It’s in the first thirty minutes of “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” that the newest incarnation of Batman is born. Ben Affleck’s performance, heavily influenced by Frank Miller’s 1986 story “The Dark Knight Returns,” tells the tale of an aged crime fighter who has been patrolling Gotham City for nearly 20 years. 

Older, disheveled and still dealing with the pain brought on by the death of his partner, Robin, many years before, Affleck makes it clear from the get-go that his Batman does not cling to the morality the character is so well known for—in fact, he could be considered sadistic in the way he treats criminals. It’s the grim, gritty characterization of Bruce Wayne that makes Affleck’s performance as the billionaire vigilante the greatest to date. 

“I’m getting slow in my old age, Alfred.” Those are the opening words in one of the first on-screen interactions between Bruce Wayne and Alfred Pennyworth (Jeremy Irons) after the former returns from raiding a sex trafficking operation. 

“Even you grew too old to die young…not for lack of trying,” Alfred responds, receiving a glare in return. It’s the dynamic between Irons and Affleck where the script really shines, and it’s probably the most underused element of the film. 

Superman, the other half of the iconic heavyweight bout tagged as the highlight of this film, is still expertly portrayed by Henry Cavill, just as he was in “Man of Steel.” The dialogue assigned to the character though, especially his conversations with Lois Lane (Amy Adams), are particularly painful.

Marketing for the film made his motivations for taking on Batman entirely misleading, too. It initially came across that Superman’s conflict with Batman came to fruition because of philosophical differences, that Batman’s horrifying methods are so different from his that Superman would not stand for civil liberties to be trampled upon. 

His motivations end up becoming something entirely different, but that won’t be spoiled here. 

The film is badly edited. “Batman v. Superman” runs two and a half hours long, and viewers can tell a lot of scenes, and even sections of scenes, were cut from the theatrical release. This creates a mess when transitioning between scenes, and the way scenes are sequenced in the film makes it difficult at times to connect one moment to the next. 

The tone of the film has also been a point of criticism, but a point that this reviewer enjoyed. In a film that’s more Batman-centric than Superman, the tone fits. The character is darker, and the world the characters inhabit is equally bleak. 

The main villain of “Batman v. Superman” is Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg). Luthor, making his debut in the DC Cinematic Universe, acts as a driving force behind the plot and pushes it toward its climax. 

Eisenberg’s performance is pretty okay. It’s not great, but definitely not bad. The take on the character is quite unlike anything done before—he’s more insane than evil mastermind. His personal vendetta against Superman does not always make sense, but comic book fans will be able to fill in the blanks. 

Luthor’s plans attract the attention of Diana Prince (Gal Gadot), also known as Wonder Woman, who plays a smaller role. Her acting is a little wooden, but dressed in her Amazonian armor and taking part in action scenes is when she’s at her best. 

Overall, “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” is an action-packed thriller of a superhero film featuring the two most iconic heroes in American history. Its script is strong in some places but equally dumb in a lot of others. Couple that with horrible editing plus some ballsy decisions from the film’s creative team and you’ve got a clunky, jumbled mess of a movie.

To be clear: there are a lot of things wrong with this film. However, in the end, the positives do outweigh the negatives. Do not take children to see this film. The premise seems fun (it is not), but the dark religious themes and sometimes horrifying violence pushes its PG-13 rating. 

Score: 7/10—“Thumbs Up.”