Don't listen to the fans OR the critics

Rating: 4/10 (24 March 2016)

Batman v Superman is finally out, and so far it has been creating some pretty mixed reactions. Fans love it, critics hate it, and I personally believe that it's somewhere in between those 2 extremes. For the 3 of you who don't know, the plot centers around a fight between the two heroes. After witnessing the destruction of Metropolis (as seen in the end of Man of Steel and the beginning of BvS), Batman swears to avenge Jack (a character who isn't mentioned beyond the first five minutes of the movie) and the rest of the city. And it seems like the rest of the world feels the same way, putting Superman on trial. These tensions reach a climax when the titular fight happens, which lasts about 5-10 minutes before they're forced to put aside their differences to fight Doomsday, the evil creation of Lex Luther. There's also Wonder Woman and terrorists and a guy in a wheelchair and whole bunch of other things cram packed into this movie. And this is where the main problem with the movie arises; the movie is all over the place. The first half of the movie is sort of political thriller, while the last half is a CGI explosion-fest. If the these 2 parts of the movie were inter-woven nicely (as they should've been), it might have made the movie that much better. But this is Zack Snyder we're talking about. There's also very little character development, cramming the entire story of Batman into the opening credits sequence. There's also very little exposition for Clark Kent's character, which you could say was done in Man of Steel. But sequels aren't supposed to entirely rely on their predecessors, they should also work as stand alone movies. As previously mentioned, there's way too much going on in the movie. One second Clark and Lois are having bath tub sex, the next Bruce is having a dream sequence, and then after that we see Lex Luther forcing a jolly rancher into someone's mouth. It also tries way to hard to set up the rest of the DC Cinematic Universe, with cameos from many of DC's biggest character's being crammed into a one minute sequence that doesn't benefit the story in any way. And yet, despite the constant events and plot that won't slow down, the movie somehow seems drawn out and often boring, something only Zack Snyder could pull off. Also, the ending was kind of unnecessary. I won't give anything away, but I will say it feels kind of tacked on and pointless. Aside from that, this movie has some things that really worked, namely the acting. Although not phenomenal, Ben Affleck does a pretty good job as Batman. He's everything the character should be: bruiting, emotionally unstable, and intimidating. He also has a better "Bat" voice than The Dark Knight trilogy's Christian Bale (which isn't saying much). Gal Gadot does a pretty good job, too, playing the mysterious Diana Prince, who later turns out to be Wonder Woman. Although she's barely in the movie, she still is one of the cast's better members. Henry Cavil also does a decent job as the Man of Steel, considering how bland of a character Superman actually is. I, as well as many others, believe that there should've been another stand-alone Man of Steel movie released before BvS to further develop the character of Kal El, but what can you do when DC is desperately trying to catch up to what Disney has done with Marvel. The rest of the cast does pretty well: Jesse Eisenberg offers a different, if sometimes hysterically-bad, portrayal of Lex Luther. Jeremy Irons does a great job as Alfred in the 10 minutes he has on screen. Diana Lane does a great job as Martha Kent. Overall, some very solid performances. Other positives include the pretty stellar visual effects, Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL's amazing score, and (of course) the fight between Batman and Superman. And, while the execution might have been weak, the plot is a very enthralling one, and it makes sense within the context of Man of Steel. While Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is without a doubt a flawed movie due to it's poor pacing, lack of character development, and jumbled story, it's acting and visuals make the movie a fun ride. If you go into the movie with low expectations, you'll probably find yourself enjoying it. Depending on how big of a fan you are, I would recommend seeing this movie at either matinée price or on Blu Ray when the R-Rated "Ultimate Edition" comes out.