Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

The critic describes the film as a gritty superhero showdown that goes on too long but praises the adept script for raising interesting issues and the convincing portrayal of a despairing, decaying Batman.

The film successfully merges the worlds of Batman and Superman while setting up future franchises, with Ben Affleck acquitting himself well as a careworn Batman. Gotham and Metropolis stand out more than the lead performances, and the visual polish is effective even if subtlety is lacking.

Praises the spectacular if overstuffed epic for its wow moments, particularly Gal Gadot's showstopping Wonder Woman debut and Ben Affleck as the class act in the role of an older, wiser Batman, while noting Cavill is somewhat overshadowed.

The film delivers a visually striking but overly solemn and narratively cluttered spectacle that doubles down on the gloom of Man of Steel. It introduces an intriguing new Batman and features a satisfying central fight, but the story is wonky, lacks fun, and ends with generic CGI overkill.

Describes the film as crammed to bursting, loud, sprawling and distracted, gorging on bombast and self-importance while swamped by its own mythology, with action that jumps around and hard for performances to register amid the pounding beats.

The critic finds the film overly long and dim-lit, criticizing its focus on might over right and the unredeemable, homicidal portrayal of the heroes in a monotonous spectacle of fights and destruction that opens and closes with funerals.

The critic sees the film as an origin story and harbinger of an overpopulated expanded universe, leaving the impression that Man of Steel was the last pure superhero movie. He praises some striking images and performances by Cavill and Affleck but criticizes the ultimately pointless narrative driven by commercial motives.

The critic describes the film as a lumbering steamroller that is big but not fun. He singles out Jesse Eisenberg's intensely annoying Lex Luthor as a major flaw that disrupts the solemn atmosphere.

Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman are welcome additions, but the title fight fails to live up to expectations or its comics heritage. The film is at its best when the heroes are apart; the clash itself feels like an anti-climax that never fully earns the animosity or justifies the hype.

The reviewer sees it as a lumbering, strenuously empty blockbuster lacking humor, self-deprecation, strong performances and human stakes, with inert leads and an annoying Lex Luthor that feels like a tombstone for the genre.

The critic finds the film a mixed bag: a big, unwieldy mess but not un-entertaining, with a patchwork script and excessive world-building. Strong praise goes to the casting, particularly Ben Affleck's Batman and Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor.

The first hour delivers a strong visual feast and promising setup, but the overstuffed final stretch turns into a messy mash-up of plots and Justice League teases. The critic preferred the preceding Man of Steel.

The critic finds the film a convoluted mess that buries interesting ideas about heroism under poor storytelling and unlikeable characters, particularly a murderous Batman and underdeveloped Superman. They single out the lack of nuance and joy in Snyder's direction as a major flaw.