'Zack Snyder's Justice League' Review

Synopsis: Zack Snyder's definitive director's cut of Justice League. Determined to ensure Superman's ultimate sacrifice was not in vain, Bruce Wayne aligns forces with Diana Prince with plans to recruit a team of metahumans to protect the world from an approaching threat of catastrophic proportions.

Runtime: 242 minutes

MPAA Rating: R (for violence and some language)

Who should see it? Adult fans of DC Comics and Zack Snyder's filmography.

For those who aren't up to date with the online discourse surrounding Justice League, you may be confused why I'd be reviewing it again. Especially since the theatrical cut is already credited to director Zack Snyder... Well, for those unaware, Zack Snyder departed the project during post-production to deal with the aftermath of his daughter Autumn's tragic suicide. Though some of the footage shot under him made it into that cut, he's the director in name only. Warner Bros. enlisted Joss Whedon to rework the film and make the finished product Avengers-lite. The result was the cinematic equivalent of Frankenstein's monster. Ever since the release of Man Of Steel, it's been apparent that Warner Bros. was skittish to grant their directors complete control over bringing their DC Comics characters to the big screen. Thankfully, new leadership seems to relinquish much more control lately, so I sincerely hope the studio learned its lesson.

In Snyder's case, the studio clearly intervened in his theatrical version of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, as the director's cut offers a much more cohesive viewing experience. Since Justice League's release in November 2017, fans have rallied to see Snyder's vision for Justice League fully materialized. When the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut movement began, it honestly seemed like a pipe dream. Why would Warner Bros. finance the completion of a director's cut when they'd already sunk over $300 M into the theatrical version? The Snyder Cut then took on a mythos of its own. While there were undoubtedly bad apples who relentlessly harassed the studio advocating for the release of the fabled Snyder Cut, I know several individuals who were well-intentioned in their quest to see Snyder's rendition. 

Thanks to Cyborg actor Ray Fisher, it has since come to light that the working environment during the Justice League reshoots was incredibly unprofessional on behalf of Joss Whedon and key individuals at the studio, including Geoff Johns, Jon Berg, and DC films chief Walter Hamada. As allegations against Whedon accumulated from all directions, the fight for the Snyder Cut took on a greater meaning of reclaiming the film's auteurship from toxic enablers. The movement grew till it was announced in May of last year that Warner Bros would fund the completion of the Snyder Cut for it to be released exclusively on HBO Max. In preparation for the four-hour feature, I sat down to rewatch Snyder's previous DC efforts and found myself reappraising them both. While I think Man of Steel and Batman v Superman are certainly still flawed, the mythic approach to depicting these classic characters is far more interesting than regurgitating what we've already seen. That mindset perseveres through Zack Snyder's Justice League.

I begin my review with this information because it is necessary to understand why this version exists. There's much to be said about studios caving to every whim of their audience, but the Snyder Cut's release rings true as a victory for preserving an artist's creative freedom. Strip that away, and we're left with a homogenous, soulless corporate product. The screenplay is credited to Chris Terrio, who co-authored the story alongside Snyder and Will Beall. Though I'll be the first to admit I initially gave Justice League a very generous review, I can confidently say the Snyder Cut exceeds it in every way imaginable. Four-hour runtime be damned, Snyder's version is brimming with the director's resilient spirit. 

While the Snyder Cut differs substantially from the theatrical version, the over-arching plot is more-or-less identical. Batman brings together a group of heroes to prevent Earth from being destroyed by intergalactic forces. The obvious takeaway is that the longer runtime gives the story more breathing room and allows for deeper character development. I think that's what makes the film work as well. The four-hour runtime certainly is daunting, but the film is divided into six chapters, a prologue, and an epilogue. HBO Max has these clearly marked so you can choose to watch it as a mini-series if viewing it in one sitting seems overwhelming. I'll confess that I felt the four-hour runtime, and it could have been whittled down to maybe two and a half-to-three hours if Cyborg, Flash, and Aquaman had their own movies released beforehand. That said, the introduction of three pivotal heroes works much better this time around. 

Snyder balances the heroes much more effectively, and they finally feel fully realized and present. Cyborg and Flash notably benefit the most in Snyder's hands, but it was incredibly refreshing to see the camera framed more respectfully around Wonder Woman. Whedon's treatment of Diana and Cyborg speaks volumes about his character, and it's even more baffling to now see everything he and the studio chose to alter. Other notable improvements include the color grading, cinematography, visual effects, and a genuinely epic score by Thomas Holkenborg (aka Junkie XL). 

Ray Fisher put his career on the line to have his truth heard. After seeing his incredible performance here, I truly hope he continues to act because Cyborg is the movie's heart and soul. It's all the more disheartening to know that he was written out of the upcoming Flash movie in response to speaking out. A mistake that I hope will be course-corrected... Aiding Fisher, Joe Morton brings abundant emotional weight to the proceedings as Victor Stone's father. Their troubled relationship was an especially poignant highlight for me, and undoubtedly the lynch-pin holding everything together. 

Regarding the rest of the league, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Mamoa, and Ezra Miller each have their moments in the limelight. These performers continue to embody their characters quite well, and it was delightful to see them bounce off one another. With DC's future constantly in flux, one can only hope this cast will persevere. 

On the antagonistic front, the changes to Steppenwolf's design and exploration of his motivation made him much more threatening and interesting. He actually has a personality this time! As for some shortcomings, there are still some iffy visual effects, but that's common in the modern landscape of comic-book movies, and most of the effects look much better than the 2017 rendition. So I honestly can't harp on that too much as it's more representative of how visual effects artists are often rushed and overworked to meet specific deadlines. I'm also still not fond of Jared Leto's Joker, whose infamous uttering of the memeic phrase "We live in a society" took the internet by storm. Leto is barely in the movie, so again, this is a minor gripe. The runtime is a blessing and a curse, as it adds much-needed dimension to a sprawling cast of characters but the whole endeavor admittedly feels longwinded when all is said and done. That said, I'd gladly watch the Snyder Cut a thousand times over before willfully revisiting Whedon's version anytime soon. 

I admittedly never thought the Snyder Cut would see the light of day. Still I have to say, its epic and emotionally-charged narrative invigorated my interest in seeing Zack Snyder proceed with his planned Justice League sequels. At the end of the day, I'm just grateful he had the opportunity to reclaim his work in the face of overwhelming odds. 

Film Assessment: B+

'Justice League' Review

Considering this review won't be out till at least a month after the film's release date, I'm going to include spoiler sections to discuss certain things in more detail. There will be clear spoiler warnings to mark these as a means of forewarning those who've yet to watch Justice League.

[This review was originally written in November 2017 and is now being published that my internship is over. For an explanation of this, visit my Fall 2017 Important Update post.] 

When Justice League opens, the world is still in mourning over the death of Superman. However, once an intergalactic evil emerges in the form of Steppenwolf and his legions of Parademon minions, Batman and Wonder Woman must unite a team of gifted individuals consisting of Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman if they're to have any hope at stopping Steppenwolf from destroying the world by combining the three mythical Mother Boxes to form the Unity.

The Justice League's first comic appearance was in the year 1960, and fifty seven years later, we're finally seeing them team up on the big screen for the first time. This cinematic culmination has been a long time coming, and after the success of The Avengers in 2012, comic book fans knew a live action incarnation was possible. There have been a few attempts to adapt the iconic superhero team over the years, but none of these successfully made it into any theater screens as each one was canned early in production. However, it's evident that Marvel Studios' success inspired Warner Bros. to try and get their own shared universe of films off the ground, leading to the DC Extended Universe we know today including Man Of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Wonder Woman.

Now, to say that the DCEU had a rocky start would be an enormous understatement, as they didn't have a commercial hit on their hands till earlier this summer with Wonder Woman. Everything preceding that stood out as divisive among both critics and average audiences, so it almost goes without saying that Warner Bros. had a lot riding on the success of Justice League considering they pumped $300 M into making comic-book readers' dreams a reality.

Note: Sadly, the film only brought in an underwhelming $93.8 M in its opening weekend, which is REALLY puny considering how iconic these characters are... For comparison, the first Iron Man made $98.6 M in its opening weekend when his character was a relative unknown back in 2008... I genuinely hope positive word of mouth spreads among audiences so it can make back more of its budget over time...

Anyways, the film's production took a turn for the worse earlier this year when director Zack Snyder departed the project to deal with the aftermath of his daughter's tragic suicide. From that point on, Joss Whedon, writer-director of both The Avengers and Avengers: Age Of Ultron, took over the post production process and reportedly reshot a substantial portion of the film. This development left me at odds to what I should possibly expect as I was of course excited to finally see these classic comic characters interacting with one another on the big screen, but the production's developments were troubling to say the least. Therefore, I chose to guard my optimism by hoping for the best, but also preparing for the worst. Thankfully, Justice League pleasantly surprised me as an entertaining use of two hours.

Due to the particularly unusual events that transpired behind the scenes, I'm not entirely sure who I should credit for what, so I'll do my best to avoid acknowledging any individual aspects to either Snyder or Whedon. This is especially evident in the fact Justice League didn't particularly feel like a Snyder film. For the most part, Justice League is a fusion of Synder's visual sensibilities and Whedon's quippy dialogue, which I've gotta say I liked. Chris Terrio is the other credited writer on both the story and screenplay, sharing story responsibility with Snyder and having originally shaped the script (although it's unclear precisely how much of the dialogue is Whedon's). Ultimately though, I feel the film was reconstructed by Warner Bros. in the wake of Snyder's tragedy.

Perhaps watching the film with that foresight made me more forgiving of the final product, but I'm of the belief that the first and foremost purpose of a blockbuster is to entertain, and Justice League sufficiently achieved that for me as an audience member, so I can overlook some of the film's shortcomings in the grand scheme of things. Not all of my opinions regarding Justice League are sunshine and roses though as the pacing of the project feels like it was hurriedly assembled by the Flash, the CGI was so-so, Danny Elfman's score is fairly forgettable, Steppenwolf is a thoroughly average antagonist, and the first fifteen minutes of the film are an absolute chore to sit through due to an unbearable opening credits montage paired with Sigrid's cover of the song "Everybody Knows."

Ultimately though, it's the ensemble that outweigh the inadequate elements. I had quite a few concerns in regards to casting, but the actors I was worried about proved me wrong. The chemistry between the cast was incredible, and I genuinely had a smile on my face about every time the characters were interacting with one another because it was simply satisfying to finally see a live action Justice League! In the action department, nothing in the film will absolutely blow you away, but it's all enjoyable and well-constructed so you'll have a hard time hiding that smile on your face.

Up first amongst the league is Batman, and Ben Affleck continues to don the cowl with a confidence that makes his Bruce Wayne one of the best brought to cinema screens. Affleck does a good job keeping the character from ever feeling too quippy while bringing the brooding we saw in Batman v. Superman down a notch. Even though I don't feel his performance here was quite as impressive as his last outing (possibly because he seems disinterested in the franchise with the announcement he'd like to segue out of the DCEU in a cool way), I also feel like he didn't phone it in.

Next up, there's the Amazon warrior, Wonder Woman! Gal Gadot proves once again she was well-cast and embodies all of Diana's intrepid, admirable attributes with a performance that's both fierce and down-to-earth in her more vulnerable moments. If you've liked what you've seen of Wonder Woman so far in her own standalone movie or even the third act of Batman v. Superman, you'll be more than happy with her here. The only gripe I have related to her character whatsoever has absolutely nothing to do with Gadot, but rather the way the camera's angled around her character... I noticed numerous "butt" shots where the camera was positioned very low and angled upwards looking STRAIGHT at her rear, which just felt like a step backwards to me in regards to properly portraying a female superhero when you consider how successfully Wonder Woman didn't sexualize her. There's also one joke that will probably rub some people the wrong way, but I honestly didn't mind because it's a quick "it happened and it's over" thing.

Third is the robust Atlantean, Aquaman. For his first outing, I've got to say Jason Mamoa fit comfortably as a rougher, tougher Aquaman than the version general audiences are familiar with from say... Super Friends. Anyways, Mamoa's rockstar attitude will really radically change people's perspective on the character as he does some awesome things. 

Following suit is the cybernetic Cyborg. Ray Fisher was one of the actors I was most concerned about, simply because I was worried the character might come off as monotonous and robotic, but Fisher really nailed grounding the character without getting lost underneath all the CGI. Fisher truly felt half cybernetic and half human, and I quickly got over his unexceptional aesthetic that alarmed me in the trailers.

Among the cast, I've got to surprisingly say that Ezra Miller was actually the runaway star as Flash! The Flash is my favorite DC Comics character, so I was obviously excited to see a cinematic take compared to the one currently on television, but I was seriously concerned with how this portrayal of the scarlet speedster was going to turn out based on the trailers and everything I'd seen previously. Thankfully, Miller lightens the mood in just the right way as his screen presence really electrified the experience for me and most of his humor landed.

**Spoiler Warning**

Last, but certainly not least, there's Superman. I've placed him in the spoiler section because quite franky, his return is a spoiler, no matter how obvious it was... At any rate, he's back... and better than ever!! If you're someone who's been continuously dissatisfied with Henry Cavill's take on Superman, then don't fret... This is the Superman you've been waiting to see! While the circumstances behind his return were completely contradictory to everything I'd possibly imagined, it made sense and I felt it was handled well for the most part. My only gripe was that his change of heart came a little quicker than I'd have liked. I understood that Lois snapped him out of his funk, but it all still seemed sudden to me once he got to his farm. Also, it was a little weird how calmly Lois and Martha accepted his return... Like they just kind of shrugged it off as though it was some everyday occurrence... 

Anywho, there's the whole mustache debacle that's off paramount importance to this review! If you didn't already know, Henry Cavill is in Mission: Impossible - Fallout and his character has to have a mustache for that film. Well, Justice League reshoots lapsed with a break in filming for M:I 6 when Tom Cruise got injured on set. Warner Bros. was presented with two alternatives, either shave the stache and foot the bill to digitally add it in on M:I 6 or to digitally remove it themselves... While those obviously weren't the only options for the studio, Warner Bros. decided to remove it digitally for whatever reason. Perhaps I wouldn't have noticed if it weren't for all the reports about it, but there's clearly something off about Henry Cavill's upper lip, and it just doesn't look right... If you're wondering what I feel the studio should have done, then look no further for I think they should have just filmed with the stache all the way!!! I think a petition should be drafted demanding a Mustache Cut of the film or at least a Blu-Ray featurette all about removing the mustache! Also, the above picture is photoshopped and not at all legitimate... but the mustache story is... I promise. 

**End of spoilers**

Then I suppose I must mention Steppenwolf, only the most generic antagonist imaginable. I'm completely apathetic towards the character because I didn't have high hopes for him as a villain anyways, and I'm perfectly okay with that if the villain stinks on account of focusing attention towards the heroes. Ciarán Hinds voices the CG-creation and does everything he can, but the lack of setup and screen-time for the character renders his work useless. I've seen many people pointing to him as one of the worst comic book movie villains ever made, but I find that to be an absurd over-exaggeration when you look at his competition... Enchantress alone makes him bearable in comparison, and that's not even factoring in anything from Batman & Robin... Oh, and there are also two post credit scenes well worth watching... I'm not sure the movie will still be in theaters when this review's out, but at least you know!

The worst thing I can say about Justice League is that the film doesn't quite do justice to its classic characters as their first onscreen team-up. Regardless of its faults, the film is a heck of a lot of fun though, and I think that's what really matters at the end of the day. Do I want to see what Snyder's version would have been like? I'd love to see some semblance of an extended cut to flesh things out, but a version fully realizing Snyder's vision seems unlikely for budgetary reasons. Justice League may not have lit up like the bright beacon in Gotham City shining for the Caped Crusader, but it still shined as an enjoyable effort that entertained me while leaving me excited about the DCEU's future films... Bring on Aquaman! Bring on Wonder Woman 2! Bring on Flashpoint! Bring on The Batman! Heck, bring on Cyborg! BRING ON Justice League 2!!! That is, if this franchise is going to continue...

Film Assessment: B-

Alternate Cut Review: 'Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice- Ultimate Edition'

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice proved to be one of the most controversial comic book movies in recent memory and upon release news soon arose that there would be a Director's Cut including 30 additional minutes of footage called the "Ultimate Edition" that would be in the Blu-Ray release. Technically, the "Ultimate Edition" debuted about a month ago digitally but I like to wait for Blu-Rays because I like getting the Blu-Ray disc, the DVD, and the digital copy all in one for nearly the same price so I waited out and my copy arrived recently but I had to wait till I had three hours to spare to watch it. So yes, this is a lengthy watch but I'll soon be able to inform whether it fixes issues with Batman v. Superman or opens up a new can of worms for Warner Bros. and that's primarily what this review will be, a comparison of the two versions of the film.

I won't exactly re-review the film as you can find my thoughts on the theatrical cut below but I will provide my updated thoughts and my newfound perspective. I also think I'm going to do something different in this review, I'm going to go back and alter my previous Film Assessment score on the Theatrical Cut because I feel I scored it a tad too high and in light of that decision will be modifying it because sometimes it takes a while for my opinion to truly settle in on a film. Be forewarned as in order to discuss the differences, I will be including slight spoilers for both the theatrical cut and The Ultimate Edition.

'Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice- Ultimate Edition' Review

Theatrical Cut Review- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Review

"Ultimate Edition" Review- The Ultimate Edition of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is an improvement over the theatrical cut for many reasons. One, it's competently edited together. The editing in the theatrical cut was a complete disaster as scenes would jump from one subplot to another leading to a convoluted mess. The Ultimate Edition fixes this by allowing lead-in for these scenes so they don't feel misplaced or random and instead one scene flows into the next and the transitions are quite remarkable. 

Two,The Ultimate Edition fills in the major plot holes. In the theatrical cut, there is an African action sequence that is commonly referred to that we never got to actually see. Superman is blamed for killing several people and it seems farfetched since all he did was save Louis Lane but The Ultimate Edition elaborates by actually including the full Africa action set piece. This explains that Lex Luthor hired men to set Superman up and the logic behind it is actually quite smart. This made Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor more of a puppet master figure in the grand scheme of things and a slightly more interesting villain. With that being said, I still found Eisenberg to be too kooky for the role.

Three, it made for a better "Batman v. Superman" movie. No, there's not an additional fight between Batman and Superman and it actually takes two hours and thirty minutes for the two to throw down. However, the buildup to their showdown makes a lot more sense this time around. The Ultimate Edition explains why Superman is opposed to the way Batman has been operating by including a few scenes of Clark Kent investigating the Batman. The theatrical cut felt more like a Batman movie that happened to have Superman in it as a supporting character but the Ultimate Edition balances the heroes more effectively, which in turn makes Superman's death more compelling.

My one major gripe with the Ultimate Edition opposed to the theatrical cut is that the film still feels too long with a three hour runtime. Three hours is a big time commitment for a film, especially one that received such a mixed response, and this is no exception. The Ultimate Edition didn't really do much to alter my opinion of the performances as Ben Affleck's Batman remains to be the best part of the film, Henry Cavill is a serviceable Superman, and Gal Gadot still stole the third act with her full appearance in Wonder Woman regalia.

If you want to read my thoughts on the entire cast, you can find that above in my review of the theatrical cut. The visual effects are virtually the same with the only alterations being the additional footage and I can't really say that this changed my mind on Snyder's directing.

With all that being said, the Ultimate Edition is a competent film as opposed to the sloppy theatrical cut. I've come to my own conclusion that Warner Bros. likely asked Snyder to trim out thirty minutes and in doing so, the remaining patch work simply didn't fit together. I doubt the Ultimate Edition will change hater's minds about the "Martha" moment but it provides testament that a slightly better version of BvS does exist. The film still has problems but they aren't as glaring and numerous as the issues to found in the theatrical cut. From this point on, if I'm ever going to sit down and watch Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, I'll brave the three hour runtime of the Ultimate Edition for a more complete experience.

Film Assessment: B-

'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' Review

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is finally here. This film has been surrounded by so much controversy since it's announcement and due to this controversy I will be including a similar prologue as I did in my Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens Review. I must say that I myself had some concerns about the film due to a multitude of things. 

For one, I wasn't dazzled by the first teaser trailer, was caught off guard by the second San Diego Comic Con trailer which I did enjoy, disliked the third trailer, and loved the final trailer. The third trailer was ripped to shreds across the internet for unveiling one of the film's villains, Doomsday, and showing the DC Trinity united and essentially taking the focus away from the conflict between these two titans. I will say that I am in the camp that thought that was a poor decision for the marketing campaign. I think I understand the rationale behind it as Warner Bros. probably wanted to ensure the public knew Batman and Superman would team up, but that was something I know I would have liked to have waited and seen the first time I watched the film. 

However, the marketing campaign quickly got back on track releasing many TV spots and soon a final trailer that brought the focus back to the conflict between the heroes. Another concern of mine was with the cast. I decided I would reserve judgement till I felt I had seen the cast's work, but when Jesse Eisenberg was cast as Lex Luthor, red flags were certainly raised in my mind. 

The casting of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman also seemed to be a bit odd to me as she was primarily a model before recently becoming an actress and I was curious if she would have the acting chops to do more than look great as Wonder Woman. I never really had a problem with Ben Affleck's casting, but was always curious why Warner Bros. didn't just hang onto Christian Bale for this version of Batman. However, I was sold the instant I saw him running into a cloud of smoke and debris in that second trailer. I totally bought the casting of Jeremy Irons as Alfred and Jason Mamoa as Aquaman because they seemed like interesting creative decisions. 

It didn't help for me to also know that it was coming from the same creative team as Man Of Steel. I wrote this prologue before watching the film to help establish my concerns with no knowledge of whether I loved, liked, or possibly was disappointed by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Since writing this prologue, the embargo was lifted and surprisingly critics are bashing it and it currently has a 30% on Rotten Tomatoes so be prepared for me to address the film in as honest a way as possible and inform you if the critics are justified or not. 

'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' Review

Wednesday evening I attended an early screening of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and there is so much to talk about. It seems that this film is already more divisive than Man Of Steel due to the negative backlash it's receiving from critics and I'm very curious to learn how the general audience perceives it. Many of you are probably biting your nails wondering "Is it good or not?" or "Are the critic's thoughts justified?" and I can say I think it's a solid B-movie comic book movie that has some issues I will delve into and I think critics are just nitpicking the problems rather than relishing in any of the glorious moments, to which the film has a multitude.  

However, I think it should be expressed that this movie despite being PG-13 is not for kids, in fact it would probably bore children and some elements seem too dark to really appeal to children. I recommend that parents see the film ahead of their children if they plan on bringing them and make the call themselves as to whether or not they think their children can handle it. With that out of the way, a majority of the issues I found with the film were almost all creative decisions and not really involving the performances with one exception. 

First off, the film is too long. I can think of at least 20-30 minutes of footage that should have been cut out on the cutting room floor that was left in for some reason. As some of my readers may know, there will be an extended Director's Cut for the BvS Blu-Ray and I don't understand why Zack Snyder didn't just trim out the fat and save it for the Director's Cut. One thing that makes the film feel so long is that it takes an entire 2 hours for Batman and Superman to fight. I completely understand that the conflict required set up, but in a film titled Batman v Superman you would think it would involve more skirmishes between the two. 

Also, the first act of the film seems disjointed due to the way the film is edited. The film jumps back and forth between one story arc to another and they seem unconnected and don't really come together till later on. Snyder takes it upon himself to try to do a lot in this movie, it not only establishes conflict between Batman and Superman, but also tells Batman's origin, directly follows the events of Man Of Steel, follows Lex Luthor's antics, and sets up the DC Extended Universe. 

That's a lot of plot points and one of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's weaknesses is that it bears the burden of all of these subplots and it seems to be one of the scabs the critics are picking at. It's somewhat similar to the problems that plagued Iron Man 2 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2, where they made the set up of their cinematic universe a priority over the film itself, but nowhere near as bad. I think this is much more tolerable here and flows more naturally. 

The other creative decision that bothered me were these strange dream sequences that come out of nowhere. These dream sequences are plopped in the film and some of them probably should have been saved for the Director's Cut. That's the bulk of my negative thoughts and frankly some of these problems are nitpicking, but I couldn't help but feel there were problems plaguing the film and had to dig further into my viewing experience for some of them. As I stated in my Man Of Steel Review, Zack Snyder tends to implement style over substance in his films and that's once again the case. However, I think Chris Terrio's screenplay is stronger than Man Of Steel's, and I like how he managed to balance these elements to where an audience member won't feel too overwhelmed. I also liked how the film successfully feels like a direct continuation of Man Of Steel. The visuals are gorgeous and seem like they leaped straight out of a comic book at times. All of the visual effects used for the various powers on display looked incredible. 

One nitpick of mine with the effects was the look of Doomsday, that I feel didn't quite do the villain justice and just looked terrible. I'd equate it to a mashup of orcs from The Lord Of The Rings/The Hobbit films and the new versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and if you hated it in the trailer, it doesn't really get much better than that. 

I also think it's interesting to note that the movie's surprisingly low on action compared to how it's being marketed, but the action sequences certainly don't disappoint because of the epic scale. The fight between Batman and Superman is awesome to watch and a great homage to The Dark Knight Returns comic by Frank Miller. I couldn't help but feel very giddy watching these two titans clash it out. Another key fight that I enjoyed was the inevitable moment where Wonder Woman, Batman, and Superman fought Doomsday that I'll discuss a bit more in a moment. 

What makes the film so engaging is this incredible cast that has been assembled. I think it's only fair to comment on the two titular heroes first and work my way down through the cast. Ben Affleck is incredible in the role of Batman. All of the Ben Affleck nay-sayers will have to back-track their hate because he is without a doubt the best Batman and Bruce Wayne I've ever seen on screen. Affleck gets to dive to new depths with his more layered version of Bruce Wayne and his edgier Batman and both work incredibly well in this DCEU. 

Everything Batman-related in the film worked wonders for me. I really liked the designs and functionality of the new Batmobile, Batwing, Batsuit, and the high tech Power Suit along with all of the Dark Knight's gadgets and gizmos. Hardcore Batman fans may take issue with one thing regarding this Batman though,

**Minor spoiler** 

I'm pretty sure this Batman murders people in the movie.

**End of minor spoiler**

There's one scene in particular where Batman infiltrates a warehouse and takes down an entire hoard of bad guys that is honestly one of the best cinematic Batman action sequences I've ever seen and when the movie ended I knew that the world needs a Batman solo film that is directed by and stars Ben Affleck, if the rumors are true. 

Henry Cavill is a very solid Superman, but sadly the character is significantly overshadowed in a movie featuring his name in the title. Though, Cavill finally gets to jump into the duality of Clark Kent and Superman and does it masterfully. I think the character of Superman is portrayed in a better light that rectifies the mistakes in Man Of Steel in that he's much more heroic going out of his way to save others and must face that he has become a figure of controversy due to the collateral damage he caused in Man Of Steel. 

Another standout is Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Gadot doesn't have that many lines, but she delivers them quite well and there's a big deal of mystery around her character. However, where she really commits and sells herself to the audience is in the Doomsday fight where she kicks butt and takes names. Needless to say, seeing her work here made me stoked for the upcoming Wonder Woman solo movie. 

Meanwhile, the film has a strong supporting cast around both heroes. Jeremy Irons makes for a perfect Alfred and is terrific every time he's onscreen. As for the Superman side of things, Amy Adams is once again exceptional as Lois Lane, although she still suffers from the damsel-in-distress trope. Diane Lane returns as Martha Kent to offer Clark guidance and Laurence Fishburne gets to yell a little more as Perry White, but both these actors are great in the capacity used. 

And now what many of you have been waiting for, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. It's a very different interpretation of the character and if you liked him in the trailers, you'll like him here, otherwise be open to change if you hope to like his performance. Jesse Eisenberg is a bit eccentric throughout and it just seems very odd and too reminiscent of other roles he's done. Eisenberg does hit all the notes of downright creepy in some scenes and at times is generally scary, but his weak motivations for his actions ultimately hurt the performance even more. 

My readers that have't seen the film yet are probably wondering when I'm going to discuss Ezra Miller's Flash, Jason Mamoa's Aquaman, and Ray Fisher's Cyborg since all three were confirmed to show up. I can't really comment on their performances, because they're all basically cameos, but I can comment on the look of each character. I thought Aquaman and Cyborg looked pretty cool, but I'm not a fan of this interpretation of the Flash's suit. Really the film does a terrific job laying the foundations for the DC Extended Universe. At times, some of it feels a little forced, but all the cameos and easter eggs were pretty exciting to spot. 

In conclusion, I can say that there is a lot of enjoyment to take out of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, but it is by no means perfect, and that's ok because very few movies are. I can definitely recommend seeing it, but temper expectations or you will find yourself a bit disappointed. One things for sure though, Marvel better watch out because I think the future of the DCEU looks pretty bright.

Film Assessment: B- C (Revised)