BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is the most advanced superhero film ever made by insurmountable leaps and bounds. Director Zack Snyder and screenwriter Chris Terrio have meticulously crafted a deconstructive character study of the genre’s two greatest icons. The sheer depth of the movie’s themes, the complexity of its characters, the beauty of its visuals, and the flawless execution of its narrative make it the first and only superhero masterpiece. Despite its unfitting title, Batman v Superman is a renaissance painting come to life in the modern age, and while there are better films outside the genre, you will simply never see a better superhero film, having elevated the genre from its pit of shallow power fantasies and then some, setting a new standard too high to match. Hypothetically, this film could be improved and polished in a few places, but that doesn’t hold it back.
I’m uniquely qualified to say that’s a fair and objective conclusion. When I first saw this film in the cinema, it was magical. I was immersed in the audio-visual narrative experience from the start, and when the end credits hit, I had chills. But afterwards, I started absorbing the wave of critical backlash, and almost overnight, film critics had convinced me to absolutely despise this film. Lex Luthor was miscast, Superman died too early, Batman killing is misunderstanding the character, the “Save Martha” scene made no sense, and so on. I even rewrote the film. Then, over the next year, I started to critically examine my own criticism, and I came to the realisation that most of my objections had nothing to do with the film’s quality. Lex Luthor is a prescient reinvention of the character, but I wanted Lance Reddick. Superman’s death didn’t come too early, but he didn’t die the way I wanted him to. Batman killing is a deliberate deconstruction, but I wanted traditionalism. I was complaining that I didn’t get to write the movie myself. Even the few issues I had concerning technical execution fell apart the millisecond I challenged them. Because I didn’t want the movie to be bad, and by reappraising the film with an open mind, I went from hating it to loving it. I had the privilege of a dual perspective — I can say I responded to it emotionally yet came to value it intellectually through critical reassessment and reflection.
This analysis will demonstrate the film’s artistic, intellectual, visual, emotional, and thematic value in as much detail as possible, withholding whimsical language to explain the film’s genius on the most factual, technical level I’m capable of. We will examine the three-hour “Ultimate Edition” director’s cut of the film, which is the only version that anyone should watch. So, if you haven’t seen it, please do. It’s the film that was intended. More specifically, we’ll also use the 2021 remaster, which opens up the full 1.43:1 aspect ratio of the film’s IMAX scenes.
Characters
“How could I look at Superman, Batman with a straight face and just say, ‘Here he is, enjoy.’ I love the characters, I’m not saying I wanted to break them or make them less than they are. But I’m also not going to hand them over like a piece of pure propaganda that said Superman is awesome or that Batman has an unbreakable moral code.”
Zack Snyder, Hollywood Reporter, 1 December 2023
Zack Snyder and Chris Terrio have elevated Batman, Superman, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor to the pinnacle of their mythology not only with their respective stories, but also their emotional complexity and characterisation. The characters are so complex that no one word nor even brief group of words can sufficiently describe them. None of the main cast fit neatly into any archetypical superhero role. I can safely say this is the highest they will ever go.
Batman v Superman is simply the most character-focused superhero film. Especially in the first two hours, the characters are clearly defined with distinct personalities, and almost every scene is developing motivations, relationships, and drawing character arcs. Scene after scene is just character, character, character, woven seamlessly into the three-hour runtime, even in the movie’s infrequent action scenes.
Story
“I want the movie to be provocative. I want the movie to be thought-provoking. I want the movie to not be just, you walk out and five minutes later, you’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, that was cool, I guess. Whatever. They jumped around and they fought each other. Good.’ I think, you know, the movie that Chris Terrio and I wanted to make was one that not only took all of those guys to the edge, but also dealt with real issues in the world and the reality of what these characters represent, their mythology, and for us, it’s a cool arena to play with these big ideas. … For me, and I think for this movie, it was all about, ‘What can it be? What can it mean? What can it do to us? Is it entertainment? Yes, of course, but can it take us further?’ I think that those are the questions that, if we can enjoy making these movies and also make them provocative and make them push a little bit, then maybe they’ll stick around a little bit longer.”
Zack Snyder, Nestor Cine desde Hollywood, 28 March 2019
Maybe Zack Snyder is exclusively to thank for this brilliant film. Maybe he’s a hack and Chris Terrio is the brains behind this movie. Or maybe both of them are just utter morons who stumbled their way into a masterpiece. Yet, the fact remains that Batman v Superman is not simply the greatest superhero movie. It’s the greatest superhero story, and it’s not even close.
Mise-en-scène and Production
Clay Enos, Twitter, 8 June 2016
Scene Analysis
Here I will go through the film on a scene-by-scene basis, analysing each and every moment, word of dialogue (in bold), musical beat (in italics), reference, symbolism, motif, allusion, theme, Easter Egg, and parallel while outlining the overall significance of each scene, how they contribute to the plot, and how they develop the characters. Each scene will include a Scene Overview section to explore the scene overall. The Scene Analysis section will cover the sequence as a whole. The Behind the Scene section will explore the creation of these sequences, but keep in mind that there is some repetition so people looking for specific set/location information won’t have to find the first scene where it was used. This analysis is not a substitute for watching the movie, nor should it be read like a novel. It is written on the assumption that the reader has already seen the film.
BEAUTIFUL LIE
The murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne.
THEIR WAR HERE
The destructive conclusion of Man of Steel from Bruce Wayne’s perspective.
EMERALD CITY
Kryptonite is uncovered from the site of the destroyed World Engine in the Indian Ocean.
THE DESERT
Reintroducing Lois Lane, Superman is framed for a massacre in the country of Nairomi.
THE BATMAN
Two police officers encounter the Batman in a decrepit building branding a human trafficker.
BATHTUB LOVE
Lois returns home to find a bullet in her notebook while spending time with Clark.
EVERYTHING’S CHANGED
Bruce returns to the Batcave wherein Alfred confronts him on his change in methods.
WISHLIST
Lex Luthor is introduced.
FALSE GOD
After the vandalism of the Superman statue, Clark travels to Gotham to learn of the Batman.
DETECTIVE WORK
At an underground fight club, Bruce clones Anatoli Knyazev’s phone.
DIGGING UP SNAKES
Clark presents his Batman investigation. Lois is following her bullet lead.
THE RED CAPES ARE COMING
Finch confronts Lex in his home.
DREAMS
After a nightmare, Bruce presents his findings to Alfred.
METROPOLIS LIBRARY FUNDRAISER
Clark and Bruce meet at Lex Luthor’s event. Bruce meets Diana, who steals his data.
MUST THERE BE A SUPERMAN?
The world debates the Superman. Clark phones his mother.
HALF A MAN
Lois and Clark investigate. Lex enlists Wallace Keefe. Cesar Santos is murdered in prison.
SECRETARY SWANWICK
Lois approaches Calvin Swanwick for information, but he is reluctant.
CLARK VS PERRY #2
Perry chastises Clark for falling persisting in his crusade, and the two have a heated argument.
MUSEUM GALA
Bruce confronts Diana to get his drive back.
KNIGHTMARE
Bruce has a premonition and a warning from the future.
THE WHITE PORTUGUESE
Bruce reveals to Alfred he is looking for the Kryptonite.
WORDS DON’T STOP HIM
Clark meets with the partner of Cesar Santos.
BATMOBILE CHASE
Batman pursues the Kryptonite shipment but is stopped by Superman.
WHAT IS GOOD?
Finch publicly invites Superman to a hearing at the US Capitol.
CAPITOL MONTAGE
Lois and Finch learns the truth and Kahina Ziri is murdered as the hearing draws near.
CAPITOL HEARING
Superman arrives at the Capitol. Keefe’s wheelchair explodes.
AFTERMATH
Helping the wounded in the aftermath of the bombing, Superman realises he is unwanted and leaves in shame.
FIREWOOD
Alfred comes home to disturbing news.
LEXCORP RUINED
Lex returns to Metropolis to find LexCorp devastated by Batman, having stolen the Kryptonite.
SUPERMAN WAS NEVER REAL
Superman meets Lois at her hotel, despairing.
TEACH ME
Lex accesses the knowledge of the Kryptonian ship.
PREPARATION MONTAGE
Bruce prepares to battle Superman and learns Diana is immortal.
METAMORPHOSIS
Lex begins transforming the body of General Zod.
BURN HIM
Humanity hates Superman. Lois investigates the bombing.
PAST MEMORIES
Clark speaks to Jonathan atop a mountain while Bruce speaks to Alfred in Wayne Manor.
BAT LIGHT
Martha is kidnapped while Batman sets his trap.
PROBLEMS UP HERE
Lois is kidnapped to lure Superman to Lex, who threatens him to kill Batman.
DAWN OF JUSTICE
Diana receives an Email from Bruce revealing the three other Meta-Humans.
FIGHT NIGHT
Lois heads to Gotham while Batman and Superman fight it out.
SAVE MARTHA
Batman sees the truth.
WAREHOUSE FIGHT
Batman rescues Martha from Knyazev.
DOOMSDAY
Superman confronts Lex, who unleashes a monster.
INTO SPACE
Superman carries Doomsday into space. They are hit with a nuke.
IS SHE WITH YOU?
Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman take on Doomsday together.
THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN
Superman dies to slay Doomsday.
COMMUNION
A SWAT team enters the scout ship and finds Lex speaking to Steppenwolf.
FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND
The world goes silent. A wake is held at the Kent Farm.
AMAZING GRACE
Two funerals are held in Washington and Smallville.
MEN ARE STILL GOOD
The impact of Superman’s sacrifice is felt. Batman interrogates Lex.
Snyderverse Analysis 