16 years in the making. The Man of Steel faces off against the Dark Knight in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, stylized as BvS. BvS has been the subject of controversy ever since 2013, when Ben Affleck, the former Daredevil, was cast as the Batman. Daredevil was destroyed by critics, similar to what BvS would experience. Then, in early 2014, Jesse Eisenberg and Gal Gadot were cast as Lex Luthor and Wonder Woman respectively. Suffice to say, this movie has had a bumpy road. Throw in a misused villain and a couple of spoilerific trailers. But now we are here. 

The movie deals with the consequences of the destruction Superman caused in 2013's "Man of Steel", and how Bruce Wayne, Lex Luthor, and the world deal with the ramifications. The first 20 minutes are extremely well done, with a terrific opening credits scene and a flashback that sucks right into the movie. After this, well....it's all over the place. We go to Africa, to the Indian Ocean, to America, to Gotham, Metropolis. The editing in this movie is horrible, most likely due to the missing 40 minutes of footage that will be released in the film's R-rated "Ultimate Cut". The cinematography in this film is beautiful, with clear, no shaky-cam filiming, and an artistic vision for the cataclysmic events occuring in the movie. Zack Snyder does a good job with the directing, although his focus on spectacle rather than story is a critical blow to the film. Now, onto the performances.

Henry Cavill returns as Superman in a mopey but powerful performance. He portrays a Last Son of Krypton like no one has ever before. However, he was criminally underused, with only 43 lines of dialogue in the film. Fun Fact: Spider-Man in Captain America: Civil War had 48 lines for a cameo performance, different from Superman's title role. The best part of this movie though, is Ben Affleck as the Caped Crusader. This is my favorite performance of Batman ever. His brutality, sadness, and ferocity show what Batman truly is. A psychologically broken man troubled by a childhood tragedy. Ben Affleck really knocked it out of the park. I cannot wait till Affleck's next foray onscreen as the World's Greatest Detective. Next, Jesse Eiseinberg as Lex Luthor. I will be brief: this character was not done justice. His motives, while muddled, are interesting and captivating, but not shown well by Eiseinberg's cartoonish performance. They should have called him the Riddler instead. Gal Gadot also shines as Wonder Woman, although I wish she was used more. I am more excited for her solo film now. Rounding out the cast is Jeremy Irons, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Amy Adams, and Tao Okamoto. All do well in the roles, with Irons as Batman's snarky butler my favorite.

All in all, the movie is a mixed bag, On one hand, the plot is good at times, while sometimes confusing. On the other hand, great performances.....and Jesse Eiseinberg. Also, the score in this movie is amazing. Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL's Batman score is now my ringtone, to say the least. This movie is not for everyone, but I suggest you watch it to decide. I hope that the Ultimate Cut will improve on this movie, and change my opinion. 

Rating: Batman v Superman has great characters and performances but is bogged down by questionable narrative choices and the portrayal of the film's villian.