OK, I might slip out some SPOILERS so please read this after you have seen the movie.
First of all, a big thank you to Warner Bros. who invited all the fans to attend this IMAX fan screening before anyone else (except of course the premieres). I was very happy and giddy to watch the movie with the nerds in Batman and Superman suits fake fighting before the movie, applauding during the movie and clapping towards the end. I also managed to eavesdrop on two of the critics sitting besides me talking about other films they had reviewed.
Personally, I liked the movie but did not love it. I so wanted to. I would also assume since the movie started at 10 PM, I was really tired towards the end and wanted to go to sleep. :P Or it was just the overload of things happening in the film. I am just glad I did not have the distraction of 3D on top of it. The first act of the movie is wonderful and I loved it which got me even more pumped for the final act. The reasons for Batman's conflict with Superman are well explained and are very realistic if you think through. It felt more like a crime thriller theme to it. What would happen if you had a God-like being living among you especially after the events of Man of Steel? The movie does focus a bit more on Batman but that is expected since they have to set him up in this universe while we have an idea about Superman. But this does not take away the shots where Superman was the highlight struggling to find his place in the world hoping for it to accept him. Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill epitomize their respective characters excellently especially Ben Affleck who is the standout (And this is one of the problems this movie might have had). I had qualms about Jesse Eisenberg but he was good as Lex Luthor with character that lacked dimensions and his actions felt more like Batman's best enemy (you know who I am talking about). The fight sequences were excellent and boy does Wonder Woman kicks ass. Her entrance is one to look out for in the movie and the holy trinity together gave me the chills, so did the Batman Superman fight. I will reserve judgement of Gal Gadot as Diana Prince until her stand alone movie. I also loved how Zack and Co. just went for it in the final act and man they had the courage to put this one moment in the movie. (This scene looks cool but ultimately did not have the desired effect). It totally caught me off guard in a good way. The special effects are of course amazing to watch on screen.
Now talking about the final act, it did seem to have a lot of stuff crammed in. It was not the kind of bad that Amazing Spider Man 2 but I think I would have enjoyed this movie a whole lot more if it was just focused on Batman v Superman. I know WB have to go all gung-ho to setup their universe but these are two of the most iconic comic book characters of all time. The movie had two big superhero battles into one in what could easily have been put into other movies. It tried too hard to set everything up and I do think Zack Snyder's direction was not quite up to the mark. I liked it better in Man of Steel. Note: The editing was not quite up to the mark and therefore, the story arc suffered. We know from the trailers that Bruce and Clark talk but I wish there was more of a conversation between their alternate characters. I felt whatever reservations you had while watching the trailers might come true in the movie. I said before Henry did a good job but he wasn't as expressive as he was in Man Of Steel perhaps simply because he had so much more to do in that film. Finally, the reason why these two behemoths fight came down to a different reason than what it was building up to be from the start which was a bit off putting.
I am watching the movie again on Thursday with a fresh brain and I hope my opinion changes more towards the better.
[NOTE]
I watched it the second time and this movie is definitely worth watching and gets better the second time. The problems still remains as I explained before but there is so much to look at that is stunning which gets me even more excited to see the future movies. I suggest not thinking about the plot unfortunately and if you can do that you should enjoy this film. I would also recommend watching it a second time if you can afford. This might one of the most divisive film I have seen.
My overall score for the movie is a solid 7/10.
[NOTE]
I watched it the second time and this movie is definitely worth watching and gets better the second time. The problems still remains as I explained before but there is so much to look at that is stunning which gets me even more excited to see the future movies. I suggest not thinking about the plot unfortunately and if you can do that you should enjoy this film. I would also recommend watching it a second time if you can afford. This might one of the most divisive film I have seen.
My overall score for the movie is a solid 7/10.