A hot mess

Rating: 6/10 (27 March 2016)

Dawn of Justice is a hot mess. For every great thing in the film there is an element that just doesn't work.
First what works is Ben Affleck as Batman. As Bruce Wayne he's playful and funny while still maintaining a slight edge. As batman this guy is brutal, broken, relentless and scary. I actually feared this Batman unlike any other. This version is heavily influenced by Frank Miller's adaptation and also a tiny bit of the Arkham video games judging by his combat style. If you ever wanted ninja batman, he's here. His combat is a joy to watch and in my opinion Ben Affkeck is by far and away the best part of the film.
The rest of the cast is solid as well. Henry Cavill is a great superman in my opinion and a different kind from what we're used to from comics and past films. He's a bit edgier and prone to fits of rage in battle. Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman is fearsome in battle. It seemed to me that she will be the most skilled fighter in the DC universe and I've no problem with that. She kicks mega ass. I look forward to her solo film with a hopeful curiosity. Jeremy Iron is magnificent as Alfred and Amy Adams, Laurence Fishbourne and Diane Lane all gave good accounts of themselves.
This film is superbly shot. Zack Snyder is known for making pretty looking films and this is no exception. The action is superb, even though there is a lot of CGI at the end, and the whole film looks like a comic book brought to the big screen.
Now the negatives. The story. Zack Snyder makes pretty movies but movies that lack in clear narrative and character development. The story jumps from sub plot to sub plot with no time given to invest in a situation. The editing is abysmal. The film is horribly paced too. The first half is a political thriller and although poorly edited I loved it and was hooked. Then the last half is a full blown comic book action film with explosions left and right. Although nice to look at I preferred the deeper questions being posed in the first half rather than a few CGI fist fights in the second half.
Also Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. He gave a solid performance but his motivations are all over the place(except for Batman everyone's motivations are a bit off) and he doesn't resemble Lex. He's not menacing and he's a bit awkward. It was a risk that didn't quite pay off for me.
Also line delivery. The script. Although I liked superman and Wonder Woman they both have some atrocious lines, with a wooden delivery. The fight between Batman and Superman is not for a deep reason so much as it is black mail. Lex Luthor's scheme isn't diabolical just regular bad guy 101 stuff. The fight is amazing but abrupt. I was shocked at how fast it was done. The resolution between them is interesting but abrupt. The whole thing seems rushed. As do the Justice League cameos. They're interesting but far too lazy and not subtle at all.
Overall this movie was enjoyable and I was entertained. However a film like this should be near to perfect. All the pieces were there but they were sloppily put together. The film has specs of genius but rushed plot lines hurt the film badly. I would recommend seeing it as it is ride and adventure but if you're looking for a film that delves beyond cool visuals and superhero action you might be looking in the wrong place.