Batman vs. Superman is one of the worst reviewed movies in DC Comics’ history. Critics have given it one star. The New York Times told us it was “a sludgy, noisy, chaotic mess”. Rotten Tomatoes gave it 29% out of 100…yet acknowledged that 71% of audiences have enjoyed it. In fact, the audiences seem to overwhelmingly love it. It made top sales its opening weekend, and doesn’t seem to be leaving theaters anytime soon. The question then arises: do critics properly reflect what we look for in a movie? Who reads movie reviews? Often movie reviews are written by people with degrees in film or English, people who want to analyze films that may simply not need any analysis.
Critics have tried to morph Batman vs. Superman into some sort of mythic battle between the modern antihero and the greats of America past without any regard for what the movie actually wants to show us. Yes, DC Comics fails in making a cinematic masterpiece that blows us away with emotional depth and catharsis- but why were you looking for that in a superhero movie??? Batman vs. Superman has action, and that is all it really needs. Hell, they threw a female superhero into the mix. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman is so far the biggest woman we’ve seen in DC movies. So can’t we celebrate that, and forget about what we’re supposed to be learning? Audiences certainly seem to think so.
