“Batman v. Superman”

I was eager to check this film out after a lot of buzz.  The cast is world class.  Ben Affleck, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, the lovely Diane Lane, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter and Laurence Fishbourne to name a few!  How can you go wrong?

Well, overall the performances throughout are quite good.  Affleck is convincing as the Batman and Henry Cavill is a suitable Superman.  Amy Adams can play Lois Lane in her sleep.  The beautiful Diane Lane has to look older and somewhat roughed up as Clark Kent’s Mom, but she pulls it off though she is largely wasted in the movie.  Irons does a nice job as Bruce Wayne’s genius gadget guy, Alfred.  Larry Fishbourne is tapped to play Perry White of the Daily Planet, a fun bit of casting which he delivers on.  Holly Hunter gets to show her grit as a tough talking Senator eager to save the world. That leaves Mr. Eisenberg, AKA the evil Lex Luthor.  Many will likely criticize this casting but I think he provides some of the best in this film.  He gives the audience the creeps, scene after scene.  He is certifiably nuts and socially so unacceptable that you almost feel like leaving the room.

The storyline is pretty solid with a lot of time devoted to providing Batman and Superman background information.  I found myself wondering how in the world are they going to coax our superhero nice guys into a free for all.  Suffice to say they manage it eventually.  There is plenty of action to go around with lots of spectacular effects to keep you awake and interested.

The big problem in the movie is that it does not have any fun and so the viewer doesn’t either.  There are a few funny, tongue in cheek lines which are good but not nearly enough of them.  I chose to see it in 2D but I doubt that 3D would enhance it all that much.  I wish director Zack Snyder had more fun with this movie.  It is pretty dark throughout and adding more humor would have brightened the experience considerably.