Interviewer confronts Affleck and Cavill with bad reviews

ONE brave interviewer asks about the damning reviews for Batman v Superman — and actor Ben Affleck doesn’t take it so well.

WHILE it’s expected to have a huge opening weekend in cinemas, the early reviews of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice haven’t exactly been kind.

Our own Wenlei Ma labelled it a “completely overblown, hot mess”, and she’s just one of scores of reviewers giving the film — which currently holds a 31 per cent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes — a resounding thumbs down.

But what of its stars, Ben Affleck (Batman) and Henry Cavill (Superman) themselves? Are they shielded from the news their latest bigscreen adventure is a critical flop?

One plucky journalist tackled the topic head-on, asking the pair about the poor reception during a video interview while they were on the publicity trail this week.

Henry Cavill as Superman, left, Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, and Ben Affleck as Batman in a scene from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

“The reviews have come out, and I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to look at them, or what your response is ...” the journalist begins.

“I haven’t read any reviews,” a stony-faced Affleck says, while a more game Cavill asks, “What did they say?”

“Well, it’s been getting a ... mixed response,” says the interviewer. “I wondered how that makes you guys feel, and whether you think it’ll affect the film as such?”

As Cavill launches into a very diplomatic answer, poor Affleck sits mute and apparently heartbroken, his eyes cast downwards.

Have a look at the clip below — which one canny YouTube user has spiced up with a perfect musical choice:

For those playing at home, here’s how Cavill answered the curly question while his co-star did his best impression of an Easter Island statue:

“The interesting thing is that we get the critics who have their personal opinions. And the thing about personal opinions is that they always come from a place. And there’s a preconceived idea which you have to get past a critic before you start writing your article or your review, and that affects everything.”

What do reviews matter anyway? Forbes predicts the film will take an opening weekend box office of more than $US150 million in the US alone, proving that some superhero franchises really are critic-proof.