Sluggish story, but realistic tone featuring the REAL Super-man (guest-starring Wonder Woman)

Rating: 6/10 (30 November 2016)

Released in 2016 and directed by Zach Snyder, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" pits Batman against Superman via the manipulations of Lex Luthor. Wonder Woman joins the Word's Finest duo to take on the "Hulk-on-Krytonian-steroids" Doomsday in the climatic battle.
I viewed the Ultimate edition, which runs three hours; the theatrical version is a half hour shorter.
This is an ambitious film, a superhero epic, touted by DC fans as the movie that would crush Marvel's supremacy in the superhero movie market, but it was a disappointment due to its sluggish story. It takes about half the film just to build up any drive; the first hour is the worst, although it's not without highlights. Thankfully, the second half is compelling to the end.
Despite the listlessness of the first half, this is an impressive film and worthwhile for several reasons. For one, this is the absolute best depiction of Superman, as far as driving home his alien super-ness. Not to mention Henry Cavill is, by far, the best actor to play the Kryptonian. Secondly, the gritty realistic tone establishes in no uncertain terms that this is a totally serious superhero flick, which is driven home in the first act by the shocking murder of an iconic Superman Family character. It's akin to the feel of Nolan's Batman trilogy or 2003's "Hulk," the latter of which people love to hate because, apparently, it was a thinking-person's superhero film and didn't have enough "Hulk smash" moments (even though the Hulk's 22-minute rampage that starts at the 92-minute mark is definitely one of the best action sequences put to film). (But, don't get me wrong, I agree with the main criticisms of "Hulk," I just don't let them prevent me from enjoying its good points).
Thirdly, Ben Affleck makes for a great Bruce Wayne/Batman, on par with George Clooney's underrated depiction in 1997's "Batman & Robin." He's just all-around better than Christian Bale. Fourthly, Jesse Eisenberg is charismatic as the eccentric, but genius Lex Luthor. For anyone who's upset that he has a full head of hair, stay around till the end. Fifthly, Gal Gadot is effective as Wonder Woman due to her good looks and all-around athleticism (she's too tall and thin for my personal tastes, but she's great for the role of the Amazonian warrior princess).
One annoying cavil is that CNN (Counterfeit News Network) obviously paid for constant advertising throughout the film. See "Iron Man 2" (2010) for a superhero flick that knows how to present the news of the comic book world.
BOTTOM LINE: This is a one-of-a-kind superhero film with numerous highlights, like the ultra-serious tone, the best depiction of Superman ever, an offbeat-but-magnetic Luthor, Affleck's great portrayal of Wayne/Batman and the inclusion of Wonder Woman. But the first half is bogged down by a lethargic story with too much fat. They coulda and shoulda stripped this down to a roughly two-hour flick. As it is, it can't compete with more kinetic superhero films like "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015) and "Captain America: Civil War" (2016).
ADDITIONAL CAST MEMBERS: Amy Adams plays Lois Lane, Diane Lane & Kevin Costner appear as Clark's parents, Laurence Fishburne is on hand as Perry White, Holly Hunter plays a senator, Jeremy Irons appears as Alfred and cutie Rebecca Buller is on hand as Jenny, an employee at the Daily Planet.
FILMING LOCATIONS: Detroit (Metropolis); Birmingham, Michigan; Chicago; Yorkville, Illinois (Smallville); East Los Angeles College, Monterey Park, California (Gotham vs Metropolis football game); Deming, New Mexico (Nairomi, Africa); and Washington DC.
GRADE: B- (6.5/10)