Zack Snyder’s latest attempt at reviving the film line of DC Comics fell flat as Superman vs Batman: Dawn of Justice failed to do justice to its hype. Yes, the world’s finest superheroes came together for the first time but the flawed story, dragged plot and, above all, unimpressive acting disappointed most of the fans.

The film focuses more on Batman (Ben Affleck) than Man of Steel (Henry Cavill) but also introduces a few others in the DC Universe. By giving more time to Batman, the director erred as people were more interested to see Superman than the Caped Crusader.

Both have the same aim – to save as many people as possible, but here they start on a wrong foot and continue hating each other before the arrival of logic. When the writer and director are confused, it is bound to confuse the audience. Just like Man of Steel, this sequel shows the destruction of Metropolis and by the time it ends, viewers are bored to death, literally.

Ben Affleck does justice to the Bat Suit and same goes for Jeremy Irons who played Alfred, although he looked anything but the butler. Henry Cavill, as Superman, looks like Man of Steel but anybody can hit him, be it the Batman or the bad guys. Diane Lane and Amy Adams reprise their roles as Martha Kent and Lois Lane, and Laurence Fishburne is still Perry White.

Gal Gadot makes her first appearance as Wonder Woman, but the biggest disappointment in this ensemble collection was Jesse Eisenberg. Jesse played arch-villain Lex Luthor, but seemed like a cross between Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan and Heath Ledger’s Joker. Had Bryan Cranston played Lex just like it was intended, the film might have been saved but, sadly, he couldn’t and the Lex character left a bad taste.

Superman vs Batman: Dawn of Justice is more violent than all the DC films combined, which is why not many would go for a second viewing. Some kids might like it, especially if they like Godzilla type films but when it comes to DC characters, logic must prevail over nonsense. One hopes that the next film in the DC Universe will be better than this one.

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 2nd, 2015