Review of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) by Steve S — 26 Oct 2016

My rating of 3/5 is roughly halfway between my 2.5/5 for the theatrical cut and 3.25/5 for the Snyder cut. I will offer both a theatrical and a Snyder cut review.

Theatrical review:

An objectively bad film. Disjointed, overly dour, overly long. Dozens of extraneous story threads, many of which have no resolution. A couple gigantic leaps in logic that cannot be taken seriously. Superman is a miserable person, with miserable parents, and a lot of dark philosophical statements that don't suit the situations or the character. Batman is a darker take than most. Affleck holds up quite well in the role, both as Bruce Wayne and the Dark Knight. Lex Luthor is scheming and almost too omnipresent in the story. His portrayal by Eisenberg is cartoonish and will put-off most people. The supporting characters are not important, but the script tries desperately to make Alfred and especially Lois important. (I absolutely loved Alfred in this film).

There is a grand point that this movie tries to make, but fails in the execution. The central conflict has a strong foundation that the script inexplicably forgoes for a series of contrived, uninspired motivations. Then the film flings the titular conflict aside immediately before the climax, robbing the battle of any narrative value and relegating it to soul-less visual spectacle. This is the single greatest crime on this films long rap sheet. Also Wonder Woman was there. She was cool.

We get some cool Batman moments, and some ponderous Superman pseudo-philosophy. Several moments are frustratingly silly, though would be acceptable if the movie took itself less seriously. Very disappointing, especially in the face of the lofty intentions and expectations.

Snyder cut review:

An objectively solid film. While some of the artistic and story choices may not have been the best, they do succeed in following through to their logical conclusions. There is a purpose for every piece of the story and that is all you can ask for from a script and a director. The performances are strong, if held back by the script. Many of the existing problems perpetuate from the theatrical release, but the extraneous stories are at least resolved. The greatest crime is still present, and responsible for one of the 1.5 lost stars in my rating.

I will never enjoy this as a film. Nothing about it is what I want to see from these beloved [to me] characters. A couple terrible decisions rob the film of its artistic merit. A few excellent sequences restores some value.