The Caped Marauders

Another movie available during our recent globe-trotting was Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

I wasn’t expecting too much from this movie, but the trailers looked like it had potential and I was in the mood for some excitement, so decided to give it a chance.

I guess the Batman/Superman/League of Justice universe is trying to jump on Marvel’s Avengers universe bandwagon — not surprisingly from a commercial point of view.

In basic plot this one is like Captain America: Civil War: even the movie posters look the same. But it just doesn’t manage it. My complaint about Civil War is that it set up the opportunity for a deep (without sacrificing entertainment) exploration of the issues of freedom, responsibility and political control in the exaggerated context of super-heroes saving the world but with collateral damage while doing so — but dumbed down that discussion so much that it really disappointed. But Batman v Superman doesn’t even try.

The motivations for the “v” are weak. Two super-vigilantes, both highly intelligent, are really going to fight each other to the death because they don’t approve of the other one being a vigilante? Seriously, script writers? As withCivil War, we see “the people” objecting to the perceived failings of their super-heroes: but when handed an opportunity to discuss that, the plot can’t wait to blow the place up without hearing from Superman, who one would hope has something to say about the issue (personally, I’d be tempted to say “In that case, I’m out of here and you can all rot”, but perhaps Super is more patient than I — though we aren’t going to find out, are we?).

Basically, this movie is whiz-bang with lots of special effects and exciting action, but really kind of pointless, and doesn’t even try to address the issues that form the basis of its plot. So if you want some exciting eye candy, go for it, but don’t set your expectations too high. If this is DC Comics’ attempt to challenge Marvel, they have a long way to go.