Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a masterpiece

Rating: 9/10 (30 March 2016)

Let's get straight to the point. The much anticipated Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is easily the most daring attempt on telling a very adult-oriented superhero story in cinema while at the same time serving as a vehicle to quickly expand the DC Extended Universe that Warner Bros. and its creative team have been developing. Is it any good? I can boldly say it is a great film.
Set 18 months after the end of Man of Steel, Batman v Superman shows how much the world has changed and continues to struggle with Superman's presence. Along the way Bruce Wayne/Batman has been doing lots of detective work to get to Superman whom he blames for the collapse of his business building (and deaths of his employees) during the destruction of Metropolis in the previous film. Meanwhile eccentric business tycoon Lex Luthor has been planning something big against Superman and this involves talking with government officials in order to obtain very important things he needs.
With regard to storytelling, the movie really felt like a very cinematic comic book which has Superman as the central figure while switching to the views of Batman, Luthor and Wonder Woman (in a small role). The first half of the movie was focused on story and character development with some action sequences that help prevent the movie from boring the viewer. The second half of the film is where the pace really goes into overdrive leading to a very heavy action and special effects bonanza from director Zack Snyder and team.
At the same time the so-called "heavy spoilers" from the movie trailers did not really spoil the movie at all as there were literally tons of surprises and other forms of cinematic spectacle that not only amazed me but also intrigued me. Going back to the storytelling, Batman v Superman's presentation is clearly geared towards young adults and adult viewers as it contains mature elements like terrorism, torture, some sensuality and even horror jump scares. It's a PG-13 rated movie that bordered on R-rating territory.
In terms of performance, Ben Affleck is very outstanding as Bruce Wayne/Batman and is also the best cinematic portrayal of the icon. With Batman serving as a crucial viewpoint of the audience, Affleck successfully portrayed the Dark Knight as having been fighting crime for decades who lost lots of sleep because he was so driven with detective work and his view of the world changed because of Superman. The translation of the icon from literature to cinema was flawless and Affleck nailed it.
As I expected, Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor is a combination of pre- Crisis and post-Crisis Luthor with a notable touch of eccentricity which led to a few funny moments (perhaps Warner Bros.' way of countering the Marvel Studios-style humor without going overboard). Gal Gadot meanwhile successfully portrayed Wonder Woman respectfully and already I'm excited to see more of her in the 2017 standalone movie of the queen of superheroes.
With regard to weaknesses, Batman v Superman's narrative suffers somewhat when the film tries hard to emphasize world-building related to expanding the DC Extended Universe. You will see short but notable visuals confirming the existence of the other members of the soon-to-be-formed Justice League. Another weakness is Henry Cavill as Superman who had a noticeable reduction of screen time.
Overall Batman v Superman is a truly great movie that is worth waiting years for (or decades in the case of DC Comics fans). It delivered its big promise on showcasing the DC trinity of Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman on the big screen which essentially established a strong foundation of expanding the DC Extended Universe. The big battle between Superman and Batman lived up to its promise too. The movie's dark tone, gritty and adult-oriented approach to presentation clearly sets it apart from the superhero flicks that have been released since the year 2000. Even though it is not a Justice League movie, I enjoyed Batman v Superman a lot more than 2012's The Avengers (which was a very great and magical film to watch). At this stage the future looks very bright for DC Comics movies.