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MOVIE REVIEW

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

also known as “Batman vs. Superman,” “Batman v Superman: El origen de la justicia,” See more »
MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for intense sequences of violence and action throughout, and some sensuality.

Reviewed by: Curtis McParland
CONTRIBUTOR

Moral Rating: Offensive
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Teens Adults
Genre: Superhero Sci-Fi Action Adventure Fantasy 3D IMAX
Length: 2 hr. 33 min.
Year of Release: 2016
USA Release: March 25, 2016 (wide—4,100+ theaters)
DVD: July 19, 2016
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Relevant Issues

Who is the real Savior?

According to the Bible, what are goodness and righteousness?

Badness in the world

Why does God allow innocent people to suffer? Answer

Paradise or Pain? Why is the world the way it is?
Why is the world the way it is? If God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and loving, would He really create a world like this? (filled with oppression, suffering, death and cruelty) Answer

“VOTING” FOR MOVIES—Every time you buy a movie ticket or rent a video you are casting a vote telling Hollywood “That’s what I want.”

God

How can we know there’s a God? Answer

What if the cosmos is all that there is? Answer

If God made everything, who made God? Answer

Is Jesus Christ God? Answer

Click here to watch THE HOPE on-line!
Discover God’s promise for all people—told beautifully and clearly from the beginning. Discover The HOPE! Watch it on Christian Answers—full-length motion picture.
Sex outside marriage

PURITY—Should I save sex for marriage? Answer

fornication in the Bible

marriage in the Bible

Is formalized marriage becoming obsolete? Answer

Sex, Love and Relationships
Learn how to make your love the best it can be. Christian answers to questions about sex, marriage, sexual addictions, and more. Valuable resources for Christian couples, singles and pastors.
Violence

FILM VIOLENCE—How does viewing violence in movies affect families? Answer

Featuring Ben AffleckBruce Wayne / Batman
Henry CavillKal-El / Clark Kent / Superman
Amy AdamsLois Lane
Jesse EisenbergLex Luthor
Diane LaneMartha Kent, Clark’s adoptive mother
Laurence FishburnePerry White, the editor-in-chief of The Daily Planet
Jeremy IronsAlfred Pennyworth, Bruce Wayne’s chief of security and trusted confidant
Michael ShannonZod
Kevin CostnerJonathan Kent
Patrick WilsonPOTUS
Holly Hunter … Senator Finch
Gal GadotDiana Prince / Wonder Woman, an Amazon princess and 5,000-year-old demigoddess daughter of Zeus
Carla GuginoShip Voice (voice)
Scoot McNairy … Wallace Keefe
Callan Mulvey … Anatoli Knyazev
See all »
Director Zack Snyder — “Man of Steel” (2013), “Sucker Punch” (2011), “300” (2007)
Producer Warner Bros.
Atlas Entertainment
DC Comics
See all »
Distributor
Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures. Trademark logo.
Warner Bros. Pictures
, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company

Too dark, brutal, scary, violent and unrelentingly bleak—joyless and empty

Batman is angry. Superman is angry. But whom are they angry at? Each other. Yes, a civil war has exploded as Batman and Superman share the silver screen in Zack Snyder’s “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” Following a destructive battle in the city of Metropolis, Superman, aka Clark Kent (Henry Cavill), has become a very controversial figure. He has especially caught the eye of Batman, aka Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) who blames Superman for the destruction of the city. But Clark Kent begins to have suspicions about Bruce Wayne and seeks out what plans he may have up his sleeve.

Meanwhile, Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) has plans of his own. Wicked, dark plans. Beginning to side with Wayne, Luthor seeks a way to destroy Superman for good by recovering pieces of kryptonite. Killing Batman is of second importance. As Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) enter the picture, the tension continues to rise as both friends and enemies are made, and vengeance is sought out.

“Batman v Superman” is a pretty messy picture—overlong, bloated, and somewhat confusing. Sure, the action scenes are well shot and edited, but there are too many, as director Zack Snyder focuses way too much on the action and does not give enough attention to the story. After about half an hour, I started to think, “What on Earth is going on?” With only two storylines merging into one, the film began to feel like it had multiple subplots. Yet, it didn’t. Henry Cavill makes a great Superman, and Ben Affleck is a surprisingly solid Batman. Jesse Eisenberg, on the other hand, was greatly miscast as Lex Luthor. “Batman v Superman” is just CGI overkill despite some great cinematography and impressive editing. The film could have easily been cut down to two hours, and, after explosion after explosion, I realized I should have brought my sunglasses into the theater. Zack Snyder has officially become the Michael Bay (the “Transformers” series) of comic book films.

The film slopes into some dark, violent territory, profane language, and some sensuality. Many characters wear skin tight/formfitting outfits, and, on a handful of occasions, women wear low cut and backless dresses. Some shirtless men are displayed on screen, and, as expected, Wonder Woman’s outfit is a bit suggestive as it reveals much skin. A bare corpse is seen a few times, but its private areas are obscured. A couple kiss on a few occasions, Bruce Wayne gets out of bed with a woman in it (both are completely covered, and he’s unmarried), and Lois Lane is seen in the bathtub. There is no nudity, but the scene is lengthy, as Clark enters the scene and eventually jumps into the tub with her fully clothed. The scene cuts away quickly, though. Also, Clark and Lois live together, but are not married.

The language is brief, but profane, as God’s name is abused about four times (paired with d**n twice) and Christ’s name is abused thrice. The s-word is clearly heard once and another may have been quickly and quietly said. Around a half-dozen or so milder profanities and vulgarities pop up like h*ll, d**n, b**ch, and p**s. The phrase “Son of a *****” is cut short.

There is no smoking in the film, and alcohol consumption is limited to a couple of scenes.

But the violence. Oh, the violence. It is very heavy indeed, yet mostly bloodless, while there is much frenetic gunplay, including mammoth machine guns and numerous car chases and explosions. There are tons of intense fist fights with characters being thrown left and right, smashing into walls and falling off buildings. The body count is very high, and many characters get pummeled and hit with heavy weaponry. A boy’s parents are both shot right in front of him (off-screen), and the same boy is later swarmed by an army of bats.

A man’s legs are crushed by a heavy piece of metal, another is executed (off-screen), and a couple guys get branded with Batman’s symbol. Some injured characters are seen on screen and have many scrapes, bruises and some bloody wounds. An entire city nearly gets completely demolished, as well. In one scene, Batman destroys just about everything in his sight, as he drives through dark city streets. A car glides into a truck filled with gasoline. No need to say anymore there. A protester carries a sign with a noose attached to a dummy of Superman. An intense and bloody underground, glove-less boxing match takes place, characters get trapped in a building fire, and a space rocket explodes after take-off. Superman burns numbers of things with his heat vision, and characters get gassed a few times.

Almost done. I promise. An image appears to be electrocuted into a form of being in an experiment, a frightening bat image pops out in front of a character, and another character gets cut in the face. One other intentionally cuts his own hand. I must also mention that a character gets his arm broken, another hit hard with a very heavy object, and a bad guy gets stabbed with one of Batman’s bat-wings. Another character gets stabbed in the chest with a knife, and two more are impaled. One bloodless wound is revealed. A grotesque creature evolves, and apparently molts and unleashes nuclear energy. A character’s face begins to deform, some people nearly drown, and photos of a tortured woman are briefly seen, as well.

There are quite a few frightening and unsettling images that may bother some viewers. The monster at the climax of the film is very frightening, some images of corpses, although not graphic, may be unsettling, and one character is a double amputee.

“Batman v Superman” contains some spiritual elements, as well. First off, if you saw “Man of Steel,” it can be very easy for some to see Superman as a form of savior. In “Batman v Superman,” many people ask just that. Where did Superman come from? Is he a god? An alien? One man goes as far as to graffiti “False god” on a monument. Many look up to Superman as their redeemer and protector, but, at the same time, many see him as a potential threat to the world. Batman certainly thinks so. Lex Luthor lacks faith in God. He even goes as far to say that God cannot be both good and all powerful, at the same time. In other words, Lex views God as just as flawed as any human being. Luke 18:19 and Isaiah 45:7 say differently. Lex continues his psychopathic conversations by telling characters that God bends to his own personal will and that if “man can’t kill God, the devil will do it.” He claims that devils fall out of the sky and do not come from below. 2 Corinthians 11:14 says “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”

”Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the Earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.” —1 Chronicles 29:11 (ESV)

It appears that characters do believe in a Transcendent, but are unsure of who He actually is. As I mentioned, some begin to wonder if Superman is, in fact, God. My personal impression of Lex Luthor is that he views man as their own personal god. Obviously, Lex’s evil plans don’t go on as he expects them to be, and his flawed philosophy of God and a Higher Power are crushed. But the film mainly asks questions and does not provide any answers, leaving the audience empty and confused. Here lies the very problematic spiritual message in “Batman v Superman.”

“You shall have no other gods before me.” —Exodus 20:3

“Batman v Superman” has some very good positive themes, though, as characters admit to failure, friendships are made, and the blessing of parents is highly cherished. Characters commit to teamwork and begin to realize that they cannot handle certain situations all on their own. There are a couple of tender moments, as Superman looks to his mom for advice and envisions receiving wisdom from his deceased father. Overall, the value of family and friendships is greatly respected. Superman is a very selfless character and cares much about the people and community. Self-sacrifice plays a big role in this story. A man says a prayer, a woman crosses herself, and another character says “May God have mercy on us all.” “Amazing Grace” is played during a funeral service.

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” —John 15:13

“No one stays good in this world,” says Superman. He is right… to a degree. There is no possible way for us to be good as fallible human beings. Only God is good. Luke 18:19 explains this perfectly. We cannot stay good, because we were, well, never good to begin with—being born into a sinful world. However, one man was good. Always good. Sinless. Blameless. His name: Jesus. Remember His words from the Gospel of John:

“…I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” —John 3:16

Superman can be seen as a Christ-figure, as he cares about the people of this world so much that he is willing to sacrifice his own life for them. However, this treads into dangerous water, since Superman can be seen as a god placed before the one true God. When people seek help, the only one who can truly help them is the Creator of the Universe.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” —Psalm 121:1-2

All this being said, I do not recommend “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” due to its heavy, continuous dosages of frenetic action violence, momentary profane language, sensuality, and problematic spiritual messages. This film is a dark journey that both Christians and young audiences should certainly stay away from. There may be some great positive themes and storytelling elements to applaud here, but one does not need to sit through a two and a half hour feature filled with almost non-stop violence taking place within a dark and dreary fictitious world.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” —John 1:5

Violence: Heavy to extreme / Profanity: Moderate / Sex/Nudity: Moderate to heavy

Editor’s Note: Director’s Cut DVD version is rated “R for sequences of violence” and has different content than the PG-13 theatrical version.

Superman and Jesus Christ—our interview with author Stephen Skelton concerning parallels between the popular, fictional superhero and the Son of God

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—I saw this movie at an early screening, and I have to say that I was more than impressed with the moviemaking quality! But parents be wary when letting your child see this movie. It isn’t geared for kids under the age of 13, hence the PG-13 rating! There are themes of Superman being a “god,” and this is what may get younger children confused with what’s real… Plus there is a good amount of action violence, but this is what you can expect from a superhero movie. Hardly any language, and the “sensuality” was kept at a minimum.

Overall, this movie is okay for adults and teenagers who are firmly grounded in their beliefs of what’s right and what’s wrong.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Average / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Edward Macamond, age 45 (United Kingdom)
Positive—“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” was just as, if not more, violent as this film, having just as many disturbing images… Violence, sensuality, skin tight revealing clothing… the same issues yet, BvS gets a bad review and a morality bashing… Secondly, these characters are in flux, as this universe is just getting started. Everyone wants something different: “DC should contrast itself with Marvel by embracing the dark gritty Nolanesque concept”. Well, they did… and now they’re getting slammed for having less humor and a darker edge. The problem is not Snyder or DC/WB, the problem is a pretentious, snarky, self important population who feel they are entitled to everything and anything they want, and if they don’t get the item they want, EXACTLY THE WAY THEY WANT IT, they try to destroy the presenter. See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Good / Moviemaking quality: 4
Bill, age 51 (USA)
Positive—BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE is a terrific sequel to MAN OF STEEL, which I strongly recommend you watch again before viewing this film, and it does a clever job of laying the groundwork for SUICIDE SQUAD (coming this August), WONDER WOMAN (due out next summer), JUSTICE LEAGUE-PART ONE, JUSTICE LEAGUE-PART TWO and two or three solo Batman films. There is a lot of action and a brief scene of sensuality (about twenty minutes into the picture; no nudity, but very close). To say anymore would ruin the surprises in store.

See it either in IMAX or IMAX 3-D. Either way, you will get the best experience the cinema can offer. Obviously, this motion picture, like MAN OF STEEL, is not for the little ones, due to the intense action sequences, moderate profanity (including several unnecessary profane uses of God’s Name), and brief sensuality. Best to show them SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE, which stars the quintessential Superman: Christopher Reeve, and the definitive Superman theme by John Williams. I do not recommend the theatrical cut of SUPERMAN II, as it has several innuendos that are inappropriate for children (despite the PG rating); stick with SUPERMAN II: THE RICHARD DONNER CUT, and skip the two sequels, Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace.

The last thing I will say is that Warner Brothers will release an extended R-rated cut of the film in around three to four months containing thirty more minutes of footage.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5
D, age 30 (USA)
Positive—I’ve seen “Batman v. Superman” twice and got a better understanding after the second viewing. Yes, it’s dark, but with Batman’s history I can see why. He’s not called the Dark Knight for nothing! I was able to look beyond the objectionable content and focus more on the dilemma of Superman wanting to help others while being despised and rejected. There were many spiritual overtones in the film which were quite obvious and probably grievous to some who hate any reference to the religious in a movie. While I cannot give the highest rating, I do feel it warrants at least one viewing.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 4
Reba, age 50+ (USA)
Neutral
Neutral—…First, I want to say that this is the first time I’ve ever left a comment on ChristianAnswers.Net and I really like the idea of a Web site like this. As Christians, we often have a greater sensibility to the level of moral content produced in Hollywood movies than Hollywood cares to be mindful of. So I would give financial support to ChristianAnswers.Net just because of this rare and much needed service. I love you guys.

Now to the movie. Where do I begin? Let it be known that I enjoy Superman, Batman, and the whole DC universe for the most part. I also enjoyed the more recent Superman and Batman movies (“Superman Returns,” “Man of Steel,” and the Christopher Nolan “Dark Knight” trilogy), though they weren’t without their problems. That’s why my largely negative critique of Batman v Superman (BvS) is a reflection of my overall disappointment with the way director Zack Snyder’s bad movie decisions (as I see it) are ruining my childhood likes, bit by bit. I feel as though a movie called “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” would have been the easiest movie to make enjoyable from start to finish. And although there were several moments I enjoyed, those moments were ultimately obscured by the things I always hated in Zack Snyder films, and, sadly, those things I hated were more conspicuous and frequent than ever.

I hate how Snyder makes everybody talk in a similar way. Batman is supposed to be hardened by Gotham. Got it. So he talks the way he does—profanity and all. Superman, who is always this ideal figure (yes, even somewhat of a Jesus figure) is not as much the hardened character that Batman is in the movie admittedly. But besides Super explicitly taking issue with Batman’s vigilante-style of justice, his character otherwise is not portrayed in a stark-enough contrast to Batman’s personality, I’d say. The prominent lady senator sounds a lot like how Lois did in “Man of Steel”—profanity and all—which I hated in this movie’s prequel. You really can tell that it’s a Snyder film just from the way everybody talks. Everybody always comes across like they are trying so hard to show how tough they are in Snyder films—as if they’re saying, “Look at me, I’m no pushover.” This is something I’ve noticed for years in his films, and I believe it takes away from the movie. Just let the characters be comparable to the diversity of personalities found in any given population; this is what I would tell Snyder. See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Very Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 5
Joshua, age 30 (Canada)
Neutral—As a huge fan of the comic books, I went into this movie with solid knowledge of the background of the characters and story. And let me say that I’m not one of those comic book fanatics who throws a fit at every small oversight or change to detail. But that being said, Zach Snyder’s direction left much to be desired. Overall, too much was introduced too soon with little explanation.

A few examples: Doomsday was a confused mess (no explanation of cause or background). The dreams Batman was having (where he was visiting his parents” tomb) are his vision about the coming of Darkseid (not explained). The Flash was trying to tell Batman something in one of his dreams (not explained). And furthermore, Superman’s moral code wasn’t clearly established (or effectively contrasted with Batman’s), which is important in the continuing story (as the film is supposed to be a prequel for the Justice League, which is headed by Superman). See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4
Marin, age 36 (USA)
Neutral—“Batman vs. Superman” is a good superhero film. Batman and Superman fighting each other makes any DC Comics fan want to go see it. The movies has a lot of good fights scenes and an average story.

My problem with the movie is how they talk about god and how it’s pretty negative view of god. When Lex Luther said if god is all powerful he can’t be all good if god is all good he can’t be on powerful. I find that to be offensive, and I can’t understand why DC allowed the film to be so anti-god. Please pray for DC Comics.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Joshua, age 25 (USA)
Negative
Negative—Boring. For two of the biggest names in super-hero-world, I expected a lot more. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I fought to stay awake through the first 80% of the movie. It didn’t get interesting until the end, and the closing curtain scene was so subtle that I bet most people missed the foreshadowing of future events in the timeline. Also, this version of both Superman and Batman was much more violent than anything in the comic books. It was completely out of character in many scenes.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 3
Chrystal, age 39 (USA)
Negative—I am a fan of the previous Batman and Superman-films (the Dark Knight-trilogy and “Man of Steel” film), so I looked forward to this film with great anticipation. I was quite disappointed for 3 reasons: 1. God’s Name was taken in vain at least 3 times. Was this really necessary??? Why? Why? Why? 2. It is said in the film that God is either all-powerful, but not all-good or He is all-good, but not all-powerful. It sends out the wrong message. God can and is both all-powerful and all-good. ***SPOILER*** 3. Superman died in the end of the film. This is NOT the way that I would like the film to end. ***END SPOILER***

I am a Superman-fan and it is on a depressing note that this film ends for me. Watch at your own risk!
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 5
Renier, age 36 (South Africa)
Negative—This show has explicit religious overtones and constant references. Both Batman and Superman are shown to be good characters that seek, with pure, altruistic motives, to fight crime and rescue people from evil. Superman, true to his character, doesn’t hunt down evil but rather simply stops evil in progress. Batman, however, does actively track down and seek out the bad guys, branding each in the process with a hot iron. In this sense, Batman is clearly a vigilante with questionable tactics, unlike Superman. However, the show demonstrates very clearly how even pure acts of heroism can be twisted and construed as evil themselves. This is a clear message in the movie. It sets the stage for Superman to doubt the goodness of Batman, and for Batman to doubt the goodness of Superman.

Interestingly, Superman tries to stop Batman without hurting him. In return, Batman tries to stop Superman by attempting to kill him. Yes, there are two good guys fighting each other, because they think the other is bad. Confused? Yes. And it’s not just the characters that are confused. I think most people who watch this show will also feel confused. See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4½
Tim, age 30 (Australia)
Neutral—I’m a Christian and an unpaid film critic, I have not seen this movie yet, this post is a reply to a reviewer’s post—the guy said that ***SPOILER*** Clark Kent’s mother presented the ring to Lois Lane AFTER he died, after they’ve already been living together unmarried, now the guy commented that it is the wrong way around, and it is sin. —That is 100% correct, the problem I have with that comment is isn’t it better late than never?! Yes, they were fornicating, but at least now Clark is willing to do the right thing, there’s always room for second chances, as we all know God gives every human being chance after chance to get right with Him and to live right.
Nadine, age 32 (United Kingdom)
Negative—I grew up with the Batman and Superman story, almost all my life. I went to see an action movie of two of my favorite characters. But last night, I was in shock to see that there is an agenda, and it has been made clear since the “Man of Steel,” and now with this movie “Dawn of Justice.” I was overwhelmed by the amount of things that had to do with this film trying to challenge God and His word to the max. The religious remarks where extremely offensive, because it is only trying to make God look bad through these characters, or, which is worse, even trying to make them look like God, and the profanity, using God’s name, was too much.

Feeble man and his continuous attempts to think that God can be taken out of the equation are going to pay off pretty soon with a complete defeat. People bowing down and touching Superman in Mexico when he saved that little girl can tell you that was what they were trying to project during the movie, that Superman is a savior, and he is to be worshiped.See all »
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 5
Ozzie Barletta, age 57 (USA)
Negative—Boooorrrring. I love Batman, and expected this movie to be at least entertaining. No. It was dull, boring, cheap plot, and the characters weren’t on par with the originals. It was as if the makers of this film were trying to over emulate Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy (which is unbeatable). I didn’t have high expectations of this movie, but at least expected to be entertained.

What made this movie go from bad to worse was that there was an unnecessary scene of Lois in a tub with nothing on, barely covering her breasts. And I was in the theater with my younger brothers, and glanced to see them covering their eyes (proud moment there). The scene prolonged longer than it should be, the movie opened with a man dying and praying. Which I thought, “That’s awesome!” But no longer than 5 minutes later is the movie clogged with Christ’s name in vain more than a dozen times. The violence lagged, and there was nothing new to it.

I love action movies, but this I considered to be watching a video game on demo.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 2½
Paulina, age 22 (USA)
Negative—I had to get up and leave. The movie was highly offensive, with an anti-God agenda.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 3
Ja, age 51 (USA)
Negative—These have gotten SO dark, long gone are the days that Superman was just this good guy with freakish powers trying to help people, that people looked up to. I can’t believe how many times they talked about God and the devil though, and most of it was off, anyway. And to continue to refer to Superman as this Christ-like being is ridiculous. Also, because they make him more human, by having him in a relationship. And they had to show him with his shirt off a few times, as well as kissing his girlfriend.

Jesus is holy and pure and IS God and did not need any human relationships like that. Also, the movie was SO long, lots of talking. The acting and action was good to keep you interested, and, even though the movie was pretty stupid, it was interesting with the way the filmed it. I was totally shocked that when they were fighting and almost killing each other, it was a mother’s name that softened their hearts, and they became best buds. For such a manly, intense, violent movie, I couldn’t believe they put that in there.
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 3
Stephanie, age 41 (USA)
Comments from young people

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Movie Critics
…Big but not fun… lumbering steamroller… The solemn, grandiose atmosphere is severely disrupted by Luthor, portrayed by Eisenberg… intensely annoying… Loaded with vocal ticks and gushing with smarmy ripostes and threats, the character is loathsome without an ounce of insidious charm…
Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter
…the most incoherent blockbuster in years… Marvel can rest easy. Zack Snyder’s superhero spectacle is a meatheaded, humourless mess that squanders its cast and makes little sense…
Robbie Collin, The Telegraph
…This overlong and humorless slugfest may knock you unconscious. …[1½/4]
Rafer Guzmán, Long Island Newsday
…For a film so concerned with its characters’ inner lives, there’s a fundamental disconnect going on here—enough to make you yearn for the lighter touch of the Marvel films…
Andrew Pulver, The Guardian (UK)
not much fun… Batman v Superman’ lunges for greatness instead of building toward it: It’s so top heavy with false portent that it buckles under its own weight. …
Stephanie Zacharek, Time
…about as diverting as having a porcelain sink broken over your head… overstuffed and preposterous… The theology is invoked not to elicit meditations on mercy, justice or sacrifice, but to buttress a spectacle of power. …
A.O. Scott, The New York Times
…a burdensome 150-minute slog about two men fighting over who is in the right when both are very clearly in the wrong…
Matt Singer, Screencrush
Yawn of justice… Snyder is not without skills, or ideas, but when a critic finds himself at odds with almost every aspect of a director’s visual approach to material like this, material like this becomes pretty joyless. …
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
…the life-or-death battle between the two icons ultimately comes down to a series of misunderstandings. …That this very long, very brooding, often exhilarating and sometimes scattered epic succeeds as often it does therefore has to be seen as an achievement…
Andrew Barker, Variety
…Constantly threatening to collapse from self-seriousness, this epic has way too much of everything, including CGI and Oscar winners up the wazoo.…
Jake Coyle, Associated Press
…That face-off between two comics legends becomes but one in a series of big things bashing into other big things, which is what Snyder and writers Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer mistake for storytelling. …
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
overstuffed and undercooked… the experience is rather empty… “Batman v Superman” is an exhausting showdown… a smash to the senses, the same way being tossed around in a rollover car accident would jolt one’s system. …
Adam Graham, The Detroit News

PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.