Superbad: ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’

HEAD TO HEAD Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill play superheros Batman and Superman.

Cinema
Ciara Galvin

YOU know the way Supermac’s does a mean snack box, and its curry sauce hits the spot, but sometimes you’re just really hankering for a Big Mac. Each of these fast food outlets are genius at what they do. Could McDonald’s ever recreate a curry cheese chips? No. So leave it to Supermac’s.
I’ll get to the point (eventually). Batman does dark and brooding and Superman does bold public feats, so why merge the two?
‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ opened in cinemas to much anticipation from DC comics fans, but soon it was clear that this cross-pollinating ‘blockbuster’ should have left well enough alone.
I like Batman, and I have nothing against Superman, despite him wearing his underwear on the outside of his clothes.
Why a film combining these two superheroes had to be made, I don’t know. I assume some hotshots in Hollywood fancied a big pay cheque. Unfortunately for them, the film has bombed in cinemas. It is a two-hours-and-33-minutes-long patchwork quilt of cliches and cheesiness.
We’re once again given the backstory of Batman, played this time by Ben Affleck, whereas Superman (Henry Cavill) just crash lands into the film with no character depth and a ridiculously sprayed-on costume.
The storyline is a mish mash of ‘good versus evil’, with Batman and Superman at loggerheads, while the real threat, Lex Luthor watches on like a puppet master. Luthor, played by Jessie Eisenberg, is basically a nerdier version of Eisenberg’s character Mark Zuckerberg in ‘The Social Network’. Luthor doesn’t fit your average villain, in fact it is hard to take him seriously.
There are many points of confusion throughout, like why one wheelchair bound man seeks vengeance against Superman, or what purpose Wonder Woman plays in this.
‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ is superhero parody ‘Team America’ with muscles, effectively.
Oh, and I went to see it in 3D. I’m not sure if that made it three times worse than it actually is. The only saving grace? Ben Affleck lifting weights and doing pull ups.

Rating 2 out of 10