Film review: Batman v Superman continues impressive streak of quality ­comic-book adaptations

Fans need not worry about Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck's versions of the superheroes.

 @Caption:Ben Affleck, left, and Henry Cavill in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Clay Enos / Warner Bros Pictures via AP Photo
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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Director: Zack Snyder

Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Jeremy Irons, Jesse Eisenberg, Gal Gadot, Amy Adams

Four stars

It's been an incredible few months for massively hyped movies. Since December we've had Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens and Deadpool; both of which fulfilled our lofty expectations.

Now Batman v Superman has arrived, however with some fan trepidation following mixed reviews of Henry Cavill's 2013 Man of Steel reboot of the Superman franchise, and Ben Affleck's casting as Batman polarising fans and ­commentators.

The 43-year-old Oscar-­winning actor possibly had the toughest job of convincing fans, considering the ecstatic reaction to Christopher Nolan's previous Batman trilogy where Christian Bale was the man in the cape.

Fortunately, neither Affleck nor the movie is a complete ­disappointment.

The film rattles along at a breathtaking pace, making the two-and-a-half-hour running time easy going, and there are a couple of great gags thrown in to alleviate the somewhat largely sombre mood.

We were promised dark – and that’s exactly what we got. Affleck’s Batman is a brutal and tormented soul who has developed a taste for torturing his criminal victims. The trappings of his billionaire lifestyle that featured so heavily in many of the previous adaptations are minimal here.

Wayne Mansion is in ruins and he spends most of his time down in the Batcave when he’s not dishing out vigilante justice. The work of designing and building the various – and less fantastical than before – bat gadgets is now a two-man operation that also includes his butler Alfred (Irons), rather than one carried out by the R+D department of a multinational, as in Nolan’s version.

The usual theory that Batman doesn’t kill his enemies or use guns seems to have gone out the window with Affleck: he is probably the most flawed, violent and human version to date.

Superman has also developed a certain moral ambiguity unrecognisable from Christopher Reeve’s wholesome portrayal throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

That said, he draws the line at Batman’s brutal dealings with Gotham City’s villains and determines to put an end to the reign of violence. This is all before a dastardly plan hatched by Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor comes into play that puts Superman in the frame for a host of fatal mistakes.

Luthor is another high point. He’s a twisted genius with a personal fortune of his own and his intricate plans are the antithesis of fellow billionaire Bruce Wayne’s more direct approach towards achieving his goals.

It's a performance that sits somewhere between Heath Ledger's Joker and Brad Pitt's mental patient Jeffrey Goines in 12 Monkeys: he is a villain audiences will want to see more of in future movies.

Intriguingly for a film that has traded so hard on the brands of its two main protagonists, the biggest cheer at our screening was reserved for the arrival of Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman. Fans will be pleased to hear that her role is somewhat larger than expected, considering her brief appearance in the trailer. What we do see bodes well for her debut solo movie outing, due next year.

The "most-anticipated" tag is set to continue, though, with both Captain America: Civil War and Suicide Squad to come later in the year. With Batman v Superman continuing the streak of quality ­comic-book adaptations already released, expectations will remain high.

cnewbould@thenational.ae