Disappointing on so many levels.

Rating: 5/10 (26 March 2016)

Of course I went into the movie with super high expectations. It was promised to be and was marketed as a duel between two of the most iconic superheroes ever. Many have waited decades to see this on the big screen.
We happen to see a opening credits sequence which is rare in Hollywood nowadays and immediately it felt that this movie was trying to be different with Ben Affleck aka Bruce Wayne voicing over his ideology and trying to set up a new Batman.
Have we seen the origin of Batman in recent times? Yes. Was this take cool anyway? Sure, with the typical Zack Synder slow motion and CGI. But the problem is what do we see in this world of Gotham, apart from an assumed history of Batman and some interactions with the new butler? Nothing! Fine we know they're going to do a solo Batman movie but god knows where that'll go and in what timeline that'll be based in.
Now over to Superman. Clarke Kent is living in an apartment in the city of Metropolis with his love Lois Lane, saving lives (Shown almost entirely in the trailers) and trying to put a story of the Bat-Vigilante in the Daily Planet even when his boss Perry White now suddenly crops up silly headlines like J Jonah Jameson from Spiderman 2. What surprised me was that no one noticed Lois kissing Superman later in the film in front of a taxi when she's thrown off a building by Lex Luthor. Especially since the film's plot at least in the first half revolves around who this alien is and what does he truly want?
Speaking of Lex Luthor, unlike many critics, I didn't dislike this take on this maniacal super rich flipped out kid who wants to seize the opportunity of being able to develop a weapon to control the god-like alien in town. I don't mind it being different from the traditional take of Lex Luthor. I thought he was crazy enough. Then there's Wonder Woman. I thought she was hot. For me there was nothing else to her character so I "wonder" why show her like this? She even mentioned at the very end that she's been away from humanity since the last 100 years but why return now? Where was she when General Zod and Superman destroyed almost all of Metropolis in Man of Steel? The destruction and the threat then was clearly more than what happened in this movie.
There was no agenda to her character other than the fact that they're doing Justice League down the road. Alas. Also to be honest the blockbuster fight that they build to in the first half fails to deliver. It's too short and most of the visual punch lines were given away in the trailers. This comes of course from the flack Man of Steel got for its overuse of action and destruction. I love Man of Steel by the way. That film for me is much more focused than this monstrosity. Doomsday? No. Had no character apart from menacing growls. And when the super team teams up they had to fight something. We all knew that as well from the trailers. Alas.
Ultimately for me the film was neither a satisfying Batman story, nor a Superman story, nor a Justice League story while it tried to be all three. We all know the problems. Marvel is killing it in the eyes of many in Hollywood and DC is playing catch up. Yes Zack Synder is not Christopher Nolan but he's not a bad director. He's a style over substance type director, yes. But the problem comes when an iconic match up like this fails to deliver on a psychological and philosophical level. I don't seem to recollect any quotes (apart from the ones in the trailers) as well that makes me think this movie will grow on me. Yes the visuals are good but not memorable.
Maybe the upcoming R-rated Ultimate Cut on home video which is 30 minutes longer will help.
Should we be afraid of the Justice League movie directed by Zack Synder? Yes.