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There is a no-win battle raging in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice," and it's not the one between DC Comics' two big brawlers in the legalistic title.
No, the battle in director Zack Snyder's ungainly follow-up to "Man of Steel" is between the different types of movies wrestling for dominance here: a solid drama about the limits of unlimited power and a button-pushing mega-blockbuster action flick.
Considering what Warner Bros. has invested in this movie, both as a global cash machine and as a launchpad for a "Justice League" franchise to rival the Marvel Cinematic Universe, one can guess which type of movie wins.
The movie begins in the middle of "Man of Steel's" ridiculously destructive finale, when Superman (Henry Cavill) and General Zod (Michael Shannon) were locked in a battle that laid waste to a good chunk of Metropolis' skyline. This time, the battle is seen from the viewpoint of an out-of-towner: billionaire Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck), visiting from nearby Gotham City and watching as his employees at Wayne Enterprises in Metropolis die in the rubble.
Flash-forward 18 months, and Wayne is back cleaning up Gotham City as his well-armored alter ego, Batman. But he is still thinking about Metropolis and whether humanity should be putting its trust in Superman. As Wayne tells his trusty butler, Alfred (Jeremy Irons), "He has the power to wipe out the entire human race, and if there is a 1 percent chance that he is our enemy, we have to take it as an absolute certainty. And we have to destroy him."
Turns out Wayne isn't the only one concerned about Superman's unbridled power. Sen. June Finch (Holly Hunter) is holding congressional hearings on the subject, and one of her backers is tech mogul Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg). Luthor asks Finch archly, "You know what the biggest lie in America is, Senator? That power can be innocent."
And there's someone else who ponders the Man of Steel's role as a god among men: Superman himself. After he rescues his girlfriend, Lois Lane (Amy Adams), from an African warlord, the backlash causes Supes to wonder if he's really helping his adopted planet.
For a while, writers Chris Terrio ("Argo") and David S. Goyer (who worked on "Man of Steel" and Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy) go along with this two-pronged morality play as both of our caped heroes grapple with their missions.
These scenes reveal Affleck to be an astute choice as the Dark Knight, as he wears Wayne's rising anger as handsomely as his constant five-o'clock stubble. They also reveal the script's unfortunate paradox, by depicting Batman both as a jaded crimefighter of long experience and as a new phenomenon worthy of Kent's journalistic attention.
Midway through the movie's gargantuan 2 ½-hour running time, Snyder pivots away from the ponderous drama to set up the equally ponderous action. Luthor, played by Eisenberg as a giddily maniacal variation on his Mark Zuckerberg portrayal in "The Social Network," ramps up his villainy from manipulative to full-tilt psycho — and the special-effects spectacle grows at the same pace.
The second half brings the cape-on-cape action the title promises, and the fight scenes have an impact. To get there, though, the characters are put through unbelievable contortions that distort two heroes whom a previous generation of Saturday-morning cartoon watchers knew as Super Friends.
And, in the tradition of Joel Schumacher's "Batman" movies, Snyder overstuffs his movie with side characters. It's no secret that the mysterious Diana Prince (Gal Gadot) makes a big entrance as Wonder Woman, as does a major villain from the "Superman" canon. Other DC characters pop up for cameos, solely to set up Snyder's first "Justice League" movie, due next year.
Snyder clearly seeks in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" to set a different tone for DC's universe that's darker and more brooding than the colorful, wisecracking Marvel movies. But while it's one thing to take superheroes seriously, it's another to drain all the fun out of them.
Twitter: @moviecricket —
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'Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice'
The Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader go toe-to-toe in this overamped, overstuffed and overly serious superhero smash-up.
Where • Theaters everywhere.
When • Opens Friday, March 25.
Rating • PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action throughout, and some sensuality.
Running time • 153 minutes.