Blu-ray Review – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition

Release Date: July 19, 2016
Rating: PG-13 / Extended: R
Running Time: 151 minutes / Extended 182 minutes

In “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman andSuperman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.

***

To say that I was nervous to watch Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, given all of the dissatisfaction from not only people whose opinion I trust but fans in general, is an understatement. After viewing, I can say that they were right. It has its moments but for the most part, this was very disappointing.

The story begins where basically all of the Batman stories begin…with the murder of his parents. Because we don’t have 1,000 other Batman stories that gives us his origin story. Because there aren’t 1,000 other Batman stories to tell outside of this. Hard eye roll. Anyway, the murder isn’t lingered on, thankfully, and we move onto a really satisfying slice of action before we dive into the plot… until you realize that the plot slips right through your fingers and really doesn’t hold anything up.

Oh, the plot. It’s really weak. This whole story is weak, I think. If you can suspend your disbelief long enough to believe that it takes all of this for Superman and Batman to realize that they’re on the same side (which is fighting evil) and need to be fighting with each other, not against each other, need to find alternative ways to get their point across other than fighting if they have opinions about their approaches, then I guess you can enjoy this movie in some small way. In a poor man’s Captain America: Civil War kind of way.

Just when you think the story is going to build upon itself, it falls apart even further and the movie simply turns into one long action scene for what felt like the second half of the movie. It felt long. It was a three hour movie and I certainly felt every minute. Well, every minute that I was awake, because some of the action bored me and I fell asleep for a moment and when I woke up again, there was still action happening.

So there’s Batman, which feels much more comfortable given the tone of the movie, even though it’s not as dark as a typical Batman movie. But when you throw Superman into the mix, it’s just plain odd because Superman movies have tried to find their own darker tone in its last few movies and it just hasn’t really worked…and it doesn’t work here either. So watching these two very different tones collide, well, it simply wasn’t executed as well as it could have been.

I do like that numerous people are trying to put Superman in his place, as just because you’re the good guy, it doesn’t mean everything you do in the name of good is actually going to be handled in the best way. But that’s just the jumping off point and given its lack of depth here, it just wasn’t enough to sustain the entire movie.

Also, I was not on board with Jesse Eisenberg’s performance in this movie in any way shape or form and I am a fan of Jesse Eisenberg but I knew before I saw the movie and it was confirmed while I watched it that this was just not my cup of tea. I can’t begin to express how much I was not at all a fan of him in this role as Lex Luthor. And that’s okay, I don’t have to like all his work. To me, it didn’t work in any way.

Also, visually speaking, while it is quite fascinating to see overall, much of the lighting in the action sequences felt like I was getting attacked by strobe lights. That’s what it felt like, I don’t know how else to explain it. So…

What did work for me? What kept me at the edge of my seat? Wonder Woman. She was mesmerizing. Phenomenal. This was such a killer introduction for her and I can’t wait for her standalone movie. Great way to bring her into the fold. They threw in The Flash and Aquaman for a bit as well but it felt more like a cruel tease, honestly, there was just so much packed into this movie and it frankly, was just not balanced well enough. All of the characters brought into the fold, standing on their own, were exciting to see though, let’s not forget to say that.

So, overall, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is just in over its head. It’s clunky, doesn’t enough much depth, has too many glaringly obvious plot holes (even if you only watch the extended version, like I did), and is maybe too action packed for it’s own good. So. It’s not the best movie. In fact, it’s probably the most disappointing superhero movies of the year. But. The directing is fabulous. The score is wonderful. And we got Wonder Woman. So. Maybe it was all worth it just to see Wonder Woman? What did you think of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice?

Bonus Features:
* Uniting the World’s Finest (Approx. 15 minutes) – This feature starts out talking about bringing the various superheroes together, uniting those worlds for this particular film (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, etc) but then it quickly derails and turns into a Suicide Squad special feature. Which was odd.

Appearing in This Feature:
Director, Zack Snyder
Producers, Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder
DC Entertainment CCO, Geoff Johns
Wonder Woman Director, Patty Jenkins
Suicide Squad Director, David Ayer
Suicide Squad Producer, Richard Suckle
Suicide Squad Cast Members, Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robboe
Executive Producer, Wesley Coller
Cast Members, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Henry Cavill

* Gods and Men: A Meeting of Giants (Approx. 12 minutes) – What’s a blu-ray of Batman v Superman without a special feature dedicated to the two men at odds? That said, I expected much more exploration for this feature so this was a bit of a letdown.

Appearing in This Feature:
DC Entertainment CCO, Geoff Johns
Director, Zack Snyder
Producers, Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder
Still Photographer, Clay Enos
Executive Producer, Wesley Coller
Cast Members, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane

* The Warrior, The Myth, The Wonder – This is a really well done special feature exploring the history of Wonder Woman’s transformation on the page, what she’s represented since its inception, and how each decade distinctly influenced Wonder Woman on the page. From the comic book pages to the small screen and now the big screen, this feature is a nice mini love letter to the 75 years of the legendary Wonder Woman.

Appearing in This Feature:
Wonder Woman Director, Patty Jenkins
Artist/Writer & Co-Author, Phil Jiminez (The Essential Wonder Woman Encylopedia)
Author, Jill Lepore (The Secret History of Wonder Woman)
Producers, Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder
Share the Wonder Moderator, Jennifer B. White
Son of William Marston, Pete Marston
Director, Zack Snyder
DC Entertainment CCO, Geoff Johns
Artist & Educator, Carla Gannis
Writer, Brian Azzarello
Artist, Cliff Chiang
Artist & Writer, Molly Crabapple
Suicide Squad Cast Members, Viola Davis, Margot Robbie
Journalist, Quinn Norton
Media Literacy Educator, Andrea Quijada
Musician & Artist, Amanda Palmer
3rd Wave Fund Executive Director, Rye Young
Founder of Saucy Magazine, Kristen Taylor
Co-Producer, Curtis Kanemoto
Cast Trainer, Mark Twight
Executive Producer, Wesley Coller
Cast Members, Diane Lane, Gal Gadot

* Accelerating Design: The New Batmobile (Approx. 22 minutes) – In this feature, Sal Masekela sits down with select members of the crew behind the Batmobile of this movie. What I love about this feature is that the crew members that are featured here aren’t necessarily people you’re going to see on the set behind the scenes all day but the people putting their blood, sweat, and tears into the Batmobile during pre-production with the concept and design and in the shop to create what really is a sight to behold. To create, what is arguably the greatest vehicle in motion picture history. If you’re in awe of the Batmobile as much as, dare I say, everyone is, you’ll find this feature extremely satisfying. Take a ride vicariously through Sal Masekela!

Appearing in This Feature:
Extreme Sports Commentator, Sal Masekela
Production Designer, Patrick Tatopoulos
Specialty Vehicles, Dennis McCarthy
Concept Artist, Ed Natividad
Set Designer (Vehicles), Joe Hiura
Batmobile Crew, Michael Scot Risley
Stunts, Mike Justus
Director, Zack Snyder
2nd Unit Director, Damon Caro

* Superman: Complexity & Truth (Approx. 8 minutes) – This feature starts off on the right track, as it dives into the psyche of Superman but then it turns into an overall behind the scenes look at Superman, from the costume to the stunts. So since it doesn’t stay on track, it’s a miss for me. Who titles these features, anyway? They do set certain expectations, you know.

Appearing in This Feature:
Director, Zack Snyder
Producer, Deborah Snyder
Costume Designer, Michael Wilkinson
Stunts, Albert Valladares
Cast Member, Henry Cavill

* Batman: Austerity & Rage (Approx. 8 minutes) – Ditto from the special feature above, just replace Superman with Batman.

Appearing in This Feature:
Director, Zack Snyder
Producers, Deborah Snyder, Charles Roven
Costume Designer, Michael Wilkinson
Property Master, Doug Harlocker
Stunts, Richard Cetrone
DC Entertainment CCO, Geoff Johns
Cast Members, Ben Affleck, Jeremy Irons

* Wonder Woman: Grace & Power (Approx. 6 minutes) – Ditto, only this feature is actually satisfying.

Appearing in This Feature:
Producer, Deborah Snyder
Director of Photography, Larry Fong
Cast Trainer, Mark Twight
2nd Unit Director, Damon Caro
Fight Choreographers, Ryan Watson, Guillermo Grispo
Costume Designer, Michael Wilkinson
Property Master, Doug Harlocker
Director, Zack Snyder
Cast Members, Gal Gadot

More Bonus Features on the Blu-ray

(That I Didn’t Watch Because This Movie Exhausted Me So Much at This Point)

* Batcave: Legacy of the Lair
* The Might and the Power of a Punch
* The Empire of Luthor
* Save the Bats

Own Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, or Digital HD  today!