‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ — What Did You Think?

If you ask Lex Luthor, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is no ordinary spectacle. According to him, “it’s the greatest gladiator match in the history of the world!” But Lex is a villain, and villains aren’t generally people you want to take at their word. So now that the film has officially dropped into theaters and the dust has settled, it’s time for us to ask the big question. Batman v Superman: what did you think?

On the one hand, there’s no denying this is a huge cinematic event. Two of the most iconic characters of all time, going head-to-head in battle? With help from the single most famous female superhero of all time, making her cinematic live-action debut? Warner Bros. certainly isn’t holding back with its efforts to build its DC Cinematic Universe, and that alone might be reason enough to shell out for this movie. (And Peter makes the argument that if you’re going to see it, it’s worth investing a few extra bucks for the IMAX ticket.)

On the other, there’s a difference between a big movie and a good one, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is a mixed bag. As usual, MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW below the jump and in the comments.

First, the good: Gal Gadot is fantastic as Wonder Woman, and she’s got a rockin’ musical theme to match courtesy of Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL. Ben Affleck acquits himself quite nicely too, although his more sadistic take on the Dark Knight is guaranteed to garner a mixed reaction from fans. On the flip side, director Zack Snyder still seems unsure of what to do with Superman, and the usually charming Henry Cavill (seriously, watch Man From U.N.C.L.E. to see how charming he can be) suffers for it.

Maybe the biggest problem, however, is that the film is positively riddled with plot holes. It’s all easy enough to ignore when we’re caught up in Batman and Superman’s battle, but whenever there’s a moment to breathe it’s hard not to notice that the supervillain’s plans make no sense, his motivations make even less sense, and the superheroes’ actions to save the day… also don’t really make sense. Plus, it turns out the only reason the Justice League even stands a chance of ever existing is because Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne both happen to have mothers named Martha.

You’ve heard our thoughts, now weigh in with yours. What did you think of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice? Did it live up to all your hopes and dreams? Was its tone and aesthetic too dark and grimy, or do you love that it’s such a change of pace from the relative sunniness of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Is Jesse Eisenberg‘s manic and arrogant Lex Luthor a brilliant subversion of a classic character, or a bizarre exercise that, unlike Lex’s Doomsday experiment, never quite came to life? Oh, and speaking of Doomsday: terrifying alien threat or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles castoff?