A DC Cinematic Crisis? I don't think so.

Rating: 8/10 (26 March 2016)

I'm surprised at how I actually liked the movie despite all the negative reviews it seems to be having all over the internet. More often than not I've found myself in agreement with the consensus.
I was skeptical of this movie at first, to the point that I set my mind that I'll only give this movie the time of day if not for how Batman is going to be portrayed this time around. After watching it, I'm glad that I got more than just that.
You see, I wasn't impressed much by Man of Steel but I didn't hate it either. And as far as Zack Snyder's body of work goes, none of it has really impressed me as well, but I did enjoy them all immensely. From Dawn of the Dead to this latest outing, oh I enjoyed them all, yes indeed.
I once described Zach Snyder's directorial abilities by comparing him to a certain type of rock song - the kind that has lots of guitar solos, shifting time signatures, and over-the-top drum fills, but no catchy CHORUS to sing along to. He's all technicality and virtuosity that comes so naturally, but when it finally comes to a part when you need to put some heart in order for it to have some semblance of a song, the execution is left a tad bit forced. Oh but it's there. My experience on this movie is pretty much the same, which is why I'm giving it the 8 stars. I anticipated this movie as a test of how much Zach Snyder's story-telling capabilities have evolved this time around, and judging from what I saw, meh, still not by much, which is why most critics and wannabe-critics hated it. I can look past all of that though. I enjoyed this movie immensely, and one big factor for me in considering that a movie is good is if I was immersed in it during the viewing. I look at the repeat viewing possibility, and for this movie I consider it pretty high for myself. I'd definitely watch it again when given the opportunity.
One thing I loved about it (which is weird I guess), is I felt that Zach Snyder really, really, REALLY, really wanted to make a Batman movie all his life. I could see signs of this as early as his take on The Watchmen. He seemed really eager and excited. It's just too bad that when the opportunity finally came for him, Warner Bros. had different plans. The big company wanted a piece of the cinematic universe cake and so Zach was caught between juggling his chance to finally direct his Batman piece, and at the same time sowing the seeds for a much demanded Justice League silver screen debut. Oh and there's the little blue & red guy's story that he has to continue as well. It was an unfair challenge, but the business demands and so you gotta have something.
It is a testament to Marvel's success in recent years that their work have become the benchmark of a superhero movie's entertainment value, at least as far as the general movie-going audience is concerned. So when the same group views a DC movie, the reactions are often divided. The fans though, oh they will definitely get this movie, yes they will, hardcore DC fans especially. The rest however? The critics? The general movie-going audience? Let them be divided. Let them suffer the loss of such simple pleasures. It may be a riot, yes, just like what's happening all over the internet right now, where opinions are as polarized as north and south poles on a really bad solar storm. DC's still gonna rake in the cash on this one despite the negative press, and their cinematic universe is underway either way, with or without you (queue U2 song into...).
The thing with DC is that they have always done it their own way, and that means just basically putting their content out there and letting people be the judge, and they've been living by this approach for the past two decades. Just look at the huge body of work they've accumulated with animated features and shows which has become highly respected along with their never ending supply of TV shows. They can do this because they know that their characters are more popular and have been household names far longer than Marvel's or any other comic book company's. The burden of introduction is not so heavy with DC, unlike with Marvel where a lot of time and careful thought goes into setting the background and managing possible perceptions of the target viewers/audience before committing a character or storyline to a live action adaptation.
I know I may be in the minority on how I feel about this movie. Again, it's probably because I didn't really expect a lot from it. There were a lot of flaws. Maybe it was because I didn't have the wife with me when I watched it, just our 8 year old, who was obviously bored on the exposition parts but was very much alive during the beatdowns obviously. Maybe it's really just the Batman fan in me, and seeing him finally realized in those action sequences that I've so long been waiting for is more than enough reason for me to rewatch this movie. The way I see it, I got a good Batman movie with commercials of other Justice League members on the side, with Wonder Woman being the main feature trailer.
If my reception to DC's cinematic universe may have been lackluster before, I'm definitely more excited now.