Do a movie, not a franchise

Rating: 4/10 (27 March 2017)

First of all, I wanted to like this picture. I'm in the minority who actually liked Man of Steel and appreciate Snyder for trying something different.I also don't care about the ridiculous Marvel v DC feud. I just enjoy good comics and movies. However, after Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad I'm just about ready to give up on this line of movies, because they (and Suicide Squad in particular) were horrendous.
That said, I don't know who does the casting for the Justice League series, but they must be doing it on a dare and failing miserably at it, from Jared Leto and Viola Davis in Suicide Squad to Jesse Eisenberg and Gal Gadot in Batman v Superman.
Gadot is pretty to look at, but she's a horrible actress. First of all I can barely understand what she says, and when I do the delivery is so wooden and dull it makes Keanu Reeves seem like a master thespian in comparison.
I don't know what part they told Jesse Eisenberg he was playing, but surely it couldn't have been Lex Luthor. Considering the amount of scenery he was chewing, he must have the digestive system of a thousand goats.
The saving grace is Ben Affleck as Batman. He is fantastic in this picture.
The plot is nonsensical and only serves as a 2+ hour set up for gathering the other Pokemon in the Justice League, something which came off as tacked on and contrived.
I have only seen the extended version, but considering how disjointed that felt I can only imagine what a jumbled mess the theatrical version must have been. Just think of what this movie this could have been if they had ditched the obligatory franchise building and focused on telling a contained story. The callback to Man of Steel which explains the animosity between Batman and Superman is excellent and a great starting point. But after that they can't decide whether to tell this story or the beginning of a handful of other stories which will (maybe) pay off in later movies in the franchise.