Call it a "beautiful lie" or "too big for little minds", BvS is just a fascinating piece of filmmaking

Rating: 7/10 (3 September 2016)

Let me just start by saying that, in concept, the whole DC Extended Universe was built on what I believe to be a right choice in tone and storytelling.
I mostly enjoyed the first half of Man of Steel because it managed to show a humanized and conflicted Superman. The fact that papa Kent gave him some ambiguous advice and that his home-world father kept telling Clark he was meant to be something great is a small detail that I found quite interesting because it meant this would be a Superman we haven't seen before. And, honestly, I didn't want another impression of campy Christopher Reeve.
So I was fine with the Christopher Nolan kind of tone, and was looking forward to some universe building when the new movies were released.
Batman v Superman tries to do just that while delivering a proper MoS sequel, a establishing story for Batman, an introduction to Wonder Woman and the 'dawn' of the Justice League. Oh, and setting up the advent of Darkseid, Steppenwolf, the introduction of both Lex Luthor, Doomsday and the death of Superman.
To say that's a convoluted plan is an understatement. But, somehow and despite some glaring flaws, Zack Snyder pulled it off.
Dawn of Justice keeps the dark, gritty, grounded-to-reality tone of Man of Steel, so, people who didn't like the aforementioned movie won't like this one. This movie will remain as divisive as it always has been, but it is a fascinating piece of filmmaking. Mostly because it has so many little, compelling details; so many small references and a clear attempt at grandeur that even though sometimes fells flat, for the most part work in regards to the tone of the movie.
Now, the movie has glaring, big flaws that keep it from being perfect, namely, the extremely convoluted plan of Lex Luthor that left the impression he wasn't really in control of everything that needed to happen and was just lucky (for reference, Zemo's plan in Captain America Civil War is pretty much the same), the creation, introduction and battle of Doomsday, and the fact the main battle between 'day and night' ends because they share their mother's name. Truth be told, however, I believe the 'Martha' scene was on-point conceptually but the dialogue was poorly executed (I would have left it without spoken words, as its concept was for Bruce to see himself in Clark's humanity).
But in general the movie delivers some solid storytelling and narrative. I remember defending Zack Snyder at university because he took simple stories and made them interesting through narrative techniques and symbolic frames. He does a great job here doing just that in a movie this overstuffed. I hope, however, he's more surrounded by talented writers and producers the next time he directs, because he, while excelling and some aspects; lacks in others.
It should be noted that the score I'm giving is mainly for the Ultimate Edition. I found the theatrical cut inferior and I remember leaving the theater a little confused and slightly disappointed. That happened because the editing was poor and there were some cut scenes that developed important events on the movie later on. I like not being hand-hold through a movie, but there were some really confusing events that got a lot better by the additional content.
A clear example of the poor editing in the theatrical cut is the motivations for the two main characters. Batman's motivation is (masterfully) established in the first 10 minutes of the movie; but Superman's aren't. During the first encounter between Batman and Superman right after the Bat-mobile chase, in the theatrical cut, Superman seems absolutely angry at Batman for no reason at all, and it comes as off-putting how he threatened Batman the way he did. The ultimate edition on the other hand, had a series of additional content showing Clark Kent doing some reporter work and growing his disgust towards the Bat, thus giving more weight to how serious he was when he confronted the dark knight.
Speaking of Superman, I insist I like this deconstructed version of him; I personally didn't want a comic-book character who fights for peace, justice and an outdated 'american way' but was clearly into the conflicted, humanized, vulnerable character we got. The other main piece of the equation; Batman, is fascinating and even though we didn't get more character background on Suicide Squad like I was hoping for, I think this is, so far, the definite version of the caped crusader on the big screen.
As for Wonder Woman, she was perfectly cast, but her presence feels a little shoehorned. Still and interesting addition to the roster and reason to look forward for future installments in this universe.
This is a movie that I've seen once in the theater and 4 times on iTunes (watching the extended cut) and I still want to see it again. You can call it a bad movie, a mess, or as some fans have said: "too big for little minds". But the four-syllable word I'd use is 'fascinating'. Clearly designed for multiple viewing. In contrast, I also have the digital release of Civil War and with each viewing I find it more and more boring and uninteresting (though it's really fun).
As a final note, I hope they don't ditch completely the Snyder tone, because I believe it's a way to differentiate themselves that benefits both parts. If viewers want a fun, adventurous movie they go watch a Marvel one. If they want a dark, deconstructed, grand and lofty endeavor; they go to DC. And besides, this bleak world is interesting as it is; flaws and all.
Here's hoping they don't ever go the panicked, derivative road they took with something like Suicide Squad. Keep the unique visual language and personality, develop more fascinating characters and go with that all the way.