Nepali Times

If you go to see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with low expectations, then you might end up having not so bad a time. This is mainly because the film, while not all that terrible, does have its “Oh, my god, is this really happening?” moments.

The film picks up right where Man of Steel (2013), Zack Snyder’s Superman origin story ended, with Metropolis in shambles after an alien (well, Kryptonian to be precise) attack. Batman aka Bruce Wayne (played by a surprisingly tolerable Ben Affleck) is in Metropolis for some unexplained reason. Left without Batsuit or Batmobile, he finds himself, despite his millions, as vulnerable as the next man, witnessing a near apocalyptic event that is averted by a flying alien in a red cape with super-human powers. The seeds of envy, disguised as suspicion of the “other” are firmly sown that fateful day in the world of the Marvel universe.

If the title itself is not enough of an indicator of those deeply ill-thought out plot points, let me state clearly that two superheroes going up against each other is exactly as lame as you think it’s going to be, and far worse than two superbaddies fighting the usual eardrum shattering battle.

There really isn’t much of a plot, to be honest, outside of this bizarre rivalry between two massive egos, although Superman (the extremely handsome, blue-eyed Henry Caville) is far more likeable than the brooding, churlish Batman, who is redeemed only by Alfred (played by a calibrated Jeremy Irons) with his warmth, sense of humour, and extremely keen radar for detecting (and trying to pre-empt) his master’s warped motivations.

Jessie Eisenberg also livens things up as a sociopath with a will to make trouble, playing a young, extremely unstable Lex Luther. The film is almost saved by the presence of Holly Hunter as Senator June Finch with just the right amount of Southern sass, Amy Adams as the intrepid, lovely Lois Lane, and Gal Gadot as a mysterious, dark haired beauty who pretty much steals the show.

While relatively meaningless as a whole, Superman v Batman is at its best when addressing the human relationships that motivate our superheroes. Much could also have been improved if Batman didn’t behave like an insular frat-boy whose pride is wounded. Luckily, his antics are nipped fairly quickly in the bud before most people start to lose their patience, and some special, sensible adult women intervene to avert disaster, albeit with a lot of collateral damage. This year’s season of blockbusters has begun, and with some luck, the ones to come will improve upon this $250 million indulgence.