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Detroiters, not to mention Batman and Superman fans, have awaitedthe new movie "Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice," that was filmed in the city. It debuts today.
Many critics like the visuals, but give a thumbs down to the the movie as a whole.
Scott Mendelson writes in Forbes:
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is one of the most visually beautiful comic book movies you have ever seen. The picture is filled with moments of visual poetry and pure cinema in a way that resembles one glorious splash page after another. If you have any interest in seeing it, I beg of you to see it on the biggest IMAX screen you can find. It is every bit as big and spectacular as you might hope.
The best moments of Dawn of Justice resemble nothing less than a feature length adaptation of a series of Alex Ross paintings in all their naturalistic glory. But amid the visual treats is an utter mess of thinly sketched characters, haphazard plotting, surprisingly jumbled action, and “cut your nose to spite your face” world building.
A.O. Scott of The New York Times weighs in:
A diverting entertainment might have been made about the rivalry between these two muscle-bound paladins — a bromance or a buddy comedy, an album of duets. “Batman v Superman,” directed by Zack Snyder (“300,” “Watchmen,” “Sucker Punch,” “Man of Steel”), is none of those things. It is about as diverting as having a porcelain sink broken over your head (one of the more amusing things that happens onscreen). In keeping with current business imperatives, what Mr. Snyder has concocted is less a free-standing film than the opening argument in a very long trial. Its two-and-a-half-hour running time — not so much a “dawn” as an entire morning spent watching the clock in anticipation of lunchtime — is peppered with teasers for coming sequels. You may have heard a rumor that Wonder Woman shows up, or caught sight of her in a trailer for the film. And here she is, played by Gal Gadot.
Here's what Robbie Collin says at The Telegraph in London:
No major blockbuster in years has been this incoherently structured, this seemingly uninterested in telling a story with clarity and purpose. It grumbles along for what feels like forever, jinking from subplot to subplot, until two shatteringly expensive-looking fights happen back to back, and the whole thing crunches to a halt.
Alex Abad-Santos posts at Vox:
Allow me to let you down easy: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Warner Bros.'s most anticipated superhero slugfest in history, is not great. The goodwill that Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, and the late Heath Ledger fostered in the studio's Dark Knight trilogy feels like a relic from eons ago. (The final movie in that trilogy, 2012's The Dark Knight Rises, isn't even five years old.) The few bright spots of 2013's Man of Steel — Kevin Costner and Diane Lane's humanizing portrayals of Pa and Ma Kent, Amy Adams's Lois Lane, the initial awe of Superman taking flight — are but a distant memory.
In their place is a stink bucket of disappointment, a sad and unnecessary PG-13 orphan fight that director Zack Snyder believes is an homage to DC Comics' most iconic heroes but is more along the lines of a home invasion perpetrated on comic book culture — save for one absolutely glorious moment that Snyder and friends may have accidentally lucked into.
David Betancourt of the Washington Post has one of the more positive reviews, calling the film flawed yet fearless:
The best thing “B v S” has to recommend it is its visual effects, which are stunning. Batman and Superman have never looked better in a movie, and Wonder Woman makes a riveting entrance. Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot, respectively, also smartly look the part as the alter-egos to their super-identities. And arguably no comic-book movie has gotten the comic-book look down as brilliantly as “B v S.”
As for the action, it’s intense, and the destruction in the last act of “Man of Steel” is dwarfed by this film’s chaos caused by Doomsday’s being on the loose (as we know is the case from the trailers).
“B v S” has enough going on that it should merit multiple viewings by geeks (including for clues as to director Zack Snyder’s plans for the larger DC Universe on film). And the film has unforgettable moments that fanboys may debate for years. Let’s just say: The path to the Justice League movie is a dark and bloody one, and if this movie accomplishes one thing above all else, it leaves you intrigued about DC’s cinematic blueprint.
