Tried really, really hard to like it. I guess I finally did.

Rating: 8/10 (12 April 2016)

There's a lot going on and a lot that I could write about but the big thing that has stayed with me is Affleck's performance. After the Dark Knight trilogy, this was a daunting role. I had read that Affleck was cast in part because of his physical stature. Christian Bale is a lean 6' tall. Affleck has a broader build and is nearly 6'4'. That may not sound like a big deal but it really is. Because this movie accomplished what I didn't think was possible - it made Bale's Batman look dated and underwhelming in hindsight.
My favorite element to the movie is the emotion brought to Bruce Wayne. In the Dark Knight trilogy we saw Wayne's dark past drive him to become Batman. In this version, we see Wayne as a haunted and tortured soul. Rather than "rising" up to be a hero, it feels like he is on a downward spiral and doing good while he still can.
Overall, there were lots of elements to the story that were really a stretch or predictable. We knew the characters would end up in a big fight. We knew Kryptonite would play a crucial part. We knew they would end up best buddies afterward. It's difficult to have a truly great story when so many elements are obvious going in. Snyder did well enough, but not great.
I was skeptical of Jessie Eisenberg. He's proved time and time again to be a great actor but I initially worried he was miscast. The first couple of scenes didn't alleviate my concerns but by the end I felt he really brought something new to the role and was one of the standouts.
It's one of those frustrating movies where it's easy pick it apart. I wished this and that had been better, or this element had been different. Still, I think it's a good movie and am excited to see where they go from here.