Jeremy Irons Also Thinks That 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' Was 'Muddled'

If you’re still trying to make sense of why exactly Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight and Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel were squabbling in the beleaguered blockbuster Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, you’re not alone. Apparently, even Batman’s trusty manservant, Alfred Pennyworth, was confused about his boss’s motives. In a recent interview with the Daily Mail’s Sunday magazine, Event, the latest Alfred, Jeremy Irons, described Dawn of Justice as “very muddled,” something that the film’s numerous critics often pointed out in their largely negative reviews. “It took ￡800 million, so the kicking didn’t matter,” Irons said of the critical backlash to Zack Snyder’s DC Cinematic Universe-launching film. “But it was sort of overstuffed.”

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That’s actually one of the kinder critiques that Dawn of Justice has received, but Irons’ less-than-positive comments do carry a lot of weight considering the pedigree his casting brought to the film. Like his predecessor, Michael Caine —who played Alfred in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy — Irons is an Oscar-winning veteran with an authoritative onscreen presence. (He could also be likened to Gary Oldman, a respected actor who lent his considerable talents to enlivening the role of Batman’s police ally James Gordon in Nolan’s films.)

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It sounds like Irons has some hope going forward, however. “I think the next one will be simpler,” Irons said of the currently-shooting Justice League: Part One, which will unite Batman and Alfred with Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Flash (Ezra Miller), Cyborg (Ray Fisher), and, presumably, a back-from-the-dead Superman. “The script is certainly a lot smaller, it’s more linear.” Maybe the movie should be called: Justice League: Dawn of Logical Storytelling.

Gal Gadot on who would win a Justice League fight: