Well Worth the Wait & the Watch

Rating: 10/10 (31 March 2016)

Don't go expecting The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. They use some material from it, but that's not what this movie is. If it was it would be called TDKR. Given the book's popularity and acclaim DC would be stupid not to use it as the title were that what DOJ really was. This Batman is in his early 40's, and a far cry from the 55 year old Batman we see in TDKR. I think the comparison to the TDKR is born from seeing Batman fighting Superman in a mechanical suit. Again, they borrowed some ideas from TDKR, but this isn't that same story. I also see no indication in the film that Batman has been on hiatus. Sure he's older than we're used to seeing him, but there's no implication that he ever stopped being Batman. I don't know where people are getting their info, but this is not a continuation of the last three Batman films; this is a reboot. It just happens to pick up where Batman is by no means new to the cowl. Batman was Batman before there was a Superman, and the events of Man of Steel are dropped into that world. So, this isn't TDKR, and if that's what you are expecting you'll be disappointed. One day maybe they'll make that film, but its the kind of thing you can only do once, and if its done right it could very well be the first film with a comic origin that gets an Oscar nomination or even several.
Affleck delivers like no one before him. He's got the goods as Bruce Wayne & Batman. The fighting style is a lot more like what we see in the comics. Cavil continues to impress as Superman & Kent, and the supporting cast is amazing, reading like a wish list.
Does Batman kill people? In this film I think you can make that argument, but does that somehow ruin him? No, rather it makes him realistic. You can't always stop someone trying to kill you or someone else without killing them. The Punisher he's not. If he kills its due to a lack of options or through his tactics, which are and have always been pretty brutal. He's a beloved comic character, but fans need to treat this iteration like any other Elseworld or Earth One (Two, etc.) tale. It may not be 100% the Batman you're used to, but give it a chance.
I also think the concerns over the choppiness in the beginning will be rectified with the extended cut when the BlueRay comes out, so that's less a concern to me. You can follow it, and a lot may also be laying groundwork for the other upcoming films.
All in, its a great watch. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and look forward to the upcoming DC films.