Don't let critics and nitpicky fans fool you

Rating: 10/10 (25 March 2016)

I went into Batman VS. Suoerman with somewhat high expectations because, unlike most fans, I loved Man of Steel. It was refreshing to finally watch a film that brought superhero-style action to the big screen as its intended to be; a no-holds-barred battle of Gods. For too long have we watched superheroes on the silver screen limiting themselves. Only fighting crime under the cover of night, or fistfights where the hero seems to not be able to hold his own against common thugs until the very end of the fight. To finally see actual superheroes, characters with unmatched strength flying through buildings and leaving trails of destruction in their wake, in broad daylight, was just what the genre needed. I'll agree, the film had its flaws, but overall, I got what I wanted. A full blown Superman film that righted all the wrongs of its predecessor, Superman Returns.
Now, this is not a review of Man of Steel, but the preface is necessary , as it sets the stage for BvS. BvS fixes any issue anyone may have had with Man of Steel in this dark, tension building sequel (this is not an Avengers film. After watching, there is no doubt in my mind it received an R rating prior to heavy editing. Even after editing, this is a hard PG-13. Bones are broken in graphic detail, on screen, Thugs and henchmen are killed with no remorse. There's blood, dark dream sequences, some jump scares, and, yes, more neck breaking is to be expected.
Bruce Wayne is older in this film. Weathered and scarred after twenty years of fighting crime as the Dark Knight. You won't find the questions in morality that was seen with Christian Bale in the Nolan trilogy. Affleck's Batman has already seen the darker side. He has already come to terms with the fact that his one rule is meaningless. There are some villains who will not be held back by prison bars. I will not say much more, as the subtle hints are what makes most of the first half of the film so engaging.
Then we reach Cavill's performance. Similar to his performance in Man of Steel, except we see a little more depth in his Clark Kent/Superman persona, as well as a bit of dabbling into his relationship with Lois Lane here. Not much can be said here that was not shown in Man of Steel except maybe that there was just some added dimension to his character.
And then we get to Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. I gave Eisenberg the benefit of the doubt, and even then he greatly exceeded my expectations. Now, some may argue that Eisenberg did not stay true to the character, Lex normally being a suave, smooth talker who eventually runs for President. While this holds true, Eisenberg brings something interesting to the table. Luthor's original "daddy warbucks" character is no longer the embodiment of success in this day and age. When superman was first released, a bald kingpin in a fancy suit was the archetypal image of a man with power. These days, the most successful beings tend to be young, awkward twenty or thirty-somethings who are tech-savvy, highly intelligent, and, at times very socially awkward. Eisnberg's portrayal of Lex as a young, rich man wearing converse with his suit, who is extremely intelligent yet can not properly formulate a sentence when standing in front of a crowd, and at times allowing his insanity to escape his own head before catching himself, is, in my opinion, the perfect way to thrust an otherwise obsolete villain into the 21st century in a realistic way without making the character too over the top.
Finally, we reach the second half of the film, which is what the entire first half teased while developing all these characters to such great depth (comments such as "No on wants to see Clark Kent take on Bruce Wayne" at the Daily Planet were a huge tease). I was on the edge of my seat the entire film, and Snyder, being Snyder, knew this. A film that builds tension through the entire first act, making you feel the tension rise within yourself as the story goes onto the final act, is a key element of great storytelling ability. As soon as the first punch is thrown, it's nothing but an uphill climb. The BvS fight was extremely well choreographed, but even that was just a tease for what was to come.
Enter Doomsday.
Here is the high-octane, action-packed sequence that leads to the birth of the Justice League. We see Superman in action once again, we see Batman enter a style of combat we have never seen on the big screen. No longer is he relying on stealth or ingenuity to escape from a situation. Here we see him use the batclaw to jump out of the path of an explosion and immediately leap onto another building. We see Wonder Woman arrive in the grandest cinema entrance I've seen in a while. We see the Justice League's first moments, and can only be left wanting more, yet not lacking satisfaction.
All in all, this is a film that can stand on its own as a great movie, but will also leave you aching for more. It is a film for fans of anything superhero, fans of the dramatic and theatrical, and for anyone who simply enjoys a good film. Check this movie out, preferably in IMAX for full impact. 10/10