A highly entertaining yet imperfect film, that provides a great Batman.

Rating: 5/10 (25 March 2016)

Firstly, Ben Affleck as Batman. There was a lot of controversy when he was first announced to play the role, however, all those worries have been laid to rest. Ben Affleck is THE Batman. He killed it in the role. I was immediately sold on his performance. He nailed the look of Batman, the voice, the personality and that solemnness and severity the character has been known for since his inception. Every scene with Batman are the best scenes in the entire movie, especially the opening scene, the car chase, the warehouse fight and the actual fight with Superman. In fact, all the Batman aspects of the films are great. Jeremy Irons' portrayal of Alfred was solid, as he offered many humorous comments when conversing with Batman. I also liked the new Batmobile and Batwing. I can't wait to see this Batman again, and his own solo movie.
Most of the Superman aspects are done very well. Henry Cavill delivers once again as Superman, further developing his character. I especially like the divided opinion the general public has toward Superman that is presented in the film, as I think this is how the real-world would receive a god- like being, which makes it all- the- more intriguing. Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White and Diane Lane as Martha Kent all do a fine job as the supporting cast returning from the previous film.
Gal Gadot killed it as Wonder Woman. She wasn't in it a lot and didn't play a big role until the third act. But when she finally shows up in full garment, she steals the spotlight and becomes a major highlight of the film, and is overall just awesome. I look forward to seeing more of her in her solo movie next year.
The fight between Batman and Superman was astounding, and a remarkable thing to witness on the big screen. The build-up for it takes a long time, but when it finally happens, it's worth the wait. It's very realistic and aggressive, definitely the best scene in the entire film. My only problem is it goes for about 10-15 minutes, and that's very short compared to the rest of the film and its long running time. The film should have been called 'Batman & Superman', rather than 'Batman v Superman'.
The villains of this movie are a bit underwhelming. I have spoken very highly of the cast, with the exception of one; Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. He didn't seem like the type of actor who would play such a villainous character, so I have been cautious toward this casting since the beginning. And how was he in the role? He was just okay. His performance was a very quirky, eccentric and geeky take, instead of the more stern, calculative and manipulative megalomaniac-genius from the comics. I admit, Eisenberg's portrayal works well for the character established in the movie, and most of the time, he delivers solidly in that role, with the exception of two scenes where he was like a villain out of Schumacher's Batman films. However, as an adaptation of the classic character from the comics, it falls flat, which is a shame.
As for Doomsday. Doomsday looked like utter garbage in the movie, and to me, didn't pose as much of a threat, but instead a big colossal CGI mess utilized just for the Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman to team up and lay the groundwork for the Justice League. However, I did thoroughly enjoyed seeing the Trinity finally appear together on the same screen. I wish Doomsday would have looked more like he did in the comics and of been saved later on for a solo Superman film so he could have gone through characterization and have a much bigger impact.
Speaking of the Justice League, this film tries too hard to setup the extended universe, as I feel like DC is just playing catchup with Marvel, and putting too much into one single film. There's two scenes that spend too much time on references to the Justice League, and it just presents itself as a distraction. It is an example of more is less. The film spends more time on DC's side players, when it should be solely focused on what the audience has come to see; Batman and Superman duking it out, and the development of their relationship, with just a few small references to what's to come next.
The main aspect of the film critics have been complaining about is the storyline. I actually found the story easy to follow, yet I have two problems with it; the pacing and the ending. The pacing is weird and all over the shop. It feels like an episode of Game of Thrones, focusing on various characters' ongoings in each different scene. Also, the first hour of the movie doesn't really have much action, and instead a lot of talking about politics and ethics, whilst the last half hour is almost nothing but destructive mayhem. I really didn't like the ending, it felt unnecessary, but I feel like it's the resolution that had to be used because of how the climax was set out. And it took a very long time to wrap it all up, it felt like 4 endings in one, making it feel quite tedious. If you have seen the movie, you'll understand what I mean, and you know it'll be undone in Justice League, which makes it all the more pointless.
Overall, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is like Superman in the film; a very divisive topic in the public's eye. Personally, I think it is an imperfect and flawed film, but that did not get in the way of my overall enjoyment of it, as I found more good things in it than things I disliked. 7/10