Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a step up which would eventually lead to Justice League. Seeing the iconic trinity of DC sharing the silver screen itself was worth the wait. Keeping the tone of the story grim & dark, Zack Snyder has made it very similar to his earlier take on Alan Moore’s legendary graphic novel Watchmen. Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy has been one of the best onscreen adaptation of superhero eccentric but it was not entirely faithful to comic book genre. Much of the story was reformed for grounding it to realism so that main stream audience could relate under the pretext of modern day extremism.

Plot: The new chapter in this story arc introduces us to the legacy of Bruce Wayne’s origin as Batman in a quick snippet. Fast track eighteen months from the aftermath of Man of Steel, we see a world with divided opinions on the existence of Superman; while some sees him as a savior others question his very presence, leading to countless debates at political & social circuits. As the world tries to cope in understanding what sort of hero it truly needs, LexCorp’s business magnate Lex Luthor manipulates Superman by pitting him against Gotham’s very own vigilante Batman for nefarious reasons.

This movie sets the premise for the upcoming Justice League, though at times it felt that it could have been addressed more coherently. General audience not familiar with the source material may have some issues as too many easter eggs & reference to league has been laid down. Some shortcomings in the story is however rewarded with startling visuals. Snyder’s hallmark is evident in some of the scenes which are simply awe inspiring. The plot has its genesis from two of the iconic graphic novels ever written The Dark Knight Returns & The Death of Superman. Hans Zimmer & Junkie XL soundtrack composition has a different feel, something which we are not used to. It nets well with the movie however, as a standalone track there is crave for more lucid touch.

Castings bring forth some fresh faces to the existing troupe, Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. With new rules set in this DC Extended Universe, Ben Affleck not only excels as Bruce Wayne but he is righteously the definitive Batman ever to put up on big screen. Even with less screen time, Gal Gadot shines as the Amazon Warrior Wonder Woman during her climactic battle with Doomsday. Jesse Eisenberg’s take on narcissistic Lex Luthor was quite different than what we have read in comic books, though the reason for his psychotic obsession for destroying Superman was kept fuzzy, I hope when the ultimate extended R version gets released for home it would give some more insight behind his motivation.

Final Verdict: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a pure comic book movie; it’s not chef-d'oeuvre but a commendable boost to accelerate the much awaited Justice League. Watch this to institute your own opinion.

My Rating: 8/10