Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Director: Zack Snyder
Year Released: 2016
Rating: 2.5
DC's answer to Marvel's Avengers: in this sequel to Man of Steel, Superman (Henry Cavill) is hated by all of Gotham for 'going rogue,' leaving Batman (Ben Affleck) to track him down - elsewhere, Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) wants to resurrect General Zod (Michael Shannon) and destroy the planet (so much planetary destruction in the movies ... gee whiz). Though much-maligned upon its release - and it does have its share of flaws, like a lack of coherent narrative flow and overall excessiveness (how many times do you need to re-enact Batman's parents being shot?) - it does contain a strange sort of energetic pessimism, and it's so eager to entertain I found myself tolerating the missteps (encouraging Eisenberg and Affleck to ham it up is not advisable). If anything, the steady stream of small roles by the likes of Diane Lane, Jeremy Irons (as Alfred), Holly Hunter, Ezra Miller and Kevin Costner provide even more distractions in an easily distracted project.
