[Disclaimer: This is the opinion of the author]
[Editor's note: You'll find why the an argument against the film here.]
At long last, the gladiator battle fans the world over have been waiting for: the Man of Steel versus the Dark Knight. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice has had moviegoers turning out in droves to see the clash of the caped heroes for the first time on the big screen. Following the taxing ordeal that was 2013’s Man of Steel, director Zack Snyder decided to take a different approach with the series. Abandoning his transparent attempt to recreate Christopher Nolan’s success with The Dark Knight trilogy, he instead chose to use it as groundwork for a new shared cinematic universe featuring DC Comics’ most prominent superhero titles.
Despite the roaring success of Dawn of Justice, there has still been a great deal of uproar from those claiming it wasn’t worth the effort, unwilling to see the redeeming quality the movie has for the future of the franchise.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
An important thing to keep in mind is this movie was in no way inspired by one direct storyline from any particular series, but rather an amalgamation of several different plotlines that have been used over the decades. Most notable of which is Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns. Several of the film elements used, from the look of Batman’s battle armor to Superman’s confrontation with a nuclear missile, and even some word for word dialogue and visual frames, were lifted directly from the pages of the revered graphic novel, considered a literary classic in most circles. If you want answers to some of Bruce Wayne’s questionable actions throughout the movie, then look no further. The older, more disheveled billionaire actually did develop a bit of a drinking problem in Miller’s series, and even his more lax “no killing” policy has come to fruition in the comics before. Despite the film taking these liberties a bit over the top at times, it needs to be said, this was not the first film incarnation of Batman to deal death on such a scale. Christian Bale and even Michael Keaton’s versions eliminated their fair share of nameless thugs with nary a complaint from the public.
As enjoyable as this movie may be, it is in no way perfect. Many aspects of the film felt forced and flimsy. Wonder Woman’s involvement really only became relevant to the immediate story during the battle with Doomsday. The rest of her appearances acted as nothing more than a plot device to set up her upcoming film, as well as piggy-backing future projects for the other members of the Justice League. Even Doomsday himself was completely unnecessary, especially with so many compromises made to his origin, only being included for the climax of the film, which should have just been the battle between Batman and Superman.
Dawn of Justice did a great job of contextualizing the widespread destruction of Metropolis in Man of Steel and how it affected the world as a whole. The matter at hand was never just Superman answering for these events, but more so the philosophical question, “Does the world need a Superman?” The very meaning behind a being that exists with the destructive force of a god forces humanity to question its place in the universe and take inventory of its own mortality. This is the fear and ultimate realization that fuels the rage of characters like Lex Luthor or Bruce Wayne. This movie is far superior to its predecessor. It has less plot holes, much more meaningful action, and a cast that proved more than fitting, particularly Ben Affleck’s Batman, which left most fans pleasantly surprised with the portrayal. If this progression of improvement holds sway with all the future projects on the docket, the DC Cinematic Universe we’re being promised might finally be capable of giving Marvel a run for its money.
