I saw it last night and decided to sleep on it before writing any detailed impressions.
After the credits rolled, I expected to have an immediate reaction, something tangible and coherent, like bitter disappointment following MoS, or utter boredom after AoU. This time, I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't process what I had seen with all the conflicting thoughts and feelings.
Most of all, I couldn't come away to say, "Gaf, forget the reviews - this film is amazing." Nor could I actually tell others that it is a 'good' film, or bad film. But I knew that I felt exhausted - no film should be 2 and a half hours long, that's for certain.
Man of Steel had poor acting, poor character development, poor writing and poor editing (flash backs slowed the pace down). But it did at least feel like you were watching a coherent storyline unravel with each of the main characters having a defined role within that narrative. BvS has better writing and better acting overall, but it does not give the impression of a coherent narrative.
- We have Bruce Wayne and his storyline of growing weary and cruel,
- We have Bruce Wayne apparently wanting to kill Superman, a character the audience sympathise with
- We have Superman/Clark's antagonism towards Batman
- We have the debate surrounding Superman's continued existence.
- We have Lex
- And we have Diana's pursuit of Lex - a pursuit portrayed in evening dresses
And each of these, with the exception of Diana's story, are given almost equal focus even though they have very little to do with each other. That's my biggest criticism; the film lacks an identity or consistency until the very last Act when the Trinity actually join together, when Batman ceases his poorly defined, and really uncomfortable hatred for Superman.
So what does it do well?
This is the difficult part. Although those story lines felt poorly connected, separately, they were brilliant. I cannot tell you what scenes should have been removed or characters who deserved less screen time. Snyder responded to the criticism of the first film of having undeveloped characters by giving us a wonderful introduction to Bruce (omg, that opening sequence), by adding genuine depth to Superman's character (he was willing to kill for his mother - "no one stays good in this world").
When people talk about wanting Snyder gone, I try to imagine this film without that opening sequence, with the gorgeous lightening, without the countless cinematic shots and brilliant car chase, without that astonishing imagery of Batman fighting. There is no one that could have matched the visual character of this movie, and I think from that point of view, Snyder is absolutely the right person.
Where Snyder does need to be criticised for, however, is this: Jesse Einsenberg; the single most problematic component of this film. Firstly, I can appreciate the idea behind this interpretation of Lex, but he is often far too similar to the animated Joker. His giggling, his constant talking to himself, and the never-ending awkwardness is neither unnerving or threatening, but annoying enough that he punctures the pace and tone of the film whenever there is a scene with him. His constant allegories to Gods and devils reinforce the perception that he is a one dimensional character. Of all the things that I can be clear about in this film, is that Jesse Eisenberg was not the right choice. That much is obvious to me.
