Fearing the actions of a god-like Superhero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice sees Batman and Superman come together for the first time on screen. With these two icons at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it has ever known before.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: The Art of the Film, takes fans deep into this world, accompanied by insight and interviews with cast and crew, including an afterword by director Zack Snyder.

This official companion takes an in-depth look at the artwork and design of 2016’s most anticipated movie, including the earliest concept sketches of the Batcave, all the way through the set-building process, to the final version seen on screen. It explores Metropolis and Gotham City from the streets to the skies and showcases the costumes, weaponry, vehicles, allies and enemies of our two heroes.

Packed with stunning concept art, Zack Snyder’s storyboards, blueprints, costume detail and behind-the-scenes shots from the set, this book is an invaluable insight into the world of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice pits two iconic heroes against one another. That premise, when combined with the visual talents of director Zack Snyder, promises to be a great looking film with lots of interesting design elements. This book features concept art from the film and highlights the overall look of the film along with key design choices related to the characters.

As an effective sequel to Man of Steel, Dawn of Justice maintains the design sensibilities of Snyder's previous Superman film. The film very much wants to look and feel like the real world, with sites like the US Capitol making an appearance. The fictional city of Metropolis looks much like our own modern-day urban population centers - with Lexcorp HQ Tower looming large in the skyline.

The wold of Batman, on the other hand, is a bit more stylized. Gotham is as dark and dismal as it's ever been. Because this is Batman's first appearance in this story (The Dark Knight trilogy is not considered part of this "universe"), the designers were able to start from scratch and do something. Snyder and his team succeeding in creating a Batman that is differentiated from all the others that have come before. The book also features Batman's many gadgets and weapons, his mech suit, as well as the Batmobile and Batwing.

The book also takes a brief look at the other characters in the film - Lex Luthor, Doomsday, and of course Wonder Woman. The challenge across the board was to take inspiration from the comics, but make the designs unique and interesting for the big screen. A few key scene in the film are also detailed, including the fight between Batman & Superman, and also the Knightmare sequence.

The imagery in the book is outstanding. It's mostly sketches and conceptual artwork. But there are also some production photos and some stills from the completed movie. If you are interested in this film and enjoy Snyder's visual style, then you'll probably enjoy this book.

Publisher- Titan Books; Illustrated edition
Hardcover- 192 pages
Item Weight- 3.18 pounds
Dimensions- 12.2 x 0.9 x 9.5 inches

“Fans who like the movie and want a “souvenir book” will appreciate the close-ups of the supersuits and vehicles from the film, the colorful page layouts, and the roughly chronological plot points that re-tell the story from a creator’s standpoint, from idea to final rendering on the screen.” - Borg

“Packed with stunning concept art, Zack Snyder’s storyboards, blueprints, costume detail and behind-the-scenes shots from the set, this book is an invaluable insight into the world of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” - Forces of Geek

This is a deluxe hardback book - titled "The Art of the Film" in relation to "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice". It's 192 pages in length, and is full of glossy images from (and about) the movie. The author - Peter Aperlo - does offer some details and insight into how the film was conceived, designed and produced. Additionally, there is an outline of the main story. There are numerous quotes from the director and the main actors, explaining the film-making process. If you're interested in finding out more about the 'back story' of the movie, you'll find this book fascinating.

While there are several drawings, this book is less of an "art of the film" as it is a "making of" the movie. Indeed, the director presents an afterword where he says this is a "making of book". As such, I think the title is something of a poor choice.

The best thing about the book are the photos, showing behind the scenes of – as well as many images directly taken from – the movie. If you're a fan of the film and wish to browse through a good quality book of images, then this is a perfect item. I bought the book with this in mind. Had I especially been after the "art" of the film, I would have been somewhat disappointed. Nonetheless, there are several pieces of artwork. About the concept art. They are a mixture of sketches, digital painting, a few 3D renders and some schematics of things like Superman's statues, Batcave.

As for character design, Superman's pretty much fixed in terms of look. Batman has the new Batsuit, mech suit and his new gadgets. Wonder Woman has 6 pages of coverage. Lex Luthor also has 6 pages. Doomsday has 2 pages. Most of the characters you'll see them in the form of film stills. Batman's the one with more designs to feature.

If you have the artbook for The Man of Steel, you should expect art in a similar style.

So the highlight of this book is actually the beautiful film stills of scenes and characters. The other highlight is the insightful commentary talking about the production process.

I enjoyed reading the commentary from the Director, Producers, and Executive Producer about the film being made... as well as some quotes from the actors themselves about the role they play. This is a really nice art book on the film, and I proudly have it displayed with my other film art books. It's worth getting, especially if you enjoyed watching the film.

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