'Batman v Superman' review: the even darker knight
[NOISE]
Batman V Superman, it's the superhero cinematic clash of the decade, or at least until Captain America Civil War comes out.
With me is Rich Trendholm.
We've both seen the movie, and we're gonna find out what Rich thinks, as our resident movie Critic, Rich, Batman Versus Superman is the biggest superhero clash.
Does it deliver on that cinematic spectacle?
Yes and no.
In terms of sheer scale, yeah, absolutely.
Yeah, it's a huge movie with loads going on.
There's hugely cinematic battles and set pieces and the conflicts are between these towering, godlike characters.
Whether it hangs together as a coherent whole is another matter.
There's so much stuff going on in there.
And there's even so much set up for future movies that it's a bit of a mess.
It's a glorious mess, but it's a bit of a mess.
Well, this is the first time that we've seen this incarnation of Batman as played by Ben Affleck.
How does Ben do and what do we think of this Batman.
I really Bat Flick, actually I think it does really well, one of the things that kinda came out afterwards and I realized that I hadn't thought about the Dark Knight movie all the way through, because it's so visually distinctive and Ben Affleck does such a good job as Felling, the kind of jaded, cynical world weary, older Bruce Wayne, so it's a very positive [INAUDIBLE] straight out the gate.
That said, this is not the Batman of your childhood.
It's a very, very dark take on the character.
Okay, so that's interesting.
I mean, this obviously superhero is enjoyed by all ages.
Is there something that you should Take kids to?
No, no, it's, I mean it's a very, very violent movie and not just that but it's a really unremittingly, unrelentingly bleak, like Superman and Batman are these characters who have been sort of
Fantasy figures that have delighted and inspired kids for the best part of the century.
They are presented as these very, very brooding, conflicted, troubled and very scary characters, and they live in a very scary world, where random, pointless, awful, horrible mass destruction can happen at any time.
So, its a yeah, its a very, if you want to tell your kids that, you know, bad things happen to good people, then just let Jack Snyder and Ben Affleck take care of it for you.
Thanks guys for doing all that.
[LAUGH]
Exactly.
So, obviously, this film is going to be compared a lot to the Avengers.
Yeah.
Marvel's Avengers.
Is that a fair comparison?
What do you think?
I think the problem that they have is that, while Marvel took five movies to get the Avengers, to have a bunch of super heroes all in together in a shared universe, DC's had to really race to get all these characters in there.
So there's so many kind of new faces and it does assume a lot of knowledge actually, when you see all these random people popping in who aren't actually relevant to the main story.
I really enjoyed it as a sort of adult comics fan.
But I don't know if they've got, there's just the same kind of joy the Marvel movies have.
Is it too much to ask for a bit of escapism with our cape?
[LAUGH] Es-cape-ism, if you will.
[LAUGH]
That's pretty good.
All right, well, that's what Rich thought.
So let us know what you think as well, guys.
If you've seen it, drop us a note.
Although, keep spoilers out of the comments.
Come on, don't be that guy.
All right.
Thanks very much.
Stay tuned to CNET.
[MUSIC]
[BLANK_AUDIO]
Up Next
Did a Week With the Apple Watch Make Me Use My iPhone Less?
Up Next
Did a Week With the Apple Watch Make Me Use My iPhone Less?
How Google Tests the Cameras in Its Pixel Phones
How Google Tests the Cameras in Its Pixel Phones
Boston Dynamics Retires Its HD Atlas Robot
Boston Dynamics Retires Its HD Atlas Robot
What's the Future of Phones? Expert vs. AI
What's the Future of Phones? Expert vs. AI
I Touched Disney's HoloTile Floor: Behind the Scenes at Imagineering
I Touched Disney's HoloTile Floor: Behind the Scenes at Imagineering
Can I Live With a Nokia Flip Phone in 2024?
Can I Live With a Nokia Flip Phone in 2024?
How Google Captures 3D Images for Immersive View
How Google Captures 3D Images for Immersive View
How to Get the Best Answers From an AI Chatbot
How to Get the Best Answers From an AI Chatbot
It's Almost Here: My Big Questions for Vision Pro
It's Almost Here: My Big Questions for Vision Pro
CNET's Best Smartphones From 2023
CNET's Best Smartphones From 2023
Tech Shows
Latest News All latest news
What to Expect at Apple's May 7 iPad Event
What to Expect at Apple's May 7 iPad Event
Did a Week With the Apple Watch Make Me Use My iPhone Less?
Did a Week With the Apple Watch Make Me Use My iPhone Less?
How Google Tests the Cameras in Its Pixel Phones
How Google Tests the Cameras in Its Pixel Phones
Boston Dynamics' New Electric Atlas vs. Tesla's Optimus
Boston Dynamics' New Electric Atlas vs. Tesla's Optimus
What is the Fediverse?
What is the Fediverse?
The Missing Piece to Apple's Eco-Friendly Mission
The Missing Piece to Apple's Eco-Friendly Mission
Most Popular All most popular
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Latest Products All latest products
2025 Audi Q6, SQ6 E-Tron: Audi's Newest EV Is Its Most Compelling
2025 Audi Q6, SQ6 E-Tron: Audi's Newest EV Is Its Most Compelling
Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
Best of MWC 2024: Bendable Screens, AI Wearables and More
This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
This Concept Laptop from Lenovo Has a Transparent Display
Latest How To All how to videos
Tips and Tricks for the AirPods Pro 2
Tips and Tricks for the AirPods Pro 2
How to Watch the Solar Eclipse Safely From Your Phone
How to Watch the Solar Eclipse Safely From Your Phone
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro