of being fully fleshed out. Lex Luthor only serves to muddy the waters, with his little story to go against Superman thrown in chopped up little pieces. When it comes to villains, I like them smart, ruthless, and to possess a modicum of dignity. A villain who comes across as geeky and acts like a dork is not very compelling. Not to mention there was no reason given as to why he hated Superman and Batman so much.

The nightmares Bruce has that are scattered in the first hour are another problem. The smart thing to do would have been to show the reason why Bruce was having these dreams, whether it was a magical object or some mysterious force manipulating things. Instead, it’s like he just dozed off and had some of the most interesting visions of the century. I will say, though, that I did enjoy the part where he tackles the Superman soldiers, as well as the part with the Flash.

Contrary to what the critics and a lot of viewer say, I did not find the film very dark at all. Not that it isn’t, but when you compare it to Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, it does not even contain half of the darkness in those. The action, sadly, is lacking as well. I don’t have to have violence from the beginning to the end of a show like the Avengers, but it probably would have helped tremendously to have had at least one decent action scene in the midst of the confusion.
The second hour is where, I think, things improve mightily. The character development gets better, and the action finally kicks into gear. Even Lex improves.

The actual fight between Batman and Superman was shorter than I expected, but I really couldn’t find fault with that. After all, you can only prolong a fight between the two for so long. And while I could understand why some people would question why Martha’s name would suddenly stop Batman from killing Superman, I actually did not mind it. The way I saw it was this: Batman is still grieving for his mother. He could do nothing to stop her death. All he could do was stand there and watch (something he also had to do when Superman and Zod laid waste to the city, hence the rage factor) and in a strange way, saving Superman’s Martha is like a chance to save his own. And that’s one thing I have to give Snyder kudos for, and that is finally acknowledging the moms behind the heroes.

The rest of the film centers on the fight with Doomsday, which I personally would have saved for a solo Superman film instead, but again, it was enjoyable and not something I’d quibble about. And while I can’t say I was thrilled with the ending, knowing things will be resolved in Justice League provides some peace of mind.

So my opinion on the film on a whole? It certainly is an ambitious undertaking, but one that does not quite meet the mark. But while it certainly isn’t the best superhero film ever made, it certainly isn’t the worst. There are some fantastic action scenes, and the performances of Cavil, Affleck, and Gadot in their respective roles are above excellent. It’s a comfortable film and one I intend on watching again, despite the hiccups it goes through. And in the meantime, I shall wait for Justice League and hope that it will give a better story than its predecessor.

(DISCLAIMER. All credit for these images goes to the copyright owners. No copyright infringement intended. These are posted for review purposes only.)

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Well, folks, this is it. At long last we get a new Superman film, Man of Steel, which is set to open in theaters in just five days.
I watched Superman Returns, which was intended to be a partial reboot of the franchise, and while I enjoyed it, the movie was a little boring with the action being next to nil, and Superman getting the stuffing knocked out of him by Lex Luthor and his goons was and remains pretty pathetic.
This film is very different. For one thing, it is much darker than previous versions of the character with definitely more action than I have ever seen in anything with the label of Superman. The trailers did a good job showcasing that, and also highlighting the story of Superman’s character, which is something that has never really been delved into on the big screen. I’ve seen the four films with Christopher Reeve as Superman, and of course the 2006 Superman Returns starring Brandon Routh, and the character’s story was never that interesting, at least for me.
The special effects look awesome, and the premise even more. Man of Steel really promises to be just as good, or even better than Batman Begins. Seriously, with Christopher Nolan involved, you know it’s going to be a masterpiece. In my opinion, Superman is finally getting done right for a change, and I can’t wait to see the new take on one of my favorite characters.