This article comes neither to bury Batman v Superman nor to praise it. That’s the critics’ job. So far, they seem to be doing a lot more of the former than the latter, which has been a bit hard for the cast and crew to handle sometimes - poor Ben Affleck! - but hey, it’s the critics’ job. To see the movies, react, and embolden or warn you.
They don’t always get it right (remember our piece on early reactions to Star Wars?). After all, Screen Rant itself thought the movie was all right, certainly no crime against cinema.
History will judge whether this initial round of feedback turns out to be the short-sightedness of a critical community that may just be a little superheroed out this year, or some valuable early think pieces on why the DC Extended Universe - the only attempt to compete with the Marvel Cinematic Universe on an equal level really worth taking seriously - collapsed in 2019 (though judging by the early box office returns, it might be closer to the former than the latter.)
Here are the 13 Most Scathing Reviews of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Beware: some of these insights might constitute at least minor SPOILERS.
13. Robbie Collin, Daily Telegraph
Collin wasn’t sure just what he saw, really. While a few critics have found the abundance of goings-on in the movie to be a strength, Collin just felt overwhelmed. This lines up with early reports that the movie, despite a robust opening weekend, is getting its worst response from people who don’t already know who Doomsday is.
12. Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Hornaday had an easier time understanding what was going on, paying more attention to tone than to plot. Unfortunately, she found the tone a bit lacking. To be specific, she felt it was missing that three-letter f-word that motivates people to come to blockbusters in the first place.
11. Rob Harvilla, Deadspin
Harvilla finds a few things to like about the film - the relatively low body count, Holly Hunter, Laurence Fishburne and Ben Affleck’s chin. But when he picks a target, it’s much more substantial (the plot, the director and the main villain) and he’s much more merciless. (His article also bears the snarkiest title of the lot: “Batman v Superman is v Bad.”) His choicest observation, though, comes early:
10. AO Scott, The New York Times
Scott is one of the best-known film critics working today, and New York and literary high-mindedness are in his bones. You’d think he might be sympathetic to ambitious movies set largely in Gotham (basically a fictional vision of New York), even if they do feature a costumed crimefighter or two. And you’d be right. Unfortunately, those movies were Christopher Nolan’s. Zack Snyder, in his view, fares less well:
9. Brian Roan, The Film Stage
Roan notes what many critics have noted, that Batman v Superman’s story seems to be a metacommentary on Man of Steel. The first scene Batman and Superman share - the destruction of the Wayne tower - does indeed echo the reaction to the wanton property damage and loss of life at the previous movie’s climax, and the climax of this one mostly takes place in unpopulated areas.
Still, Roan feels it doesn’t go nearly far enough:
8. Joe Gross, Austin American-Statesman
Several critics have called Batman v Superman a big improvement over its predecessor. Others measure it as equal or wanting. But Gross feels that BvS was just out-and-out doomed by its predecessor:
7. Norman Wilner, NOW Toronto
The best news from Wilner’s end is that he does call Zack Snyder talented, and he doesn’t even mean it as a joke. Unfortunately, he’s not so thrilled with the purpose the talent is focused on fulfilling. He particularly questions the decision to marry The Dark Knight Returns’ famous Batman/Superman fight with the even better-known Superman-Doomsday fight from “The Death of Superman”:
6. Alex Leadbeater, What Culture
Alex Leadbeater is rarely constrained in his opinions, and his barbed tongue has many lashes to give out. He has particularly choice words when it comes to the motivations Superman and Batman have for fighting, at least one of which is somewhat different from what the trailers might lead you to believe.
But the unkindest cut is when he comes to the unfolding of DC’s grand plans to establish its “Extended Universe.”
5. Steven D. Greydanus, National Catholic Register
You might expect a Catholic publication to voice concerns about how Superman is worshipped in some corners as a god on Earth, even as others deride him as a false one. Greydanus takes a very different tack, understanding what Superman represents to many. If anything, he feels that Superman isn’t God-like enough:
4. Andy Crump, Paste Magazine
Crump, an occasional Screen Rant contributor, looks at the movie from the larger perspective of its role in the DC Extended Universe. Even if the movie does quite well (and it’s already had a good opening weekend), DC’s attempt to “catch up” to Marvel might stumble overall. It is, after all, trying to do in two movies what Marvel did in six:
3. Chris Klimek, NPR
Even though Klimek is particularly brutal about Snyder’s talents, he too finds a few things to enjoy. And he frames his speculation in a way that acknowledges the buck rarely stops with directors on big-budget pictures. Especially when it’s a planned franchise adapted from existing work.
2. Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
With an eye for color and an ear for scoring, Morgenstern casts Snyder himself as a villain. The ultimate in reviewer sarcasm? Perhaps, but it’s hard to say we wouldn’t have a passing interest in a film plot like the one Morgenstern describes:
1. Helen O’Hara, GQ
Helen O’Hara, whose name is just about in the same category as the alliterative Holly Hunter and Amy Adams, has the most interesting lead-in of all. She astutely compares it to a real-life phenomenon that certainly couldn’t have been on the filmmakers’ minds when they started planning this in 2013. And she at least identifies the movie’s goal:
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If all this negativity has just about worn you out, here’s one shining ray of positivity: Al Roker on The Today Show, giving the film 6 out of 5 stars.
