An under written film

Rating: 6/10 (26 March 2016)

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Batman V Superman is not as bad as it has been made out to be. However there are a number of issues I found with the film.
The film starts off with a fantastic opening following the events of MOS but from Batman's perspective which was a great way to fuel the characters actions in the movie and hate for Superman. The film overall deals with the ethics of Superman and his place in the world. Much like Dr Manhattan in Snyder's Watchmen. Can a man with all that power be trusted? The two people out to challenge and show him in a negative light are Lex Luthor and Batman. With the discovery of Kryptonite as a weakness to the Man of Steel, Lex and Bats fight for control of it. In my opinion the film would be better titled Batman Vs Lex Luthor: Superman caught in the middle. The plot of the movie doesn't ultimately fit with the title.
As we learn Batman has an issue with Superman's destruction and that is also mirrored through one of Bruce Wayne's employees which is a great subplot played out. But when it comes to Superman's reasoning for having an issue with the Bat it comes across as a simplistic "I don't like how you handle thugs" which adds no weight to the conflict. For a film that talks about Superman, there seems to be very little of him, or for him to do. Much like Lois Lane who shows up once in a while to give him a kiss and ensure everything will be OK.
Though Affleck gives a good turn as Batman it seems the film makers didn't quite know what to do with him and instead riddled him with visualised nightmares that in my mind felt out of place and pointless. Though one nightmare sequence was as cool as hell it felt heavily misplaced. As the trailers suggested this is a seasoned Batman with a troubled past that has seen him loose more than just his parents, which they should have played on more. To give us a fresh Batman. One that has failed, and sees his challenge with Superman as one last shot at writing his wrongs.
Now onto Lex, who surprisingly delivers a good turn as a villain and tries cause chaos where he can. The only issue taken with the characters arc is his random creation of "Doomsday" who equals to a poorly designed CG character. Think of a hairless ape with laser eyes. This element seems rushed and unexplained.
Things do improve in the final act but the ending has no weight or satisfaction to it. SPOILER AHEAD! Our hero Superman dies at the hands of Doomsday but with the announced Justice League we know he will return and in knowing he will return just seems pointless in having him killed, only to come up with a far fetched way of bringing him back, just for the sake of bringing him back.
I enjoy lengthy films but this movie was way too long and could have sped up at the beginning getting straight to the point.
Despite these issues there are a few scenes I mostly enjoyed and wished the rest of the film had been in the same vain. The opening, Court scene, Batman rescues Martha Kent, the Meta Humans and the Wayne employee subplot. Wonder Woman's introduction and the reveal of future Justice League members feels organic and that DC is playing in a much larger universe. Wonder Woman is beautifully weaved in and out of the story with her own agenda, setting her up for her solo feature.
An improvement on Man of Steel but a missed opportunity. Although Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns has inspired this film visually, perhaps Snyder should have looked to the novels story and context for influence.