Night is Darkest Before the Dawn?

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice might be my most anticipated film of the year. I loved Man of Steel but I always thought the idea of bringing Batman to square off with Superman as one gigantic mistake. Even I disliked the logo they showed during Comic-Con in 2013. But after two and a half years I probably have become accustomed to the idea. The first two trailers were solid and it sold me. I didn't see the one with Doomsday in it though, I actively avoided that one. The cast was pretty okay too I guess. With the exception of wild card Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Then again, I have become accustomed to the idea. Probably this would affect the film later on. I would be accustomed to the movie. But not right now.

So Bruce Wayne lost an old guy in the Metropolis battle, he disliked the idea of having Superman praised as a God. While Superman still performs his duties as a hero while also undergoing scrutiny for certain allegations that he killed innocents and he disliked the Batman being a violent night crusader. Then there's also Lex Luthor who found Kryptonite in the World Engine. Then Bat and Super fight. Joined by Wonder Woman. Wondering where's the coherence? That what I was looking for too.

Probably I went in with a really high expectation. I haven't been let down this much since I don't know. I'm disappointed with the film. There's so many potential there. I mean, the plot is not that bad either. It's just, they should be emphasized more, maybe packed differently. I know I could suggest some edits to certain parts. The talented cast was stranded save for Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot and Jesse Eisenberg. I would love to see more of Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane and even Amy Adams, who's just there without doing much. The opening sequence was pretty cool. The fight in the end was also cool. The introduction to Wonder Woman is probably the coolest entrance ever given to a superhero character. I have that Wonder Woman theme song as my ringtone now. And I'll walk away from a flight casually with that song in the background.

There are many cool imageries that are literally on the screen. However, we lost the more subtle imageries like the symbols as seen in Man of Steel and in Nolan's trilogy. This one has become a straightforward comic book flick. This film played a really insider game, this film might not be accessible to kids because the story's too serious and it might not work with the general audience because it's too comic-bookish. I watch DC's animated films but sometimes it gets too comic-bookish and I don't even like it, and I don't like the comic-bookish feel of this film (you'll get what I mean if you see the movie). This film works like The Amazing Spider-Man 2, to world-build and tease for further installments. This one tried and pretty much failed. If you remember TASM2, which for the record I love, there were a lot of characters being introduced. But this film has even more which is already a burden to begin with. This film doesn't know the difference between tease and show. Let's tease the Justice League! I would tease by showing their logos. But this movie's idea of teasing is showing what/who they are. And fuck Cyborg. I hate him. Bring on the Martian Manhunter.

Let's talk about something good. Zack Snyder is still the master of visuals. I like/love all his films and this one might rank lowest for me, and I love Sucker Punch. I'm an easy guy to please. He works best if given the right script and this one isn't right. Sorry, something good. Wonder Woman is awesome. Gal Gadot did a great job. Ben Affleck shut the critics, and how I wished we were introduced to him in a solo film prior to this one. All the cast is good. There are some good moments, but then again they are not explored well. They weren't given the time to sink to the audience. They were there and bam, gone, moving on. The fight scenes were functional at best. Man of Steel had the best, and I'm not exaggerating, best fight scenes in the whole superhero genre. This one had Batman beating up Superman with a sink. Something good, sorry. The opening scene was quite nice. Some scenes was good. Also the ending's pretty good for a messy movie like this. It keeps you curious for the next one. But it's kinda classified for spoilers. Like I said, this movie might work better as soon as I have become accustomed with it. Just like we all have been accustomed to the idea of this movie two years after it was announced. Probably this wasn't even the dawn of justice. I hope this is still the night. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (by the way, still a really bad title): rated 2/4. (Frankly I could go lower but I love Batman & Superman so much that I just couldn't do it. Sorry. I couldn't stay objective this time).


Come to think of it, I probably enjoyed Green Lantern more. The last time I was this disappointed in a film was probably Wrath of the Titans. But it's like comparing apples to watermelons. I was disappointed in Transformers 4 but at least I know it's gonna be bad from the get go. It's really my fault, I went in with a very high expectation. Okay so, disclaimer: come with the lowest possible expectation. Think of it just Batman and Superman having a talk at the park.

But for now let me treat you with this gorgeous pic of Wonder Woman. Because even if I watch this movie again, Imma watch it for Diana.

Up next, is the promised 2015's bests.