Just got around to watching Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice today... and in 3D as well! (I used to not be a big fan of Real D 3D, but, after seeing The Force Awakens in that format, I'll always try to schedule seeing one of those special showings from now on. And, honestly, I'd recommend that this movie been seen in 3D, as, a certain character's backstory has a certain shot that may or may not involve a gun - and, I'm certain it would look "flat" and pretty bland in 2d, especially with the exaggerated field of view of that shot.

Anyways, onto my review:

Honestly, by the time the end credits started, I just started to get the feeling that I liked the whole movie... Throughout, however, and even afterward, I feel like the whole picture was just badly presented. I don't think this is the fault of Zach Snider, though, as, the blocking is pretty consistent throughout, and, the actors do stellar jobs themselves... I'd blame this somewhat confusing, very fade to black/cut-happy presentation on David Brenner, the editor. The editing is very poorly done here - it seems like scenes from 3 different movies were just cut together aimlessly, without a solid driving narrative to guide the viewer with until almost 3/4ths into the picture. It seems rather unprofessional, honestly.

Even Guardians of the Galaxy (my least favorite film of all time) had solid editing. No scenes felt out of place there, and, even if I hated that film, I can admit that it at least had a good natural pacing, and made sense. Batman v. Superman, however, isn't so consistent at first, leading to a rocky stitching together of the sub-plots and other elements... At least it all wraps up nicely though.

The opening scene gave me chills. I practically was crying streams by the 5 minute mark, and, let me tell you, that's a really hard (and risky) thing to do/try. Going back to GotG, it failed because the characters there had no weight. I didn't care about the mother, or what would happen to her in the intro. Perhaps it's just because I hadn't read those comics, but the whole thing was uninteresting to me. The walk down the Gotham streets fresh off of a midnight screening, though... that's chilling. I don't think I've show that much emotion early into a film since Disney's UP!

The highlights of the film are easily Jesse Eisenberg's Lex and Ben Affleck's Batman/Bruce Wayne. Eisenberg plays the villain in a scrawny, whimsical, and almost Looney Tunes-ish sort of way. It's actually quite creepy, and, fits the film well. Affleck's Batman, on the other hand, is almost the pinnacle of what a character in Superhero cinema should be!

Apart from that minor misstep, however, I think that Affleck plays a great Batman. Perhaps even the best to have ever graced the silver screen at this point... Yeah, I went there. Step aside Val Kilmer, Ben's now my Batman. (just without the Dalek-impersonating voice changer)

Overall, this movie has some AWESOME moments.

I'd say it's a great movie, but, it just didn't seem like a finished product to me. Again, the editing detracted from the actors and story, and, that certainly hurt the film. Similar to 2013's The Lone Ranger: if things had been done just a bit differently (cutting out the weakest link that keeps showing up) it could have been not only a great film, but, an all-time great!

I've heard of a supposed R-rated "Ultimate Edition" cut that's supposed to be coming out. I probably won't see that, though, to be honest. This film is already pretty violent, and, an R-rated cut certainly wouldn't hold as much back. But, perhaps that's the entire editing problem summed up in a nutshell. Perhaps, Zach Snider and the crew MADE an R-rated film to begin with. That would certainly explain the odd editing (especially if scenes that were cut out went in between the gaps). If that is the case, though, I think it's wrong that they cut it down to PG-13 just to get kids in...

As a sit-down experience, Batman v. Superman felt like a 2 and a half hour trailer. It kept fading to black, the music seemed a bit unoriginal (I so miss the days of the Danny Elfman and John Williams scores), and the plot was a bit hard to keep track of in the beginning. But, the film does have some awesome moments. Just to name a few: The new Batcave, a few spots here and there from the Batman and Superman fight itself, and all of the Daily Planet scenes. The negatives are certainly the editing and the script... at least, I think so. I'd rather blame the moments I don't like on the writers rather than the actors, since they knock it out of the park in other areas of the film - some dialogue silent.

Overall, I'd give Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice a 3 and a half out of 5 stars. If I'd gotten a more concise film, with a bit less action, and perhaps more "out of the suit" moments from Bruce, Clark, and Diana, then, it could have been a full 5. As it is, though, the whole was not more than the sum of it's parts.

Even then, that's not to say I didn't enjoy it... because I really did enjoy it.