Is it perfect? No. Is it good? I think so.

Rating: 8/10 (26 March 2016)

-SPOILER FREE-
Before I went in to this film I was aware of the largely negative reviews critics had been laying on to this film. I heard the plot was a mess, that the characters were all over the place, that the pacing was off and there was just lazy script writing in some place. So, were all of these true? Kind of.
Let me start off by saying I really REALLY enjoyed this film. As a fan of the DC Universe and the comics I really enjoyed the many nods to characters and the comics and the character interactions. This film had to shoulder a lot coming in, it needed to introduce a new Batman, Lex Luthor and hint at the upcoming Justice League. It ALSO needed to have a fight between Batman and Superman, an established motive for Batman and Superman, expand the DC Universe and still try and be a good movie overall, which I think it accomplished rather well.
Ben Affleck's new Batman is great. We got a good insight to our new Batman and saw that it's not a simple Dark Knight copy. This Batman is older, more calculating, and more prepared to make difficult decisions. A warning that Batman probably DOES kill people in this film, if you don't like that you won't like this Batman probably. Most of the Batman stuff is stellar, very well done, and has maybe one of the greatest Batman moments ever. I am very excited to see more from this. Cavil's Superman is passable but there is a feeling it was slightly pushed aside in order to introduce other plots and devices. It's not awfully done, and Superman does have a real ordeal to get through morally, but it feels like it could have been given a bit more attention. The fight between these two characters is great, every second of it, but for me it felt only slightly short, I feel I should have got a bit more considering the title of the film.
The portrayal of Lex Luthor may not be your cup of tea. It's kind of a more insane and jerky character than the cold calculating one viewers might be familiar with. If you didn't like the look of him in the trailers I doubt the film will curve your opinion. For me, he was fine. Not amazing but certainly not awful.
I feel I need to talk about the problem other critics have highlighted, which is largely the plot. It is a slight mess. The problem is the film is trying to tell five stories at once and as a result it can feel rather clunky and disjointed. Despite this, I didn't ever feel lost or confused, I feel it was still fairly basically well explained. I feel there's a lot of need for the audience to 'read between the lines' here when thinking about character motivation. I admit that I was very confused about any of Lex Luthor's motivations until I intentionally started theorising ideas in my head myself and then I understood. It requires a bit more independent thinking and I enjoy that, even if others don't.
The film, visually, is amazing. It's actually a really amazing looking movie. The very beginning of the film is great and I find little criticism online regarding it. I was extremely impressed with just how sleek and atmospheric the film looked and it totally drew me in early.
I feel there needs to be mention of the trailer. And yes, if you've watched the trailer you pretty much know most of the plot of the film. Not all of it, but the vast majority. AND if you've seen these trailers, you know of the other character in the film who I haven't mentioned thus far. I won't name the character, but I was worried about his inclusion in to the film prior to watching it. But having watched it I was pleasantly surprised. He felt a little shoehorned in, but not ridiculously done and I actually rather enjoyed his inclusion.
Overall, the film for me is extremely enjoyable. IT IS NOT perfect, there are things that I think some people are justified for disliking the movie for. The plot does feel quite clunky and if that's what breaks a movie for you, you won't like this. It does feel more like a Batman centred movie than a Superman one, he is addressed but it feels Batman just gets more. Go see it yourself and make your own decision.