Not that great, but not terrible either

Rating: 7/10 (27 March 2016)

I LOVE Man of Steel. I will put this out there right now. I LOVE Man of Steel. It's a re-imagining that I like, and I really like the original Christopher Reeve superman movies. So, it's a real shame that I have to admit that this movie left me very underwhelmed. Not because it didn't have as much action, but because the action, and most of the movie, was all over the place. Even by this point I can tell that I have a lot to say.
In 2013, we were promised a Man of Steel "sequel" with Batman, a movie that would focus on the clash of ideologies and strengths these two characters have had. The stuff we've seen in countless DC comics and shows. The moment I began feeling a wave of uncertainty for this kind of movie was when the second trailer was released, and we saw doomsday, and Wonder Woman. This split me into two trains of thought. One was thinking that Wonder Woman would only appear at the very end in an end credits scene and that Doomsday would be a vision that one of the characters would see. The other was thinking exactly what plays out in the movie.
I want to give my quick thoughts on what did work and what didn't. For me, Ben Affleck was great as both Bruce Wayne and Batman. I like his suits and his fight scenes. Even though the film was a mess, and it's really surprising to know that Affleck helped to direct it, he was still great as the Bat of Gotham. And Henry Cavill is still very good at Superman. I like the first half of the movie focusing on Bruce Wayne's preparation for fighting superman. I like that the first half of the film focuses on the politics of having a super-powered being on earth; an entire society living in fear at what he can do. That stuff was very well done.
The first thing I didn't like was the script. There are parts that are very good. But again, I wan't to get back to my main gripe with the movie. This movie is more concerned with forming the Justice League than it is telling a compelling story. Batman and Superman fight for less than 10 minutes, in a film called BATMAN V SUPERMAN. It was so bloody cheap that their entire conflict, the thing we've been looking forward to for 3 years, comes straight to an end so that they can fight another villain.
Now, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. I have no idea what Zach Snyder was thinking when he casted Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Apparently he's Lex Luthor Jr in the movie, but that doesn't excuse the fact that Eisenberg is a terrible actor in the movie. He isn't intimidating as a villain, he's not scary, and he just comes off as annoying. Also, he isn't given a motivation for why he wants to defeat superman, or batman, or wants to create doomsday. I don't know what Snyder saw in him, but this will go down as one of the most miscast roles since Megan Fox was cast as April O'Neal in TMNT.
Now moving on to Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. I actually liked her as Wonder Woman. I have yet to see the solo Wonder Woman movie, but I think she's capable enough to lead a movie about the princess of Themiscyra. I also like that they chose a foreign actress, with an Mediterranean accent that would at least make sense since the amazons are about the Greek gods and ancient Greece. My problem with her in the movie is the fact that she's in it at all, since this is BATMAN V SUPERMAN, not BATMAN, SUPERMAN, WONDER WOMAN V DOOMSDAY.
I don't understand how hard it is to focus on the conflict between Batman and Superman in a movie called BATMAN V SUPERMAN. This film was so concerned with building up the justice league and setting up sequels that it forgot to focus on what the fans were waiting for in the first place, a clash of ideology and strength from the titular characters. There was so much wasted potential and nonsensical moments in this movie. And honestly, I don't think many fans will be that excited for the next movie once they see this mess.