The Misunderstood Masterpiece: Why Zack Synder’s

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is Underrated?

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a superhero film directed by

Zack Synder. Released in theaters in 2016 and got a lot of heat from viewers.
Critics talked about how the film was too dark and had problems with pacing. Zack
showed a lot about what he wanted to do with the DCEU but some misunderstood
it. Some critics blamed how this film was so dark and some said about its pacing.
Although the film got many dark scenes and less comedic relief, Zack’s film was
the one that was overlooked.
 What Zack wanted to show was simple, a very dark superhero film
with Batman. Batman was introduced in the DCEU and it was pretty good. Bruce
Wayne was traumatized by the battle that happened in Metropolis between
Superman and Zord. He was convinced that Superman was a threat to humanity.
Superman became a controversial figure after the battle against Zord. That led to
the battle between Batman and Superman. After that, Lex Luthor created
Doomsday who assembled Batman, Superman, and also Wonder Woman together.
This was the very first foundation for the DCEU’s Justice League.
 The visuals of the film have a bold and dark color, which is the
signature of Zack. The film has a dark tone that reflects the point of the story.
Batman’s vigilante identity was more lively because of his armor and gadgets.
While Batman’s scenes were dark, there were bright hues in other scenes.
Metropolis had a light and modern theme while Gotham was full of darkness and
chaos. Batman standing on the building, Superman’s supersonic flying, and
Wonder Woman’s rescue entrance stood out in the films. Wonder Woman’s armor,
sword, and shield unleashed her Amazonian image. The battles in the film were
very intense and counted on visual effects. The overall dark theme for this kind of
film is suitable considering what will come next.
 The character developments in this film need to be noticed too.
Batman in the beginning was cruel and later he was willing to cooperate with other
superheroes. He overcame his fear and realized Superman was not evil. As for
Superman, he was struggling with his god-like figure on earth. He also lifted the
weight of being powerful and responsible. But he destroyed the controversial
things after he sacrificed himself by defeating Doomsday. He got humanity's
support back from his selflessness. And his girlfriend, Louis Lane, was a bridge
between him and humanity. Wonder Woman appeared first as a mysterious woman
and she observed Superman and Batman. But later, she showed her awesome
abilities in the fight against Doomsday and showed there is a big superhero
community. The first three members of the Justice League had strong and
impressive character developments in the film.
 Batman v Superman is not a typical superhero film. It goes
beyond that. The film showed power, responsibility, fear, and purpose. Superman
had so immense power but that power feared humanity. He had to care about what
he did because that would affect the world. Batman also faced the fear of an alien
who would wipe out the human race. The film had many parallels between the
characters. Lex Luthor contrasted Superman and Batman's battle to “Day vs
Night”, also compared them to “God vs Man” and also called their references like
“Son of Krypton vs Bat of Gotham”. It also showed many consequences after
battles. The final battle of the film displayed the unity of superheroes. That would
be based on the start of the Justice League in future films. The film has an Ultimate
version of it which contains darker sounds and subplots.
 So, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice League was a perfect film?
Of course not. The film just had its theme and people overlooked it. It is a
superhero film with complexity and darkness that contributed to the DC Extended
Universe (DCEU). With a more open-minded view, people can realize the beauty
of the film, a Misunderstood Masterpiece that is worthy of revisiting and
appreciation. Will you change your mind after acknowledging it?