Dull, overstuffed and contrived.

Rating: 4/10 (24 May 2017)

With the MCU currently making millions at the box office, it was inevitable that DC would eventually get in on the trend. The trouble with "Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice" is that it tries to cram too much set-up into one film, and the result is a jumbled mess that that feels like multiple movies crammed together. I'll start with some positives. Ben Affleck is surprisingly good as Batman. His portrayal of the character is by far the best thing about the film, delivering a surprisingly intimidating and engaging performance that almost makes you forget how angry everyone was when he was cast. I also don't think Jesse Eisenberg was as bad as he was made out to be. Sadly, Superman fares less well. Once again, Zack Snyder has mistaken "stiff and boring" for "gritty and conflicted", resulting in a Superman that we're never given a reason to care about. And the actual "fight?" It lasts about eight minutes and ends because their Moms have the same name. No, I'm not making this up. Even Wonder-Woman, one of the few highlights of the film, feels shoehorned into the plot for no good reason. She certainly shows promise as a character, but Gal Gadot is let down by a poor script that doesn't give her much to work with. Overall, "Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice" has its moments, but it's a bumpy start to the DCEU, and fails to deliver the epic fight we were promised in the title. Perhaps if it had been all about Batman, it could have been better.