Batman rarely, if ever, steals the movie. Usually, it's another character entirely, the villain or a secondary player, who you come away thinking about after sitting down to a Batman film. Even Christian Bale criticized his performance in The Dark Knight when compared to Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker, claiming that he was a lot less interesting to watch when juxtaposed with his co-star. Well, he was right, and it's a common occurrence in Batman movies - you tend to leave with somebody other than Batman in your memory. Not this time, though: Batman v Superman might well mark the first time that Batman steals the movie away from everyone else. Forget Lex Luthor, Superman, Wonder Woman and Doomsday - none of these characters linger with you in the aftermath of this blockbuster. Batman is pretty much the only character (aside from Jeremy Irons' Alfred, perhaps) who feels like an actual human being by the time the credits roll around. Batman v Superman is Affleck's film and it's a credit to his performance and to his presence as an actor that - for once - Batman feels like the star of the show. Given the amount of Batman films to date, that's something we really shouldn't underestimated.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
