We’ve all heard that the critics have been tearing apart “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” since before it opened on Friday. But some critics actually did like the movie.
In fact, out of all 223 reviews on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 66 considered the film “Fresh.”
Deeming it “spectacular” and “absolutely, positively brilliant,” various critics have highlighted director Zack Snyder‘s attention to detail and Gal Gadot‘s impressive performance as Wonder Woman.
Even Alonso Duralde, TheWrap’s film critic, also praised Gadot’s superhero: “Thank goodness Ms. Prince turns out to be Wonder Woman, who injects some real vitality into the sludgy superhero sameness.”
See some of the positive reviews below.
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
“Working from a screenplay by Chris Terrio (‘Argo’) and David S. Goyer (‘The Dark Knight Rises’), director Zack Snyder delivers a superhero epic that’s a significant improvement on his work on its predecessor, ‘Man of Steel.’ That’s due in large part to the controversially cast Affleck, who brings not only physical but psychological heft to the Dark Knight and practically steals the film. As potential blockbusters go, ‘Batman v Superman’ is neither as stupid nor as stupendous as it might have been.”
Andrew O’Hehir, Salon:
“So ‘Batman v Superman’ is kind of dopey and plays out some laborious plot twists in the DC narrative at unnecessary length, but as I’ve already said it largely kept me entertained for two and a half hours, which is not nothing. Snyder’s intense, obsessive artificiality yields numerous striking images, and the supporting cast around the leaden central duo of Affleck and Cavill (and the dancing electricity of Eisenberg) is excellent, especially [Jeremy] Irons, [Holly] Hunter, Laurence Fishburne as the cantankerous editor of the Daily Planet and Scoot McNairy as a disabled and disgruntled Bruce Wayne employee who believes that corporate misdeeds demand public scrutiny. In the comic-book universe such an attitude is viewed as deeply uncool: Who needs bureaucrats and congressional hearings when we have Batman! Gosh, aren’t we lucky to live in the real America, where democracy holds the rich and powerful to account?”
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times:
“While the Marvel universe, now owned by Disney, is glib and sunny, it’s a nice echo of Warner’s past as a home to gangsters and gritty melodramas to find its DC world operating very much on the dark end of the street.”
Tony Hicks, San Jose Mercury News:
“Batman needs a vacation. Superman needs some seasoning. Lex Luthor needs less caffeine. Wonder Woman needs more screen time (and she’s going to get it soon). Those issues aside, Zack Snyder managed to squeeze a lot into ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.’ Maybe a bit too much. He doesn’t always succeed in pulling all the competing elements together, but it’s undeniably thrilling to see the most iconic comic book heroes of the 20th century battle it out amid a flurry of dazzling special effects and chest-thumping violence.”
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer:
“Snyder’s superpowered epic does have a sense of import and grandeur about it. This is, after all, the first time these icons of pop culture have squared off on the big screen (Affleck’s got the squarer jaw), and there’s a gravitas here that even the most stale of comic book tropes can’t diminish. Snyder, who directed ‘Man of Steel’ and the failed comic book adaptation ‘Watchmen,’ is nothing less than respectful. The effects aren’t bad, either.”
Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times:
“When it sings, ‘Dawn of Justice’ is a wonder. When it drags, it still looks good and offers hints of a better scene just around the corner.”
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone:
“Better than ‘Man of Steel’ but below the high bar set by Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight,’ ‘Dawn of Justice’ is still a colossus, the stuff that DC Comics dreams are made of for that kid in all of us who yearns to see Batman and Superman suit up and go in for the kill. Suck on that, Marvel. After this, can ‘Justice League v The Avengers’ be far behind?