2016: Marvel=1 DC=0

Rating: 7/10 (14 May 2016)

Batman v Superman is overflowing with potential. The overall story line is plausible and the portrayals of both Batman and Superman are great. However, what at first seems like an simple mono e mono movie quickly becomes overstuffed with unnecessary subplots and characters. Soon enough, what used to be a Batman v Superman movie quickly turns into a cool Batman film, which then ends up feeling like an overblown trailer for the Justice League. First thing I want to mention, Batman v Superman is not in any way a BAD movie. There are a number of elements in the movie that really make shine at times, such as Ben Affleck's Batman. While his Bruce Wayne never gets his time to shine, Batman proves to be the highlight of the movie. Everything from his look to his motivations, and even his brutality make him really feel like a force to be reckoned with. The way he goes about planning his attack on Superman lends itself well to the detective aspect of Batman that had previously been missing. Gal Gadot's portrayal of Wonder Woman is also fantastic, but her character feels out of place. For all the time and effort DC put into Batman v Superman in an attempt to compete with Marvel, it ends up falling flat mainly because of the quality of the movie. The problem starts with Zack Synder. The movie is shot and put together in such a way that feels terribly discombobulated. The constant cuts from character to character never allows the audience a chance to really get a firm understanding of everyone's motives and reason for their actions. Instead it really ends up feeling like three separate movies at times. Another big letdown is the villain. DC is known for having some of the best villains in film history with the Dark Knight franchise. However, the promising inclusion of Lex Luthor falls flat due in large part to Jesse Eisenburg's unconvincing performance. While Jesse himself is a terrific actor, his portrayal of Lex Luthor never feels like Lex Luthor. The character simply comes across as annoying with his overly weird mannerisms and attitude. I could keep going on about the little things like Batman KILLING people or the awful Justice League cameos, but buy now you get the point. Batman v Superman is nowhere as bad as people have been claiming. But comes NOWHERE close to the likes of Marvel's films. All in all, it feels like a lost opportunity for DC to really hit a home-run with two of the biggest characters in comic book history.