Action wins out in superhero smackdown 'Batman v Superman'

The premise of "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" stems from a Comic Con question like, "Who would win in a fight? Jason Bourne or James Bond?"

The Man of Steel or the Dark Knight?

Surprisingly, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" presents the promised grudge match as a credible (by comic book standards) confrontation between Batman - ensconced inside an Iron Man-like exo-bat-skeleton - and Superman, whose powers have been weakened by kryptonite dust.

Superman (reprised by a solemn Henry Cavill from "Man of Steel") wants to be nice to everyone, but as he glumly notes, "No one stays good forever."

Batman (a grayed-up Ben Affleck, taking the cowl from Christian Bale) experiences a midlife crisis, cynically pondering if all his crime-fighting ever made a real difference. As Alfred (a droll Jeremy Irons) points out to him, "You've grown too old to die young!"

There's a bigger issue here, mainly, why would these two defenders of justice do professional wrestling numbers on each other in the first place?

Enter supreme villain Lex Luthor, played by Jesse Eisenberg as an annoying psychotic twerp totally lacking the joyously murderous charm of Heath Ledger's Joker from "The Dark Knight."

Lex concocts a brilliant scheme that pushes the two into combat while a fearful Lois Lane (Amy Adams) races to stop them before they kill each other.

Then there won't be anyone to protect Gotham City and Metropolis from a CGI creature called Doomsday, created with the DNA of the deceased Kryptonian General Zod (Chicago's own Michael Shannon).

At least two scenes in Zack Snyder's action-packed superhero epic are constructed of the stuff designed to reduce us to emotional rubble. They fail.

In "Batman v Superman" (even the title sounds like a legal brief), a freight train of flash-edited video game fights and an overreliance on gadgets, super vehicles and cool costumes put a chokehold on two of the greatest superheroes in comic book history, compressing them into dull, single-issue characters.

Like "Man of Steel," Snyder's cold and confusing "Batman v Superman" is a relentlessly mirthless superhero adventure laden with philosophical ruminations, clunky dream sequences and Cavill communicating emotions through a well-practiced, furrowed super-brow.

A so-serious Affleck plays Bruce Wayne as damaged goods with riveting aplomb.

But the much-heralded arrival of Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) disappoints on many levels. She's strictly a cosmetic addition, a superfluous, add-on character barely allowed a personality who could be erased from the story without altering the plot.

With its high-grade visuals, quick pacing and constant motion, "Batman v Superman" never bores.

But it seems less like an actual movie for us than a two-hour, 31-minute sales pitch for the DC Comics sequels yet to come.

Don't blink, or you'll miss Aquaman and the Flash, two of the "metahumans" (not Marvel mutants) who will soon form the Justice League of America.

But let's be clear. "Batman v Superman" is no "Avengers."

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”

★ ★

Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, Gal Gadot, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Jeremy Irons

Directed by: Zack Snyder

Other: A Warner Bros. release. Rated PG-13 for sexual situations, violence. 151 minutes