Batman v Superman (Ultimate Edition) - Review & Analysis

Rating: 8/10 (23 March 2016)

I wrote a review of the theatrical version back in March (that I had to delete, since you can only have one review per movie) where I expressed my disappointment with the movie, but ever since I've seen the Ultimate Edition, I've been meaning to write a new and a lot more positive review. So here it goes.
The movie isn't without flaws, but it's still masterfully done. I think WB made a serious mistake but not releasing the Ultimate Edition from the beginning, instead they gave an incomplete movie and there were consequences. Also, I think it was bold, but financially unwise move to experiment with the characters, since a lot of people refuse to accept anything that differs from the some classic depiction of the characters. I can certainly understand that people want to see the familiar Batman and Superman, but I personally loved the new take on the characters. It's refreshing.
They explored what would happen to Batman if he had one too many bad days and I liked it. They showed us an older, more vulnerable, flawed, and broken Bruce who's in a really dark place. In a way, a villain for the most of the movie. We also got to see a Superman who actually struggles with his role in a world that is deeply conflicted about him, just like I believe it would be if something like that happened in real life. Definitely the most interesting version of the character for me. Lex gained a whole other dimension with his childhood issues as he too is a damaged person and his personality and motivations are explored really well in my opinion.
They feel like actual human beings, with flaws and everything. But another thing that I believe affected the reception of the movie is that there is a lot of subtext, which is not something most people are used to. And anyone who likes to take things at face value is very likely to misinterpret or completely miss a lot of points made in this movie. No character has a single obvious motivation spoon-fed to the audience. Instead, the reasons behind their actions are contained in almost every scene of the movie. Every event, every symbolism, every reference and line of dialogue. It's everything these versions of the characters are.
And what makes this movie darker and more mature than a lot of other comic book movies isn't the amount of violence or bad language. It's the fact it feels surprisingly real, considering what it's about. All the talks shows and news broadcasts were very convincing and they really helped depict the society's mixed reaction to the existence of a superpowered alien. The movie shows how quickly people can turn against something or someone. How quick we can be to pass judgment. It also explores the implications of absolute power, and shows how low even a good person can go when life hits them hard enough.
It's a movie with several layers and massages, filled with complex yet beautiful character arcs and narratives, but some of them might be too subtle for everyone to pick up., but some of them might be too subtle for everyone to pick up. It was partially like that for me too the first time I watched the movie, because the theatrical cut is so incomplete and poorly edited that just trying to catch up with everything leaves you confused and a lot of stuff ends up going over your head. Fortunately, the ultimate edition and the fact it was my second viewing enabled me to understand the movie a lot better.
I really think it's all done incredibly well. The performances are strong, the atmosphere and the soundtrack are fantastic, and the cinematography is incredibly beautiful. In fact, this is probably the most visually stunning movie I have ever seen.
In the end, I will say that the Ultimate Edition is a solid 8/10 for me and I can already see it's one of those movies that keeps getting better the more I watch it.