Ben Affleck Proves Doubters Wrong

Rating: 7/10 (26 March 2016)

As a huge Superman fan I really wanted to like this movie. For me there has not been a GREAT Superman movie since Superman 2.
Superman 3 was more of a Richard Pryor comedy featuring Superman, than an actual Superman movie, the less said about Superman IV: The Quest For Peace the better. Whilst Superman Returns had its heart in the right place, it was let down. I did however like the enjoyable Man Of Steel, but I found it good rather than great. Anyway on to this movie
Plot In A Paragraph: Fearing the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on the man of steel.
I can see why fans of Superman are upset, as his character is truly thrown under the bus!! He is A, being reduced to a punching bag for The Dark Night (and not just because his morals won't allow him to kill a human in an unfair fight!! He is soundly beaten!!) and B, he is basically a supporting character in his own movie!! Somebody on here said they thought the makers of the movie liked Batman more than Superman, and I can see why they think that.
The plot was an absolute mess, story lines are put in place, then are just dropped all together. A prime example is Clark Kents Super hearing ability allowed him to hear Alfred talking in Bruce Wayne's ear at Lex Luthors party, he knew he was up to something, and chose to pursue it before being distracted. He never again checked up on what Bruce Wayne was doing. Characters have knowledge of things, without you finding out how they obtained this information. As for Lois Lane she is not going to last 5 minutes in a world without Superman!! She just seems to be a device to make Superman go somewhere or do something to move the story along!! The first time we see her she is took (with a bag over her head) to meet a terrorist who has granted her an interview!! This terrorist is so stringent with his affairs he did not know he had granted an interview to a woman!! Really?? Either he is the world's most incompetent terrorist or it was an excuse to utter lame dialogue like "I'm not a woman. I'm a reporter"
The full movie is littered with awful dialogue!! And I mean soap opera style bad!! It's more apparent during the opening 45 mins or so. A few plot holes are here and there, and it is clearly Step A, to setting up Justice League movie. It's a pity they didn't concentrate on making this one great instead.
Now on to the fight, somebody said it was as one sided as Sly Stallone V Van Damme in Expendables 2!! My eldest son compared it to Clubber Langs destruction of Rocky in Rocky 3, either way it was lame!! And the way Superman managed to stop Batman long enough for Lois Lane to save him, was by saying his mother's name!! (Their mothers share a name) Was pathetic as Batman stood there for a couple of minutes demanding to know why he said that name!! Now since their mothers share a name, The Dark Knight decides to be friends with a guy he has spent almost an entire movie plotting how to kill!! Lame.
And now finally on to the death of Superman/Clark Kent. As a fan of Superman, I should have been crushed!! Yet it did nothing for me, I wasn't even close to being moved. Now compare that to Terminator Genysis, when Arnie said "Kyle Reece..... Protect my Sarah" and Emilia Clarke's reaction gave me a chill as Arnie made the ultimate sacrifice, here I felt nothing!! Now since we all know Superman will not stay dead, due to the very last second of the movie, why did they kill Kent off?? He went AWOL after a lecture from editor Perry White, lots of people walk out of jobs every day!! That could have been it!! Then after he is resurrected, he apologies for walking out, and he has his job back!! Silly to kill Clark Kent off!!
I sound like I'm hating on the movie, I'm not as there were things I did like!!
Henry Cavill delivers again as Superman and Ben Affleck totally proved the doubters wrong. He was convincing as both Bruce Wayne and The Dark Night, and he was a lot better than Bale for me!! I don't hate Affleck like some do, but do think he is a better director, than he is an actor. However I loved his performance here!! Jeremy Irons isn't given as much to do as one would hope (but considering what happened to Supermans character, what hope did Alfred have??) as he is is solid. Gal Gadot looks good as Wonder Woman. And I never tire of seeing one my childhood crushes, Diane Lane on screen.
And I liked the beginning showing what Bruce Wayne was doing whilst Superman was battling General Zod.
Now what I loved. Kevin Costner returned as Pa Kent. For me he was the best thing in Man Of Steel, and he brought the heart to the movie!! And again here he is the best thing in it, I went to the first showing I could, and was still tipped off that he was in it, what I didn't know was it was a totally new scene!! And again he brings real heart to it, as he talks about whilst he helped saved his family's farm and he was called a hero, rewarded with a hero cake, he inadvertently caused destruction at the neighbouring Lang farm. My favourite scene in the movie.
I'm still waiting for another great Superman movie, and I think of this as a Batman movie, that has Superman in it.