Not too long ago, the entirety of the materializing DC Comics cinematic universe (now relabeled the DCEU) stood on the shoulders of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Not only did the film feature the introduction of Ben Affleck's Batman, but it also marked the first time Batman and Superman (Henry Cavill), two iconic characters, shared the screen in a live-action film. Already, this film was undoubtedly strong in its ambition to achieve great things for the DC universe, but the weight of the movie was further amplified by its status as a precursor to Justice League, which released last year to similarly divisive reception. Deviating from Marvel's approach, DC opted to release its large-scale team-up film prior to its heroes' solo films. This, of course, placed tremendous pressure on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to set up these characters.

Because of all this, the first half of the film strives to be four movies at once, all while setting up the titular battle between Batman and Superman. Suffering from an overload of ideas, act one stretches out extensively, but by sheer irony, only succeeds in explaining the motives of one character: Bruce Wayne. Batman's justification for his desire to destroy Superman --and yes, he does kill in this movie-- is established well throughout the film, but the reason for the superheroes' reconciliation (in case you forgot, it was the fact that both heroes' moms were named Martha) was outright laughable.

Included as a gateway to the shoehorned setup of the Justice League, Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) served her purpose as a pivotal character in the third act, assisting Batman and Superman in their fight against Lex Luthor's (Jesse Eisenberg) maniacal actions. This movie's Lex Luthor, apparently, is a cross between Mickey Mouse and Mark Zuckerberg, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. Actually, I am; that's pretty bad.

Zach Snyder's direction is far from spectacular, but its decency is almost refreshing amidst the disappointing aspects of storytelling at play in this movie. The film's harsh editing, however, is the true culprit when it comes to dissecting what caused the movie to drudge at an exhaustingly slow pace. The movie fails to pay off its own moments of set-up, and, as a result, many parts of the story (such as dream sequences and flashbacks) fall flat and come across as lazy writing.

Overall, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's dark and serious tone made its extensive plot tiring, but not even that could save the film from its other major stipulation-- an overload of plot elements. The film deserves its negative reception for its lackluster approach to what should have been a thrilling battle.

Warner Bros. and DC have dished out many of their most beloved properties right at the start of the universe with the intention of becoming a direct competitor to Marvel, which is already in its fourth phase of movies. Over time, this strategy has proven to be a major miscalculation, with every film (save for Wonder Woman) performing underwhelmingly both in quality and financial gain. Though the studio has a few more superhero films currently in the pipeline (namely Shazam and Aquaman), Warner Brothers has a pivotal decision to make: whether to refine its filmmaking process through new creative management, already having tainted the legacies of its most beloved characters, or to abandon the DCEU altogether. Evidently, I prefer the second outcome, but as for how DC will act, only time will tell.