My SPOILER-FREE Review Of BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE Screening

I want to start by saying I waited in line for 5+ hours for this screening. There were fans already lined up from 12:30pm earlier in the day. My excitement level dropped to about 15% during that 5 hour wait because I knew I'd hyperventilate if I was at 100. The line started moving and instantly my hype went back up. We sat in our seat. There were some rows reserved in the IMAX theater for press, too. It took 10 minutes before a WB rep walked in and asked us to turn our cell phones off because the rest of the world hadn't seen this movie yet and they wanted to save the magic for them, too. It took a second for that to sink in. The entire world is waiting to see this film and there are only a handful of screenings like this taking place before the actual release. It's been a long time coming. In the words of Drake, "We started from the bottom, now we here".

Opening Scene
The opening scene is a beautifully-choreographed piece of art. Zack understands drama, and this proves it.

Writing
This is something that's been relatively universal when it comes to gripes about Man Of Steel. The writing in Batman v Superman is incredible, to say the least. There's a ton of drama. Many of the lines are memorable (and not just the ones in the trailers). There's a few well-placed quips, which helps to break up the seriousness or gravity of the subject matter. I think the thing that BvS gets right is that it takes worldwide threats with a level of seriousness that you'd see in the real world. So the dialogue is dramatic enough to fit the subjects that BvS addresses.

Sen. Jane Finch
She's phenomenal. Holly Hunter brings a type of conviction to her role as a concerned senator that I don't think anyone else could have accomplished.

Mercy Graves
Tao Okamoto did great. I definitely want to see more of her in the future. I have a feeling she'll be in the R-Rated Director's Cut.

Batman
I walked away from this film and told my brother this: "After watching this film, I feel like Bale was an imposter setting us up for the reveal of the real Batman."

Now, understand me when I say TDK is still in my list of top 5 films of all time, but Ben Affleck's portrayal of Batman/Bruce Wayne is remarkable. His casting went the way of Heath Ledger. Completely unexpected and yet he nails the role with precision. I like to consider myself a pretty critical moviegoer, so if there's an actor I hate, I'll be honest about it (Amber Heard, not looking forward to her. I think she's wrong for Mera). So when I say I think Ben Affleck is the real Bat and Bale was just an imposter, his acting, his dialogue, his take on both the man of Bruce Wayne and the Dark Knight is unmistakably the best. 

Wonder Woman
There were a few times applause erupted in our screening. The one that I can tell you about, and the one that got the loudest applause, was when Diana Prince makes her first appearance as Wonder Woman (as is already seen in the trailer). It was honestly surreal seeing such an iconic comic book character come to life on the big screen.

The casting? Perfect. Gal Gadot embodied the character and emotion of Diana Prince. She's strong but holds conviction. She spoke elegantly but gave you the vibe that if she wanted to she could take you out. She was fearless in the best way. She was one of the major standouts for me.

Lex
Honestly, I don't want to say too much about him because there is a type of magic that comes along with seeing his character arc played out. Let me just say that what we all saw in the trailers was just the surface of his character. GO. SEE. THIS. FILM.

Superman
Everyone crapped on Cavill, but like Wonder Woman in BvS, they didn't want to reveal the full breadth of his character in MoS. BvS doesn't explore Clark as much as I'd like, but then again they had quite a few characters to cover. His Superman, however, is THE Superman. His emotion and care for humanity is absolutely apparent throughout the film. Cavill really understands Superman. It's so good. I won't say more than that.

Lois Lane
In my opinion she redeemed herself in this film, however, she's really the only casting that is kind of meh for me. She's good, but I don't need to see her in any other film except for maybe a few scenes where it makes sense for the story.

Other Cameos
Not going to say a word. :)

Final Thoughts
The subject matter is so heavy and the film is so in depth that one reaction post can't really cover everything, nor would I want it to. This is easily my favorite comic book movie, for me, better than TDK.

I want a solo Batman film after this.
If Wonder Woman in her solo film is anything like her role in BvS, it's going to win next year's fall box office
I want a 30 minute special on how Lex Runs his business and his "research" (you'll know what I mean eventually)
Justice League is going to be fantastic.

Rating
9/10

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Fearing the actions of a god-like Super Hero left unchecked, Gotham City’s own formidable, forceful vigilante takes on Metropolis’s most revered, modern-day savior, while the world wrestles with what sort of hero it really needs. And with Batman and Superman at war with one another, a new threat quickly arises, putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.