Hey folks! The Big Boss here bringing you a review late in the week. I know we’ve all seen the reviews going up for D.C.’s latest effort in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Most of these reviews focus on the artistic side of the movie, while others on the amount of plot points (or lack thereof). We here at the Bosses’ Desk tend to focus on the most important aspects of film: should you spend your hard-earned simoleons on a ticket for you and your whole family? By looking at certain aspects of the film (e.g. acting quality, excitement value, and replay value), we try to give you the most bang for your buck with the films we review. With 12 bucks a ticket on the line here, it’s important to us that YOU get your money’s worth when going to the movies. With that being said, this is going to be a two-part review. The first being this one, answering the question, “is it worth your time and money?” and the second being a scathing, spoiler filled review on what we thought of the movie as fans.
So without further ado, the short answer to the question at hand: Should you spend money to go see this film?

Yes.

You should see it at least once. Contrary to popular belief, this was not the worst film in the world, but in all actuality it was far from the best. Man of Steel received a 50/50 response from critics and fans. Batman V Superman was along those same lines. The key factor that splits the populous, in my opinion, is how people feel about the potential of the film. There was an opportunity that DC had to tell an engaging story and the expectations were high with a lot of people. Those whose expectations were high enough to feel that this film would be able to put DC on the map with Marvel tended to be met with disappointment. While those who had been worried about the film from day one tended to lean more toward the idea that it wasn’t as bad as they originally thought it was going to be.

No Comparing

Here’s the thing: It’s all relative. When you think about it combined superhero universes are in right now. Marvel has been doing it since 2008, with Iron Man… 2008 though!… Think about that for a minute. They’ve probably been planning since before 2008 but they’ve been in the game for about 8+ years now with no signs of stopping. DC released one offs for the most part for years, backing out of the combined universe until Man of Steel showed their intentions. That was in 2013 only 3 years ago. So to compare their universe to the one that Marvel is setting up isn’t exactly fair because, relatively speaking, they haven’t been doing this as long. With that in mind, you can start to see that it’s important to view this film as a first step into the realm.

Looking at the film like that provides a little perspective on what’s going on. DC will always look like it’s playing catch up until they focus on their own game as opposed to letting Marvel’s Universe affect how they tell their story.

The Good

Batman v Superman had a few hits with this film though. There were moments that were really rewarding to watch. Certain commentaries regarding the power of these heroes and their responsibilities to the world they work to protect all substantiated DCs stance to make their stories have a more serious tone and it looked good for the most part.
Stand out performances from cast contributed to the film being a decent experience as well. Henry Cavill reprising his role as Superman is a great return. There is a naivete to Superman that Cavill brings to the table you can see how his idealistic views began to be torn down in this movie and it’s plot point that’s strong enough for me to want to see what happens to his character.

The introduction of Bruce Wayne/Batman in the same world as Superman was a great part of the film as well. Ben Affleck, among much opposition, brought an amazing incarnation of Batman to the big screen. The film really allows you to see how taking up the mantle of the Batman for 20 years can really change a man. You can see there’s a mask that Wayne wears in his social life but there are moments where you see Bruce pensive about the events taking place (and the events that have already taken place) that give you a deeper understanding of the character. Affleck did a great job as Batman and I’m looking forward to him as actor and director helming the next solo Batman project and possibly the Justice League films.

Wonder Woman. What a joy it was to see her in this film. There wasn’t enough of her. Gal Gadot brought some things to screen subtly that give you so much of who Wonder Woman is. Her battle scenes were nothing short of amazing. Gadot brought something to Wonder Woman that I have nothing but respect for. Her enigmatic and battle-hardened nature is something great and it really makes for an intriguing portrayal of the character.

Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth was probably my favorite aspect of the film. Irons brings the fatherly aspect of Alfred out as well as being a sort of quartermaster for Bruce which I’ve always liked about the story of Batman. He and Alfred did a lot of this together. Watching him go toe to toe with Bruce was fun.

There were a few things that I enjoyed about the story but in an effort to avoid spoilers here I won’t discuss them. We’ll look at that on the spoiler filled review.

The Bad

Even though there were things that I like, there were still things that I felt could have been handled a lot better in the film. I personally felt that DC felt a little rushed with this endeavor. The story is a bit choppy and has too many gaps to permit it as passable in that matter. It looked to me as if the film catered too much to fans and little on the newcomers of this story. This method works in other films when you want to avoid treating audiences like idiots, but fails when you introduce characters with no explanation of who they are.

Jesse Eisenberg was disappointing in his portrayal of Lex Luthor. I think it had a lot to do with my expectations being so high for him I was expecting him to use a little more of his portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg in the Social Network in his work on Batman v Superman. A cold and calculated megalomaniac that believed that what he was doing was right for the world had always been my idea of Lex Luthor. The script itself and Eisenberg played Lex as eccentric schizophrenic that was hell-bent on destroying Superman. He felt more suited to be the Riddler or Mad Hatter than he was for Lex Luthor.

The Ugly

The worst part of the Batman v Superman film, in my opinion was the way Lois is portrayed in the film. For the most part she’s in the way and her character is weak in my opinion which makes her a liability. She’s played primarily as Superman’s weak point, the part of his life that gets him into more trouble than anything. My hope was that they would handle her character a bit better than simply telling an overly dramatic love story. Lois and Clark’s relationship was always something a little better than that. In the comics Lois and Clarks dynamic was my favorite aspect of the story.

The Verdict

Overall, the way I felt about the film is a 50/50. It wasn’t the best adaptation I’ve seen but it in no way was the worst. It wasn’t as bad as the critics say it is. You should enjoy seeing it once. There is no replay value in it though. This could only be corrected if they make considerable editing changes in the DVD release. So I think it’s definitely worth a view, pick a matinée or regular ticket, but avoid IMAX or 3D because I don’t think it’s worth that much.