David Owen’s review published on Letterboxd:
I was on the fence whether to give this 3 or 4 stars. There are obviously plenty of reasons to go low. It's probably too long and it's properly bonkers in parts (but did you really expect subtlety from Zack Snyder? Seriously?). But I couldn't help enjoying it. Affleck gives a solid two middle fingers to all of the fanboys who thought he would suck as Batman and delivers a Batman and Bruce Wayne that rival the best yet offered on celluloid.
I liked it's structure too. I know that sounds insane for a movie like this that almost seems to have none but as so many decried the final scenes of Man of Steel as bombastic and overly long etc etc it always made sense to me. Here is a guy with immense power having to wield it in the most inappropriate of places. Here Snyder seems to be using Batman as his ersatz audience member and taking them on a journey of understanding. Bruce Wayne stood by and watched helplessly as the city was destroyed and it's not until he creates a monster himself (by allowing his vengeance to fuel an obsession that Luthor uses to create a literal monster) that he realises how quickly things get out of hand regardless of how much power you think you wield over the situation.
This is an incredibly flawed film but one that really does not deserve the critical lashing it's receiving. I love a film maker who says screw you to the Internet because I so regularly feel exactly the same way. I had fun and that's exactly what I was looking for.