A truly sobering, uneven film

Rating: 5/10 (17 April 2016)

You would think a film involving two of the most iconic superheroes of all time, Superman and Batman, would encompass the very best of the genre. Alas, the film ultimately finds a way to upend any such outcome. Where to begin?
Things I liked:
Despite their characters being horribly mishandled, Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck manage to hold their own mostly. Henry, despite having to play an overly stoic and low-temperament hero, manages to come across looking well as the Last Son of Krypton. Ben carries a certain suave look as Bruce Wayne, definitely giving previous actors of the role a run for their money. His Batman isn't too shabby either, looking the part pretty well. If only that were enough.
Jeremy Irons holds his own as Alfred Pennyworth, though he is horribly underused. Gal Godot also falls into the same category as Wonder Woman, if for the fact that we don't really get much insight as to why a photograph is so important to her. Also, despite the death of Bruce Wayne's parents being very overdone and stale, the film does serve to bring emotion into such a depiction through the use of visuals and frame shots in a way that I have to say was very well done.
Things I didn't like:
The script of this film was poorly written. Many scenes bog down the narrative, to the point where it can be difficult to follow the main plot of the story as well as break down the connections between events of the film. Those not well-versed in comic-book lore will find it harder to follow along (even then, didn't make it all that more enjoyable). From numerous dream sequences to irrelevant references (hey guys, there is going to be a Justice League movie!), this movie has it all...and suffers as a result.
The titular characters are also terribly handled. Batman kills people, as well as branding people with Bat-marks. He dreams of using guns to solve problems. He aims to kill Superman simply due to there possibly being "a 1% chance" of him doing bad things (with that logic, why not lock up/kill everyone, Brucie?). He shows little to no amount of deductive reasoning befitting of the nickname "The World's Greatest Detective", falling for one of the most pathetic attempts at blackmail conceived.
Superman is overly dull, brooding, and stoic to the point of being soulless. He gives up protecting humanity at the drop of a hat...only to return to it a few seconds later. He puts heavy emphasis on saving Lois Lane, to the exclusion of all else (sorry, Jimmy). He also shows little to no care for anything other than brute strength and force to solve his problems...from flying a terrorist through a brick wall at high speed without a second thought, no doubt killing him, to initially contemplate burning Lex Luthor to a crisp with his heat vision when hearing that he kidnapped his mother. And despite showing a scene where he was somehow able to contemplate Lois falling off a building from a huge distance...and could have possibly used similar skills to find his mother, Superman instead sits by while Lex monologues his questionable plot involving blackmail...showcasing that Superman will be helpless when the plot requires him to be rather than any internal consistency.
Speaking of Lex Luthor, this has to be without a doubt the worst version of this character yet. Lex Luthor is supposed to be a cunning, charismatic, and intelligent businessman. Instead, Jesse Eisenberg (whether through himself or possibly Mr. Synder's direction) gave an impression that almost seemed like a cross between Mark Zuckerberg and the Joker...which is totally the opposite of what the character is. His motivations are inadequately developed, and also come across as having little basis in logic. Having the two superheroes fight for...reasons? Create a super-powered beastie (Doomsday) of which you can't be certain as to it's capabilities and limitations as backup? Sounds like the plans of a madman like the Joker, not a smart businessman.
The titular fight, while decent, takes a while to actually take place...and in the end, it has nothing to do with their so-called "different philosophies" (which might have meant something if they were given weight beyond mere mentions in passing) but rather simply being duped through blackmail....how deep. And all in the end to finish with the two becoming fast buddies due to quite possibly the biggest cop-out reason in recent memory. Who knew that having the same name for parents could be so important? The final fight might be slightly better (Wonder Woman appears!), but besides the botched use of Doomsday...all it serves is to lead to one of the most pointless deaths in recent cinema history. Perhaps the death of Superman proves to be a fitting metaphor for this film in it's treatment of the characters, but otherwise it is a moment without much meaning.
Couple all this without much in the way of levity, and you have a truly sobering and uneven film that attempts to have more importance than it really does. Superman and Batman are big icons, and will no doubt survive a mess like this like they have in the past...but this definitely is a low-point in the DC library of media. Truly unfortunate.