issue 26 // volume 42 Whoever wins, we lose > ‘Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice’ film review Adam Tatelman Arts Editor OOOO Gomehow a movie everyone expected to fail still managed to disappoint. It'll make bank, but that doesn’t change the fact that Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice is the cinematic self-destruction of Zack Snyder. The film tries to be about so many modern issues—terror attacks, foreign policy, nuclear deterrence—that it degenerates into a mopey, unfocused alphabet soup of socio-political posturing. The sequel to Man of Stee!—the only Superman movie where the hero destroys most of Metropolis and saves no one—BvS attempts to justify the previous film’s carnage as the setup fora plot where the world’s governments must decide whether Superman’s godlike power is a benefit or a hazard. Though Supes is the main matter at hand, all the discussion comes to nothing, because it never leads him to make any dramatic decision he didn’t already make in the last movie. Of course, that decision involves half an hour of gratuitous destruction, undertaken with the flimsy excuse that the civilians on the Gotham docks aren't in danger because they’ve all gone home from work. Apparently Superman has learned nothing of discretion from his battle with General Zod, so we're back to square zero because Snyder wants to make more big shit go boom. The script is a mess of setup for future films. Given the out-of- nowhere introduction of Wonder Woman, BvS is clearly meant to be DC’s version of Marvel’s Avengers. That leaves BvS straining to act both asa sequel and a middle chapter, vainly struggling to build up the new Lex Luthor, adapt the Doomsday story arc, and leave a hook for potential Justice League films. It'll be pretty hard for DC to Fight like Hell > ‘Daredevil: Season 2’ review Adam Tatelman Arts Editor OOOSS he first season of Daredevil was a welcome change from Marvel Studios’ typical slate of chaotic CGI phantasmagoria, thanks to its neo-noir plot and searing fight choreography. Vincent D’Onofrio’s performance as Wilson Fisk was the standout, and his sheer presence was compelling enough to make up for the uneven script. Without that performance, season two must stand on its own merits. Although it has improved on everything that fans liked about season one, it has also managed to emphasize the show’s weaknesses as well. About one year after Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Woll) exposed Fisk’s criminal empire, rival crime syndicates rush to claim his territory. Enter Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), an ex-Marine with a personal vendetta against every crook in the underworld. Lacking Murdock’s moral code, he’s cool with blowing away anyone he deems evil, putting the vigilantes at odds with each other. The conflict between these characters echoes the ongoing debate surrounding capital punishment: who is to decide who deserves the death penalty, and when does misguided justice become self-righteous vengeance? It’s a great hook for a show about a hypocritical lawyer with an Irish-Catholic messiah complex, and the themes are especially faithful to Frank Miller’s violent, pulpy vision of the characters. If the first few episodes outshine the rest, that’s because of Jon Bernthal. His performance is by far the best thing about season two. Unlike other film depictions make good on that, considering the way Doomsday panned out. Snyder is reaching for Marvel’s box-office results without leaning on any previous films for buildup. He’s not, after all, a trend-setter. He’s a trend follower. Netflix’s Daredevil did a one-take fight scene, so Snyder’s does a bigger one. The Dark Knight had a freeway chase, so Snyder’s does one with more explosions. He even does the Zack Snyder Version™ of Batman’s origin story in gratuitous slow-mo, even though nobody currently watching this movie is asking “Who’s Batman?” Snyder clearly wanted to of the Punisher, he showcases a broad emotional range ina number of affecting character moments that contrast his frightening psychotic outbursts. He feels like a damaged, unpredictable everyman, and the screen trembles with tension whenever he’s around. His closing monologue in episode four tops the series’ dramatic moments so far. The introduction of Elektra Natchios (Elodie Yung), the crazy ex-girlfriend Matt can’t say “no” to, splits the show’s focus down Image via www.comingsoon.net/ film Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns, because he has appropriated many of that story’s iconic moments only to pantomime them without meaning or context. For instance, Batman breaking his “no guns” rule to save an innocent life falls completely flat here because Batfleck spends half the movie blowing thugs away with the Batmo-bomber’s machineguns. He’s portrayed as so reckless that he fights Superman on principle, even though the conflict could have been resolved in two lines of dialogue. Following Hans Zimmet’s Image via of Charlie Cox via Netflix the middle. Though she’s every bit the seductive, thrill-seeking femme fatale Miller envisioned— leaps and bounds ahead of Jennifer Garner’s girl-next-door portrayal in the 2003 film—her B-plot only serves to distract Murdock and the audience from the deepening conspiracy surrounding Frank Castle. Despite some bizarre plot- related liberties taken from the original character, season two’s Elektra isn’t the problem. It’s the plot threads that hang about her every move. Predictably, Stick arts // no. 7 maudlin brass-turbation session and the criminal underuse of Jeremy Irons as Alfred, Batman and Superman finally get to throw down. And it blows. Bats is barely able to move in his armoured suit, so the fight choreography resembles a worst-of-the-worst WWE grudge match. It’s baffling, since whenever he dons his regular cape and cowl, the fight scenes become fluid and vicious. As always, Luthor is playing both sides against the middle, but his evil plot is grade school level. Why he thought blackmailing Superman would work out is a mystery. Jesse Eisenberg’s performance as Luthor is a truly awful hodgepodge of annoying tics. He struts and frets, endlessly spouting blunt mythological doggerel that feels less like megalomaniacal ravings than a giggling manchild quoting a comparative religion textbook. There aren't even any surprises in the final act. Everything from Wonder Woman’s rescue to Doomsday’s rampage were spoiled in the trailers. There’s absolutely no reason to watch the movie. Chances are you’ve seen the good bits. BvS is a film made only for the sake of cutting a trailer to in turn promote the film. It is literally FilmCeption. Don't believe the hype, and don’t waste your money. (Scott Glenn) returns to make good on season one’s ominous ninja-war foreshadowing, and it is impossible to escape the feeling that this plot could have been better executed if it were a season of its own. Elektra’s plot, and by extension Frank Castle’s, deserved more care and attention, but they’ve been slapped together haphazardly. The thing people seem to like most about Daredevil as a series is its unapologetically straight- faced mashup of somber crime drama and ’7os martial arts flick ninja-flippery. If that didn’t draw you in the first time around, then season two's inconsistent writing will do little change your mind, unless you're a big Jon Bernthal fan. For the proud residents of Hell’s Kitchen, season two won't quite match the tight plotting of season one, but there are enough surprises and standout moments to keep even the most jaded of fans entertained.