Overlong action sequences, miscasting, and humorless dialogue are what bring this Superhero flick down

Not only does this film lack the humor of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but it also gives its viewers a disappointing and, at times, unnecessary look at The Dark Knight (Ben Affleck) vs. the Man of Steel (Henry Cavill). This film is just waterlogged with overlong dream sequences that take forever to finish and veer off from the comics into territory that is better kept hidden in the shadows.  

Put in a very blunt way, director Zack Snyder should have taken more directing classes after diverting the film from its comic source material, but we’ll come back to that later. Some time after the events of 2013’s “Man of Steel”, Bruce Wayne sees Superman as a potential enemy to humanity because he is an alien. Batman, later, steals kryptonite to use against Superman to try to keep Gotham City and Metropolis safe. All of this is orchestrated by mastermind Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), who wants the two to kill each other. Not only does the film include Batman and Superman, but also adds Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) in the mix. It’s not clear as to where she came from but hopefully Snyder will expand upon that in his sequel, “Justice League” (if it doesn’t get shelved because of how awful this movie is).

Plagued by a lack of character development and humorless heroes, the “Justice League” is really going to have to make up for these faults in 2017. One of the biggest problems is casting, particularly that of Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, which should have gone to “Breaking Bad’s” Bryan Cranston. That’s not to say that Eisenberg is a bad Lex Luthor. He actually gives a satisfying performance as Superman’s arch enemy, but is too child-like and just doesn’t give off an intimidating vibe that Kevin Spacey or Gene Hackman gave, previously as the villain and probably how critics and audiences felt when they found out skinny Topher Grace was cast as Spider-man’s doppelganger Venom. The cast members give wonderful performances for the time that they are on the screen and the visual effects are worth noting, but that is not enough to help this sinking ship. It seems that Ben Affleck tries too hard to emulate Christian Bale’s far more superior interpretation as the Dark Knight, as he tries to get that gravelly voice that haunted audiences when Bale spoke and if only we could forget the lack of chemistry that Cavill and Amy Adams have. There are so few tender moments between the two that when there is a spark of chemistry, they are in the middle of a tornado-like fight.

In conclusion, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice is a superhero flick best watched when it comes out on Netflix so that you don’t have to feel cheated for driving all the way to the movie theaters and buying a ticket. Fingers are crossed that the “Justice League” can atone for the sins of this colossal misfire. 

2 out of 5 stars