Edited: 7.5/10 to 6.5/10
When we look at all the hype, the anticipation, the delay, the wait; all that's surrounding the release of this movie that comes with a status that's nothing short of epic. When this movie that has promised us nothing but the clashing of two of comic book universe biggest titans; understandably so that it has a lot to live up to.
So when it falls short, and it has; I'm going to cut it some slack, but just a little bit.
Having the fortune to have caught this much earlier than anyone else; not to mention that it was without any subtitles distracting the movie experience (what joy!), I wasn't sure what to make of it at first because there were a few issues that just didn't sit well with me.
And after a few days of digesting, I have come to understand where the movie fell short.
Without going into spoiler territory first, let me address the casting. Henry Cavill still looks great as Superman, that's a given. The real question lies in the three new actors.
Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne, perfect. Affleck embodied the rich playboy down to a tee. And for the purpose of this story, he also came with that grey in his hair, that world-weary and heavy spirit because he's suffered much personal losses. As Batman, he looks fantastic because of his height and sheer size of his trained body.
However, it was somewhat distracting a little bit for me when that little mole on the side of his cheek was still visible even with the cowl on. And somehow, he didn't look as great from the neck up as Batman as others who have came before him. I think Christian Bale still looks the best from the neck up.
Gal Gadot was surprisingly impressive as Wonder Woman. Under Zack Snyder's direction and with limited screen time, she was great. Especially in the action sequences. And this has given me more confidence for next year's Wonder Woman.
Jesse Eisenberg as this version of Lex Luthor was acceptable. The role required him to act in this way and he delivered. It certainly was a very different version of Lex (I still prefer Kevin Spacey's version) but I believe the producers are developing him for the long term.
Snyder's direction in the entire first half got a little slow with almost nothing happening. And I did not enjoy the dream sequences that did not add much to the story. There was also a sequence that was thrown in clearly to set up for Justice League, but it worked just as bad as Thor's sequence in Avengers: Age Of Ultron. It stood out like a sore thumb.
The actual confrontation between Batman and Superman was lacking for me. I wished there were more encounters with longer fight scenes, so all that news of a R-rated cut in the Bluray has gotten me more excited for it. Perhaps the Bluray version will be better, just like The Wolverine.
But the biggest problem I had was with the motivation for Superman to fight Batman. It felt like a cop out. I did not like it one bit. I knew it the moment it happened and it went exactly as I had expected from there, which is bad.
However, everything was brought back on track once that final fight began with Doomsday. I enjoyed that fight a lot and am looking forward to seeing it again. It was intense and felt desperate.
The ending to the movie was a huge bafflement though. How they would continue the story into Justice League will be interesting to see because it will affect one alter ego and how the world will perceive to the people around him.
Overall, there were a few big issues that I didn't enjoy, but as a movie it looked great. There were equally great performances and CGI sequences, and I can't wait to watch it a second time.
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