Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

It seems as though viewers of Batman v. Superman are split solidly into two camps: completely loving it or totally hating it. As simplistic as this may sound, this is because the movie has MANY elements that are either absolutely amazing or cringe-worthily awful, with very few scenes of true Hollywood neutrality/mediocrity.

Normally I would shy away from doing this, but because of the nature of the film, I believe a hate/love list would do the most justice (ba- dumb tiss).

LOVED:

• The movie tackled some quite sophisticated themes for the modern- day

Hollywood, let alone for being a superhero movie. There was a deeper, intellectual debate that made me surprisingly introspective. MORE IMPORTANTLY, the main characters also choose opposing sides on these matters, and Snyder kept the themes prevalent throughout the film.

• Dark nature of the film makes the impossible idea of a superhero-

laden universe just a tad more believable. At least, it's a step- away from the relentlessly light-hearted Avengers movies where the most emotional trauma suffered is from that of the death of a very minor side-character.

• The new, "bulky, shock-troop, vengeful" Batman is VERY convincing. I,

too, was skeptical of Ben Affleck being cast as the new Dark Knight; however his performance/portrayal will leave you pleasantly surprised (subjective, but I was rooting for him!).

• Hans Zimmer does it again! The soundtrack was characteristically

amazing. It's sad to hear that he is mulling retirement.

• For those with a more primal focus (I kid!), the action sequences

were very entertaining, despite the fact that some of the CGI was lackluster. My favorite scene was hands-down the (K)nightmare.

HATED:

• I'm trying VERY hard not to give anything away, but the big

character-switch of the movie was completely unconvincing. Not only did this character have a long-standing, fervent opinion on certain matters, but they uproot their beliefs on how things should be done and completely switch sides in literally a matter of seconds. A sloppy, lazy character "development" that they tried to justify with a very weak excuse aimed at the character's past.

• Keep your pitchforks in the garage, because Wonder Woman was great,

BUT! she stole absolutely imperative screen-time from Superman. The Man of Steel rarely found combative success in the movie and could have used more time in the spotlight (it is Batman vs. Superman after- all).

• Main "villain", a.k.a., the CGI Punching Bag, was such a boring

cop-out. My problem with monsters as villains is that they are completely un-empathetic and their actions aren't twistedly justifiable. You'd think that after the Joker's success in the Dark Knight, they'd have figured it out.

• Batman vs. Superman was horribly predictable. If you've seen it,

you'll know what part(s) I'm talking about. This may be typical in the superhero-film industry, but come on, get a little risky every once in a while.

Side-Notes:

A) Any (superhero) movie is far better when experienced in theaters, I suggest you check this one out while it's still playing.

B) 2 1/2 hours may seem like a long time, but as long as you have comfortable chairs, a lot of popcorn, and an appreciation for thorough plot-detailing and hidden Easter-eggs, you'll be just fine.

Love it, hate it, or come away having both feelings at the same time, should you choose to see Batman vs. Superman, you'll experience one of the three. It's hard to walk away from this film with the mere feeling of, "Eh, that was okay. Might see it again, who knows?"