Adu’s review published on Letterboxd:
Zack Snyder has always been a director that makes up for narrative shortcomings with visual and technical flair. In Batman v Superman, despite having sufficient time to lay out a streamlined plot he struggles to maintain an efficient pace and displays a weakness for laying out an epic and interesting story.
One of the highlights of the weaknesses I'm referring to comes in the form of a Bruce Wayne dream sequence that commences intriguingly and fragments of it would have even been a great addition to the actual story of the film. However, once you have had a chance to absorb it you realize it has no further threads and ends up being a pointless diversion in terms of placement and timing.
The film is instead kept buoyant through the sheer weight of the icons it is depicting, a thundering score and the general sound design; I don’t think Superman breaking the sound barrier can ever be done better than this (as was the case in Man of Steel).
While Henry Cavill remains reliable as Superman, Ben Affleck steals the show with his depiction of Bruce Wayne and Batman. He is ruthless, brings gravitas well above expectations, and may be the one character that can truly propel the DC cinematic universe to becoming a functional force; especially if Affleck can also manage to find a way to get behind the camera.
Jesse Eisenberg seems to be having the most fun with the material as he chews up the scenery with a strange but somehow compelling version of Lex Luther. Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), though used minimally, was convincing and exciting in her role. While she unites with the titular characters to fight another personality-lacking CGI creation in the end, she made it a cool moment
I didn’t mind the bleak tone and constantly brooding heroes, but a part of me did feels for kids who would be watching a film like this hoping to be wowed by these icons. This universe is rather joyless and missing the excitement or energy that would enthrall a kid waiting to see these magnificent characters on the big screen. I think a little more wit and ‘hero’ moments could easily invigorate that state of mind; but I'm not sure if the will to do that will ever see the light of day.
Overall, while I enjoyed Batman v Superman in parts, it was a movie I wanted to love. Perhaps the extended version Snyder has mentioned will restructure the narrative just enough to give the film a new appreciation.