Utter disregard of the source material

Rating: 3/10 (29 March 2016)

Wow I don't even know where to start with my review of "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice." Zack Snyder and the rest of his filmmaking crew have truly shown his utter disregard of the source material when it comes to at least Batman in this heaping mess of a film. We have a rather listless and mopey Superman mixing it up with a trigger-happy Dark Knight who goes against everything he ever stood for in the canonical comic books he's based off of. They're all angry and they're just not going to take it from Jesse Eisenberg's over-the-top annoying and crazy-on-the-surface Lex Luthor.
It's been nearly two years since Superman's (Henry Cavill) colossal battle with Zod (Michael Shannon) devastated the city of Metropolis. The loss of life and collateral damage left many feeling angry and helpless, including crime-fighting billionaire Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck). Convinced that Superman is now a threat to humanity, Batman embarks on a personal vendetta to end his reign on Earth, while the conniving Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) launches his own crusade against the Man of Steel in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice."
I honestly don't know who to blame here for everything wrong with "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice." Is it Director Zack Snyder for not just saying no to all the many terrible ideas he saw when he read the script? Or is it Writers Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer who deserves to carry the heavy load of failure dumped on audiences.
Let's get the good out of the way first, since that's the easiest. There's not much to write home about when it comes to "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice." Not in a positive light at least. Ben Affleck plays a great Bruce Wayne and Batman. When he's not riddling people's body's full of artillery holes, he's brooding, grim, and tough just the way he's supposed to be. He has no mercy on the villains and doesn't care if they live or die as he makes his way to righting the wrongs they're doing. He'll be great in a solo movie not bogged down with the refuse he's surrounded himself with in this atrocity.
Also, Gal Gadot does a great job bringing DC's first lady of comic books to life on screen. I wouldn't go as far as to say she steals the scenes she's in. However, Gadot does hold her own among the big boys and even saved their hides a few times. She'll definitely help get females (and fanboys) fired up for her solo outing.
I'll also go on record saying that the CGI and other effects weren't a problem for "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice." They were a bit shaky at times and could've been better. Overall, they weren't a distraction and blended well with their surroundings.
Apparently, no one involved in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" has ever read a single issue of Detective Comics or Batman. The evidence is shown in the fact that he has the Dark Knight using all sorts of shooting instruments and artillery to KILL people. I'm not talking about like in Tim Burton's "Batman," where he would use bullets or exploding bombs to remove objects out of his way or scare his enemies. He actually killed people with them. Anyone with ANY passing knowledge of Batman knows he wouldn't do this.
The Lex Luthor we get in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" is NOT the Lex Luthor we're given in the comic books we all know and love. Jesse Eisenberg's wacko, unmedicated and juvenile depiction of the character is so annoying you practically pray for him to leave the screen whenever he shows up. He's like a spoiled rich kid with power who accidentally is smart.
I don't want to get into spoiler territory here, so let me be as vague as I can be. Everything you think or can imagine based on what you've read as a comic book fan, either passing or hardcore, happens just the way you fear it will. There are NO surprises to be found at all. Not unless you just know the names of these characters and have never seen a single animated or live-action film based on them in the past. I wouldn't say the script is absolutely terrible. Worse, it's just bland and predictable.
"Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action throughout, and some sensuality. A lot of people get killed in the movie - most of them bad guys. It might also disturb some younger children to see their favorite superheroes duking it out when they're supposed to be buddies. There's also a bit of profanity used here and there. The only sensuality I can think of is when Lois in the bath and they keep almost showing her breasts, but either cutting away or moving the camera up just in time to keep us from seeing anything. Still trying to figure out what the point of that was.
Is "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" the worst superhero film I've ever seen? No. Although I didn't hate it, the newest incarnation of "Fantastic Four" still holds that honor. If I had a close second, this would be it. I will say it offends me more than that movie because of it's blatant disrespect for the creators and source material it's based on. You can kick dirt in the face of the Fantastic Four or any other Marvel character out there, but don't start soiling the images of my beloved DC icons.