Bad...

Rating: 2/10 (30 March 2016)

It seems as if Zack Snyder's 'Batman vs Superman' has been hanging over the heads of geek media for almost three years now. It almost seems as if the internet has discussed this thing to the point to where it has no marrow anymore. The controversial Snyder and Affleck have hung with dread over this film. Now that it is finally here the question is "Is it bad?" Oh hell yeah. Is it a cinematic abortion? Probably not. It's just a boring movie that goes through way too many story threads without choosing one to fully develop. It's boring and pretentious and doesn't have a voice of it's own. It's Snyder trying his hardest to be Christopher Nolan and Frank Miller. The result is just uneven although it does have one great strength.
To it's credit 'Batman vs Superman' does have about twenty really solid minutes and they can be attributed to the most controversial element of the film.The one thing that really stops me from condemning it fully is Affleck. While not the best Bruce Wayne/Batman he does embody all the best elements of the character. He has that dark brooding presence. The scenes where he trains in the Bat cave for his fateful encounter with Superman are just the right mix of pulp with grittiness that doesn't feel contrived. I like that he is the oldest and most cynical Batman. There are about two exchanges between Affleck's Batman and Jeremy Iron's Alfred that feel original and organic. I think Affleck and Jeremy Irons have a good Batman movie in them. If Affleck were to direct it and not have any input from David Goyer than I think we might have the first solid entry in the DC Cinematic Universe. Unfortunately when the story gets bigger and more convoluted Affleck isn't able to salvage his scenes.
There are just so many plot points and would be story arcs that just spin in circles with no resolutions and thus no stakes until the fight sequences that come out of nowhere. If the movie had picked the plot of Batman wanting to save the world from Superman after the events of 'Man of Steel' and stuck with it the movie might have worked. I don't really care about anything else. The congressional hearings, Lex Luthor bits, and yes even the hints of the Justice League don't work because they aren't developed. They just add pretentious mood.
It also has no visual or thematic personality. There are montages where we can tell Snyder is trying his hardest to invoke the vastly superior Christopher Nolan. There's large crowd scenes of protesters and police regalia and it really serves no purpose. 'Batman vs Superman' isn't clever enough to say anything. He tries to emulate Nolan do in keeping the film so darkly lit that really it becomes an ugly film to even look at.
If it's any consolation to this films rabid fans I'll be honest and say I probably thought 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' was a worse movie. It doesn't bode well for the future of comic book films though. I think Batman and Superman need a break or at the very leas to be divorced from Snyder and Goyer.