Sense of fun’s the loser in ‘Batman v Superman’

Published 8:14 am Thursday, March 24, 2016

Has anybody noticed how the crimefighting costumes keep getting bigger in superhero movies? A pastel leotard and a decent cape used to do the trick for Superman.

Now Superman and Batman traipse around in get-ups that resemble SWAT team armor made of futuristic polymers; they look heavy enough to make walking a challenge — forget about carrying on a fistfight across the rooftops.

A similar heaviness weighs down “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” a gargantuan meeting of DC Comics titans. Eardrum-shattering, fat with special effects, and virtually humor-free, this blockbuster is a rebuke to anybody who thinks comic-book movies are supposed to be fun.

Bruce Wayne, the billionaire playboy who also dresses up as Batman, is here incarnated by Ben Affleck. The actor looks so bulked-up with muscle that he seems uncomfortable walking around in a tweed jacket, let alone his hardware-heavy Batsuit.

But that’s not the big problem; the big problem is that Wayne is perpetually grumpy. (Has any billionaire playboy ever looked this unhappy?) He’s angry at Superman, the suspicious alien whose battle at the end of “Man of Steel” destroyed half of Metropolis.

Superman is again played by Henry Cavill. The actor showed a sneaky humor in “The Man from UNCLE,” but none of that is allowed to emerge here, because superheroes must be gloomy.

This film picks up from (and considerably improves on) “MoS.” Bruce Wayne vows to find a hunk of Kryptonite to level the playing field with the otherwise unstoppable Supe.

Also looking for Kryptonite is arch-villain Lex Luthor, played with schizophrenic abandon by Jesse Eisenberg. This performance signals how director Zack Snyder seems to lose focus; he’s exceptionally good at staging mayhem, but he doesn’t have much feel for acting.

And doesn’t flatter his actors. I saw the film at an IMAX screening, and while the action looked (and sounded) amazing, the complexions of the performers are revealed in brutal digital detail. Could we have a little movie lighting, please?

To give him credit, Snyder does orchestrate some imaginative destruction—I’m not being snarky, he actually does get some wild stuff going. How innocent those old BIFF! and POW! panels from the comic books seem today.

He also sets the table for a new series of DC films. The best piece of this is a mystery woman (Gal Gadot) who shares a couple of enticing scenes with Bruce Wayne before revealing her own wondrous superpowers. Kudos to a fine Bat-butler, too: Jeremy Irons.

Snyder also picks up the “Man of Steel” story line, giving Lois Lane (Amy Adams) a few reasons to stay in the front lines.

Impressive as it is in scale, “Batman v Superman” is exhausting. Snyder wants you to feel the pain when the two heroes are clobbering each other, and you will. If that’s what you crave from movies, have at it.

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2½ stars)

Batman (Ben Affleck) has a grudge against Superman (Henry Cavill), and the two battle accordingly. Director Zack Snyder is certainly adept at ordering mayhem, although this movie tends to be more exhausting than exhilarating—both superheroes are so gloomy it’s hard to locate where the fun is supposed to be.

Rating: PG-13 for violence

Showing: Alderwood, Cinebarre, Everett Stadium, Edmonds, Marysville, Galaxy, Stanwood, Meridian, Sundance, Thornton Place, Woodinville, Blue Fox, Cascade Mall, Oak Harbor Plaza