Some Good, A Lot of Bad, And Very Ugly.

Rating: 3/10 (25 March 2016)

There will be a lot of reviews for this film. Some will defend it to the death, others will claim they were disgusted and appalled.
It's a divisive movie. Not just because it's a DC film, (though many will say that those who hate are Marvel to the bone and can't/couldn't appreciate it) but because it's a bad film that is intriguing.
The good of this film comes from it's initial premise. Batman wants to find a way to fight back against an alien being so powerful that given a whim the planet could be destroyed and brought underneath his rule. Interesting concept, poor execution.
This will be another point of contention: Batman kills. Batman straight up murders a dozen or more henchmen, and his goal when it comes to Superman is not beat him so badly that Superman willingly leaves Earth, no, it's to murder him with a Kryptonite spear.
Gone are the days of Batman, sending men to jail, and although no mention of Commissioner Gordon is in this film, you have to wonder if in this universe, if these executions are state approved, or is Batman now a vigilante with the tech and resources of Iron Man, and the moral compass of The Punisher? There's also a shocking lack of focus on the details. You see the Batmobile and Batwing, not in the cave first as a moment of glory, or a treat for the audience to soak it in, no, it's boom straight into action, and you're left to piece it together as the action unfolds. Never getting a true look and Batman's tech is a folly that not even Schumacher or Burton dared to make.
There's not much to say about Superman unfortunately. He believes he has a no kill code now, but someone needs to let him know that human spines and skulls don't fare well when hurled through layers of concrete and rock.
Lex Luthor is a mess as well. I'm a fan of Eisenberg usually, but this iteration of Lex was poorly written and acted with the jittery energy one would be more comfortable associating with a Joker or Riddler character.
The Senate hearing which occupy a large chunk of the film's run time, eventually lead to nowhere. Holly Hunter was misused, as was Lois Lane, Martha Kent, and Wonder Woman.
There are plot holes aplenty, and after viewing the film you'll know what they are and why the last third, and the set up for the continuing DCEU makes no sense.
The plot grinds to a halt to introduce us to the next Justice League members, and Wonder Woman is in the film to flirt a little with Bruce Wayne, allude to a back story that is yet to be explored, and then do some generic action stuff at the end.
A lot of people complain about Doomsday, and most of those are valid, he was spotting in the cgi department, he was shoe horned in, and again, in terms of Luthor's ultimate plan, didn't make a whole lot of sense. What's the point of an unstoppable murder machine if you can't stop it? I personally was very bored by and found Batman's visions/dreams to be complete filler. They take up a good amount or screen time, and they lead to nothing other than easter eggs for comic fans and to tell everyone what we already know, Batman doesn't trust Superman, we get it. But wait, now Superman will have a vision too! It was completely over done, and ultimately pointless.
Then there's the reason why Batman and Superman stop fighting. It's very hackneyed and foreshadowed so much it felt like being hit over the head with hammer while the writers and director shout, "GET IT!? DO YOU GET IT YET!?" I didn't know what to expect, but this was a poor effort from the DC team, and it does not make me excited for the journey to continue. Lighter tone, darker tone, it doesn't matter, just make a better movie.