Review Round-Up: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's lead up could be described as an incredibly strange rollercoaster. At the start, everyone was excited but we didn't know much other than Batman and Superman will finally share the silver screen together. There was lots of silence after that until they announced Ben Affleck will be playing Batman. The internet went up in flames, people brought up 2003's Daredevil film staring Ben Affleck, it was a catastrophe.

After that, we got our first look of Ben in the Batman suit standing next to the new Batmobile. People were still skeptical but were much less angry about the casting. Then finally, we got our first trailer. People loved it, people hated it, people didn't know how to feel. It was exciting to see these characters on screen but people were very worried with the way Jessie Eisenberg portrayed Superman's arch-nemisis, Lex Luthor and many other reasons. As trailers continued to be released, it continued to worry fans. They kept introducing new characters and it all felt very convoluted. Fans were also worried that the movie may have spoiled some of the biggest and best moments the film had to offer, but no one was able to tell for sure.

The movie is finally almost here for everyone after a three year wait, but some lucky fans and critics were able to see the movie a bit early and share their thoughts on the long awaited super hero film duel. The consensus seems to be that the films plot is indeed convoluted, and is more of a visual spectacle than a coherent film. Batman fans will be pleased with Affleck's performance as he brings one of the most brutal, unique takes on The Dark Knight to the screen yet. The most common thing the reviews mention is that the movie isn't "fun", it's an incredibly serious film that may be more depressing than exciting. There may be some fleeting enjoyment, but many may find it disappointing for the film they had been waiting decades for.

Below you will find some reviews from some of the top entertainment sources all over the internet giving their opinions on the flick. Don't worry though, there are no story spoilers. At the time of writing this, the current Rotten Tomatoes score sits at a mediocre 37% review average from 61 total reviews.

IGN

While Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has good things to recommend it, it’s shortcomings are undeniable. The action sequences whenever Batman is set loose on the bad guys are cool, and the story strives to explore human and philosophical elements, but it’s often not much fun. Not every superhero movie should be like a Marvel one (because every hero and piece of material is different), but even the melodramatic X-Men movies never lost sight of pure entertainment value while also exploring heady and heavy topics.

6.8/10

New York Post

Constantly threatening to collapse from self-seriousness, this epic has way too much of everything, including CGI and Oscar winners up the wazoo (Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Holly Hunter as a senator investigating Superman and even Kevin Costner in one of many ill-advised cameos).

Gal Gadot has little to do as the first big-screen Wonder Woman until the torturously protracted ending of “Dawn of Justice,’’ which is designed strictly to set up a planned Justice League blockbuster. I won’t give away the big “surprise,’’ but rest assured that like everything else here, it’s telegraphed well in advance.

2/4

Forbes

I’m a huge fan of Zack Snyder’s Watchmen, and long considered it his best film. Batman v Superman has now taken that crown, however. Instead of typical 1-2-3 predictable storytelling and shot-framing, Snyder time and again chooses more personal approaches, framing action sequences in terms of perspectives — sometimes the experience of those on the ground as events unfold, other times the experience of the combatants. He plays a lot with depth of field, often subverting the typical approach of directing our eye’s attention. This is also the film where Snyder gets the best performances from his cast, and connects the story’s dots by juxtaposing the two dominant character arcs and allowing them to power toward one another while dragging along anyone else who gets too close.

Batman v Superman has big, bold, breathtaking action in a story propelled by character conflicts on a mythic scale. The result is visually stunning, with powerful emotional storytelling and awe-inspiring action spectacle.

no rating

Empire

There are moments that make the whole enterprise worthwhile, and introduces an intriguing new Batman. But it’s also cluttered and narratively wonky; a few jokes wouldn’t have gone amiss, either.

3/5

Entertainment Weekly

Dawn of Justice starts off as an intriguing meditation about two superheroes turning to an all-too-human emotion: hatred out of fear of the unknown. Two and a half hours later it winds up somewhere very far from that—but at the same time, all too familiar. It’s another numbing smash-and-bash orgy of CGI mayhem with an ending that leaves the door open wide enough to justify the next 10 installments. Is it too late to demand a rematch?

C+