The Dawn of the DCEU

Rating: 10/10 (31 March 2016)

Batman v Superman Review (with possible spoilers) OK, so here we go. As you all know, I've been heavily anticipating this movie ever since I saw Man of Steel in 2013 and loved it. I'm going to start by saying my overall feelings right off the bat (pun intended): the critics are off their rockers for this one; Dawn of Justice is an amazing film! The story was a good one. It seamlessly combined two of the most iconic story arcs from the comics – The Dark Knight Returns and The Death of Superman – while hinting at the Darkseid invasion for the Justice League movie. But with a storytelling team composed of Zack Snyder, David Goyer, Chris Terrio, Geoff Johns, and Christopher Nolan, I am hardly surprised at how great the story was.
First, let's get in to the catalyst of the story – Superman. He may not have the most screen time, but the movie revolves around him. Henry Cavill does an excellent job – he feels more at home in the role than he did in Man of Steel, which is appropriate since Superman is now, well, Superman. But not everyone is in love with Superman like the amazingly-good looking Lois Lane is. Batman, Lex Luthor, and Wonder Woman all fear the damage that Superman could cause to the world, and so the main plot of the film revolves around these two characters trying to stop him.
Ben Affleck is the best Batman ever. When I looked at him on screen, I didn't see Batfleck, I saw Bruce Wayne personified. As good as Christian Bal was in The Dark Knight Trilogy, Affleck is better. You can see the weariness the years have taken on him – he is no longer as concerned with saving every thug as he is the overall end game with Superman. The end of the film, where Superman's decision inspires Bruce to return to his old idealistic ways, is truly a great touch. And of course the combat is brutal. Straight out of the Arkham games, it is the best live action depiction of the Caped Crusader in action yet.
Not to be outdone by Affleck, Jesse Eisenberg (or, as I call him, "Facebuthor") delivers the best performance of the movie in his turn as Lex Luthor. He is cocky, arrogant, and also sinister, something I wasn't sure if he could pull off. All the time though, he was convinced he was doing what he was doing for the right reasons. What an amazing follow-up to Michael Shannon's take on General Zod, which definitely left big Kryptonian shoes to fill in the villain department.
Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman is a real scene stealer. Just enough action to get me (and the crowd I was with) excited, but still she was basically a teaser for her solo film next summer, which I am absolutely fine with. And her theme is one of the soundtrack's best parts (along with Batman's theme).
All in all, BvS presents a great introduction to the trinity and a great expansion of the world created in Man of Steel. I'm not going to go into heavy spoiler territory – you need to see this movie for yourself. It was well worth the three year wait. Now bring on Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, and Justice League! 10/10, favorite CBM of all time