A little bit too big for its britches

Rating: 6/10 (25 March 2016)

Batman v. Superman is ultimately overblown, overwrought and overstuffed. It's packed tight with a bevy of characters, concepts and themes that never get fully fleshed out, due to some lackluster execution. The editing is quite frenetic, so the story feels very fractured and scattered at times. It jumps from location to location so frequently, it's easy to lose track of just what's going on, even if you're paying attention. On top of that, the plot unnecessarily overcomplicates itself. For example, Lex's plan to get the world to hate Superman involves framing him for an incident in the African desert and then implicating him in a bombing at an opening court hearing (what??).
Some of the issues Man of Steel suffered from still carry over. Superman, as a character, is as shallow as ever. Religious references aside, we don't really learn any more about Clark/Kal-El than we did in the previous installment. Snyder's penchant for rampant CGI destruction is still present, but, at least it mostly takes place at an abandoned harbor this time. If you had a problem with Zod's neck getting snapped, you probably won't be happy to know Batman is twice the killer here that Supes ever was. He wastes guys left and right. Lastly, it's yet another exercise in style over substance for Snyder. Even with tons of subplots and exposition, the film has very little heart.
There are a few homeruns, though. Ben Affleck's Batman is a monster. The type fear and dread the comic book and animated versions of the character inspires definitely resonates with Batfleck. The sequence of him taking out the goons featured in the final trailer is, by far, the film's best sequence when played out in full. Wonder Woman is heroic and charming in her extended cameo. The film's eponymous battle is mostly wicked and Jeremy Irons shines in his bits of screen time. All in all, BVS is an earnest attempt to kickstart the DCCU, but the film lacks the cohesion and focus to pull its many elements together. It's still worth a watch, if only to see DC's big three or the Batman wrecking havoc.