Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice movie news (2016)

BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

Genre: Comic Book
Rating: M - Recommended for mature audiences
Running time: 151 minutes
Released: March 24, 2016

Watch the latest cinema trailer:

BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE - film review

Reviewed by: Mark Geraghty
Release date: March 23, 2016

Screen Fantastique rating: 3 stars

Director: Zack Snyder
Writer: Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer
Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams and Jesse Eisenberg

Zack Snyder talks about Batman v Superman

If you were expecting BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE to clone the Marvel template to kick-start the DC movie universe, then you’re in for a surprise. Zack Snyder’s latest film, featuring DC’s two headline acts, goes to some unexpected places. The result is a movie that successfully delivers a self-contained story and serves as an introduction to the broader JUSTICE LEAGUE story arc that sees Warner Bros and DC unspool multiple characters in their own feature films in the coming years. While Snyder tries to deliver a reasonable level of fan service, movie-goers don’t need an intimate knowledge of the DC comic books to follow this latest story. However, 2013’s MAN OF STEEL is heavily referenced in this new film and it’s highly recommended to do a quick refresher and get up to speed with how that film played out. Despite the inclusion of Batman and Wonder Woman in BATMAN v SUPERMAN, this new film is very much a sequel to MAN OF STEEL. The good news is that it is a vast improvement on the 2013 model and establishes the DC movie universe as a slightly darker, more thought-provoking alternative to its Marvel competitor.

BATMAN v SUPERMAN tells its story through the three main characters that have been heavily featured throughout the film’s nearly two year build-up: Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck), Clark Kent/Superman (Henry Cavill) and Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot). Affleck and Cavill take the lion-share of the film’s first half, but as more details emerge about the mysterious Diana Prince, Gal Gadot moves to the centre of the action in the film’s second half. Without labouring Batman’s origins, Snyder does a nice job of quickly establishing Bruce Wayne’s psychological pain and the gradual degeneration of his humanity in the twenty year fight against crime he has waged. Meanwhile in Metropolis, Superman is coming-to-terms with the political, legal and moral dilemmas that his presence on Earth have caused. Tangled up in this are his feelings for Lois Lane (Amy Adams), whom he has come to care about more than anything else on the planet (except perhaps his “Mother” - Martha Kent - played by Diane Lane). Both men have their share of psychological challenges and the story, with contributions by David S. Goyer and Oscar-winning writer Chris Terrio, does a great job of exploring these complex characters without weighing the film’s plot down.

Besides the main trio and Amy Adams, BATMAN v SUPERMAN features an array recurring and new actors playing key supporting characters. At the top of this list is Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. He plays Superman’s arch-nemesis as an unhinged intellectual, whose own inner demons drive a desire to inflict pain on those who stand between him and his grand plan. Eisenberg lacks the restrained menace of a Kevin Spacey and doesn’t dominate a scene like Gene Hackman, but, much like Affleck’s Bruce Wayne, his portrayal of Luthor is of a man who lives in a fractured mental state, consumed by the need to control Superman and his powers. It’s an interesting take on the character and is more in keeping with Christopher Nolan’s DARK KNIGHT trilogy villains than anything previously seen in a SUPERMAN feature film. Laurence Fishburne returns as Perry White, along with Diane Lane as Martha Kent, who plays an important role in the second half of the film. Holly Hunter has a small but pivotal role in the first half of the film as a US Senator. In spite of his obvious class, Jeremy Irons doesn’t make the same impact as either Michael Caine or Michael Gough (the last two actors to play Alfred in feature films), but, in fairness, this story’s take on Bruce Wayne’s “Butler” is quite different. In BATMAN v SUPERMAN, Alfred demonstrates far more technical & weapons competency than any previous Alfred incarnation and relates to Bruce more like a close friend than either an employee or surrogate parent; once again, more like Morgan Freeman’s Lucius Fox in the DARK KNIGHT movies.

Jesse Eisenberg - Lex Luthor

Jeremy Irons - Alfred Pennyworth

Where BATMAN v SUPERMAN succeeds more than MAN OF STEEL is in delivering the right balance between the action, the characterisation and the sheer spectacle of a big-budget, effects-heavy blockbuster. Director Zack Snyder has - quite obviously - listened to the feedback that was critical of the last half-hour of his previous film (with its “destruction porn”) and worked hard to deliver a film that has a satisfying finale while eschewing the relentless and senseless violence. At 151 minutes, BATMAN v SUPERMAN is a long film, but it never feels like it’s dragging; a credit to Film Editor David Brenner, who also worked on MAN OF STEEL with Snyder. WATCHMEN Director of Photography Larry Fong takes over from Amir Mokri, but continues using the over-exposed, washed-out look that Snyder established in the last film. While the technique helps to reinforce the “reality” of the film’s visuals, it is a film based on a comic book and a little more vibrancy in the colour pallette wouldn’t hurt. The Hans Zimmer/Junkie XL musical collaboration is extremely effective, providing a continuation of the musical cues established for Superman in the previous film, while creating a new, more subdued theme for Bruce Wayne and the Caped Crusader that reflects his current approach to life. BATMAN v SUPERMAN is a great piece of entertainment that stands well & truly on its own, but also successfully traverse the tightrope in opening up the entire DC comic universe to movie-goers around the world.

Batman v Superman - electronic press kit

From director Zack Snyder comes “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” starring Oscar winner Ben Affleck (“Argo”) as Batman/Bruce Wayne and Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent in the characters’ first big-screen pairing.

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 and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.

Zack Snyder - Director

Charles Roven - Producer

Deborah Snyder - Producer

B Roll - Behind-the-scenes footage

Ben Affleck - Bruce Wayne/Batman

Henry Cavill - Clark Kent/Superman

Gal Gadot - Diana Prince/Wonder Woman

Holly Hunter - Senator Finch

Amy Adams - Lois Lane

Laurence Fishburne - Perry White

Batman v Superman Official trailer two

Batman v Superman December 2015 teaser trailer

Batman v Superman character posters

Batman v Superman 2015 Comic-Con trailer...

The 2015 San Diego Comic-Con saw the release of a new trailer for BATMAN v SUPERMAN with a large amount of new footage, including scenes with Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman and Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. There's Kryptonite, Michael Shannon's Zod makes a brief appearance, there's messages that appear to be from the Joker and much, much more. The film is definitely shaping up as one of the biggest (if not the biggest) in 2016 and the clear-air that Warner Bros has around its March release date means it will have longevity in cinema multiplexes around the world throughout April and no real competition until CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR releases in late April/early may 2016.

Supporting characters featured in new Batman v Superman images...
July 28, 2015

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - first trailer

The importance of Batman v Superman :Dawn of Justice

The DC movie universe, to this point, has been an unwieldy beast. Up until Man of Steel was released in 2013, the most success Warner Bros had achieved with the DC characters was the Christopher Nolan Dark Knight trilogy. The emergence of the Marvel "Phase" strategy, where stories are both as stand alone adventures and as part of a broader tapestry has created a need among other studios to develop similar strategies for their comic book franchises. As the main competitor to Marvel, DC (and Warner Bros) have a vast back-catalogue of characters and stories to choose from. The critical element is to bring those characters together in a meaningful way every three or four years, while allowing exciting stand-alone stories about specific heroes in between. That's why Batman v Superman - Dawn of Justice in incredibly important for DC. Let us whether you plan to see it ...

Entertainment Weekly Batman v Superman cover
July 3,2015

Entertainment Weekly have featured a Batman v Superman cover this week in anticipation of the film taking hold of pop culture devotees collective imagination at next week's 2015 San Diego Comic-Con. The edition also features new still photograph images of the various characters, including Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor with long, flowing locks!

First posters released for Batman v Superman
April 25, 2015

Director Zack Snyder tweeted that attendees of the special IMAX trailer preview for the new film would get six seconds worth of extra footage, as well as these two posters to promote the IMAX release in 2016. The posters are very simple in their design, but extremely effective at communicating that the relationship between these two comic book titans is not one based on friendship. There's an hint of The Dark Knight 2008 poster campaign (see below) with the graffiti style used by the Joker-themed posters.

Snyder also used his Twitter account to thank everyone who showed up for the IMAX trailer preview and gave everyone something a little extra: the first full-reveal of the Bat-suit from the new film. The suit is definitely more organic than previous designs, with its emphasis on the muscle definition, more squat bat-like headpiece an vein-like texture that is also reminiscent of a bat's wing. All in all, it's pretty cool.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer images
April 18, 2015

After a trailer leak somewhere in South America (apparently) hit the internet, Warner Bros dropped the Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice trailer forty-eight hours earlier than originally planned. The trailer (posted above) is characterized by dark, moody images that suggest all has not gone to plan for the Man of Steel since he "saved" Earth from Zod at the end of Zak Snyder's last film. The trailer is similar in tone to Snyder 2009 comic book anti-hero opus Watchmen, which has grown in stature among genre fans since its original release. Shown here are some of the key images from this first trailer that have caused a sensation since the trailer premiered.

First image of Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor
March 26, 2015

The first image of Jesse Eiseneberg as Lex Luthor has been released. As suspected, Eiseneberg's look is very much along the traditional lines established by previous comic books, movies and television shows in which the character has appeared. This is what Eisenberg had to say about his version of Luthor:

“He’s not any of the Lexes that you’ve seen, that’s for sure,” says Snyder, “other than him being a captain of industry and one person to the world and another person to himself. And bald, of course.”

First images of Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne
August 16, 2014

The images to the left are the first public images of Ben Affleck in his Bruce Wayne costume for 2016's Batman V Superman film. From the slight touch of grey around his temples, Affleck's Bruce Wayne is slightly older than the Christian Bale version in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy. Affleck's look is in keeping with the version that was shown in Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, the graphic novel series that saw an older Bruce Wayne don the Bat-suit once again in an effort "to bring sense to a world plagued by thieves and murderers."