Much as with Sucker Punch, Batman V Superman is a film that was formulated - in the parlance of our times - bass ackwards. Snyder's psuedo-feminist fairy tale was first and foremost a series of set pieces with a convoluted mythology stringing them together; likewise, this Man of Steel follow-up sprang forth plainly and simply from the notion that it would be cool to see Batman and Superman have a fight, without first considering how such a conflict would be sparked. Alas, Snyder and co proceeded to build up to that battle in quite possibly the most laboured, over-complicated, unconvincing and downright tedious manner imaginable. After all the fan grumbles about the casting of Ben Affleck, Jesse Eisenberg and Gal Gadot, surely what there should have been the most concern about was the return of Snyder and writer David Goyer. They may attempt to address negative feedback over the finale of Man of Steel by showing the broader repercussions of Superman's actions, but they proceed to make things even worse with a Batman who wholeheartedly embraces killing. But as with Man of Steel, the principle problem is tone. It should be a real crowd-pleasing spectacle, particularly come the final act when Wonder Woman joins the fray (and oh, how exciting that moment might have been had the trailers not given it all away), but this is even more downbeat than Snyder's first Superman movie, weighed down with an even greater sense of its own importance, and a massive overabundance of portentous, over-earnest dialogue. Not even Jesse Eisenberg's ADHD Luthor nor Gadot's vaguely sadomasochistic Amazon can bring much in the way of levity when everything around them is so Wagnerian. It must also be remembered that Batman V Superman had initially been scheduled to open in summer 2015, against Avengers: Age of Ultron - yet even with almost an extra year to get it finished, Snyder still turned out something so flabby, incoherent and unsatisfying. Hopes for the fledgling DC Extended Universe, and in particular Snyder's upcoming Justice League, have just taken a very significant hit.
