|
|
March 22, 2016: "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" NYC World Premiere Movie Review
Posted by Neil Cole
The staff of the Superman Super Site recently had the opportunity to attend the World Premiere of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
The premiere of the film itself was preceeded by the cast and crew of the film walking the red carpet (which was actually black) including Zack & Deborah Snyder, Henry Cavill, Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, and Holly Hunter just to name a few.
The auditorium of Radio City Music Hall was absolutely immaculate and featured a huge theatre screen with the Batman/Superman hybrid logo emblazoned upon it while two smaller screens on either side featured Warner Bros.' live feed from the red carpet outside.
Just before the actual screening of the film, Zack Snyder came on stage and thanked everyone in attendance for coming to the premiere. He then introduced a number of the cast and crew members who each briefly came out on stage to rounds of thunderous applause. The lights then dimmed, the amazing Dolby Digital sound system kicked in, and the premiere began.
The film opens with the funeral of Thomas and Martha Wayne as a procession of pallbearers and mourners make their way towards the family crypt. A young Bruce Wayne is overcome with grief and runs away from the funeral through an open field where he ultimately falls through a covered shaft into a a darkened cave.
We then flash back to the night his parents were murdered after attending a screening of the 1981 film "Excalibur" which, for obvious reasons, is a modernized take on the classic 1939 comic book storyline in which the film the Waynes attended was "The Mark of Zorro".
Back in the cave, young Bruce begins to hear the sounds of hundreds of bats just as a swarm encircles him and begins to lift him upwards into a bright white light. At this point, it is revealed that the entire sequence was a combination of a dream and flashback all in one.
The film then switches gears and goes into full-on action mode as viewers are taken back to the destructive events of "Man of Steel" as witnessed by Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck). As Superman and General Zod battle throughout the skies of Metropolis and Gotham City - which are established as sister cities - Bruce races towards the Wayne Financial building just as it begins to collapse.
Amidst the debris and carnage, he manages to save a little girl whose mother worked in the building as well as a severely wounded Wayne Financial employee named Wallace Keefe (Scoot McNairy) whose character plays a very pivotal role later in the film. Standing amidst the ruins of the city, it is at this point that Bruce decides that Superman is a threat that cannot be trusted.
Barring any further plot spoilers, the movie continues to move along at an edge-of-your-seat pace and definitely keeps the overall storyline progressing along without any real drawn out sequences.
There are plenty of surprises and unexpected moments - some more "explosive" than others - and the way in which the throwdown between Superman and Batman all comes together & is made to be a fair fight is truly ingenious and certainly does not disappoint.
Both Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck's performances as their respective characters are astounding. Cavill is obviously more comfortable in his role and it definitely shows throughout the film. Affleck fully takes on the reigns of Batman and delivers a performance that is not only stellar, but offers a truly dark version of the character that has never been seen on film until now.
Wonder Woman's appearance in the film nearly steals the show in all her battle scenes and actress Gal Gadot gives an absolutely amazing performance as the Amazonian Warrior Princess. The film perfectly sets up the character's stand-alone film which is scheduled to come out on June 23, 2017.
As for the complaints of Doomsday being revealed several months ago in the first full-length trailer for the film, there is so much more involved with the character's role in the film that those complaints are easily silenced within seconds of his appearance in the film.
Jesse Eisenberg's performance offers up a deranged version of Lex Luthor that we've never seen before and rightfully so as we learn that he is actually the son of the iconic character which also helps to explain his more youthful appearance in the film. This is a Lex who has no interest in real estate (such as Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey's versions) but will manipulate and kill to get what he wants.
Lastly, everyone has wondered how the other Justice League members would be introduced without making the mistakes of oversaturating the film with too many superheroes. Without giving too much away, let's just say that Aquaman (Jason Momoa), the Flash (Ezra Miller), and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) all get equal screen time and their respective introductions are perfectly done.
Other cast members such as Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, and Laurence Fishburne are a joy to watch once again and even Kevin Costner manages to reprise his role as Jonathan "Pa" Kent.
All-in-all, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is a perfect follow-up to "Man of Steel" and definitely keeps the DC Cinematic Universe moving forward. It is a much more action-packed film than it's predecessor which is thanks in large part to not having to dedicate a good portion of the film to an origin story.
While there are a few sequences that leave you wondering what exactly is going on, everything comes together at the right points and - in the end - delivers an absolutely amazing final act that is the perfect set-up to next year's "Justice League: Part One" movie.
"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" earns a 4.5 out of 5 stars and will easily go down as one of the best superhero films to come out in the past 10+ years. If you want to see an original storyline with fresh ideas and surprises, don't miss this film!
