The first major installment of DC's attempt at an expanded cinematic universe begins with a very confusing and somewhat disappointing thud, one that has moments of both brilliance and ineptitude but overall makes for a perplexingly dull ride. There are two parts of the title for this movie, and this, for better or worse, accents how splintered the movie is, both narratively and in motive. This movie tries to navigate being its own movie and a film that establishes the tone and storyline for a host of future movies. This is no easy task, and the difficulty the filmmakers had with accomplishing this is all too evident, as Batman v Superman ends up being one of the least cohesive or polished films of the past 5 years. A complete and utter lack of clear direction or anything remotely resembling nuance makes this movie flawed beyond the point where it is even in consideration of being considered great, but this movie has its moments.... all too far and in between.
An area where this movie actually excels is with the performance of Ben Affleck as Batman. A choice that turned many heads after its announcement, Affleck provides arguably the most stable and faithful portrayal of the main actors. He had a clear motive, and a righteous cause that made getting behind him relatively easy, especially when pitted against a lifeless and poorly written drone that is Cavill's Superman. This, coupled with some very well handled and dazzling action sequences is what clearly works in this movie. Henry Cavill continues to struggle at making Superman remotely interesting and flounders as a result. He makes the best of this villainous position DC has pigeonholed him into, but it isn't enough. Superman's character as always been bland and makes little sense. His vague list of powers, his questionable decision making on which powers to use... and when... ,his boringly perfect demeanor and complete lack of depth are troubling. Or perhaps the most disbelief suspending disguise in the history of cinema, essentially a running joke, that is his alter ego of Clark Kent, who wears glasses to become unrecognizable as the most famous man on the planet, is what is most irritating. Its insulting to the audience, and hard to take seriously...
Speaking of taking something seriously, this movie holds itself in such a brooding and depressingly dark regard that it probably shouldn't. Comic book films are supposed to be fun in theory, but apparently Zack Snyder forgot how to make a movie with a sense of humor, then again he never has. Trusting the guy who made the frighteningly melancholic and twisted films "Watchmen" and "300" to make something even in the same area code as "fun" was a pipe dream. Then again, trusting the guy who made "Sucker Punch" and the "Owls of Gahoole" to make a good movie was probably an even more empty gamble. Zack Snyder is below average at this whole "directing" thing and was probably the wrong choice to put at the helm of the DCU's most critical entries. Snyder's inability to make the movie fun or whimsically enjoyable doesn't even begin to due this film's issues a justice... Comically bad writing and seriously bad casting choices, cough cough Jesse Eisenberg cough, are what drags this movie down even more than its director's inability to cater to a film audience actually looking to have fun. The writers here left so many blatant plot holes and employed such lazy screenwriting conventions that it's almost pathetic. They had the audacity to introduce the rest of the justice league through pdfs and emails...They repeatedly make Superman look like a fool and hinge the emotional climax of the film on the name Martha... Its frustratingly lazy and makes the audience wonder how stupid the filmmakers actually think they are, which is a bad thing. Jesse Eisenberg was genuinely annoying and didn't really fit the Lex Luthor role, a suit worn so well by Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey in the past. He was finicky and lame and pretty far from menacing.
The whole movie was essentially spoiled in the trailer, the film ends with a lifeless, disengaging CGI monster mash fest punctuated by loud effects and nauseating sequel building. This film forgot that it was a movie, with an actual obligation to viewers, and decided to try and set up several future flicks instead. It lacked attention to detail and polish, and wasted what might have been something less disappointing with the right people in place.
C-