Fearing the actions of Superman are left unchecked, Batman takes on the man of steel, while the world wrestles with what kind of a hero it really needs. With Batman and Superman fighting each other, a new threat, Doomsday, is created by Lex Luthor. It's up to Superman and Batman to set aside their differences along with Wonder Woman to stop Lex Luthor and Doomsday from destroying Metropolis. (from IMDB.com)

Ever since Marvel's Avengers smashed box office records in 2012, DC comics has wanted a piece of that blockbuster pie. It soon set in motion DC's plans for their own cinematic universe. And with 2013's lukewarm reception of the underrated Man of Steel, the first piece of foundation was laid. But instead of methodically building it carefully piece by piece, 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice serves as a proverbial dump truck to unload a pile of groundwork in an effort to pave the road toward next year's Justice League (Part One).

There's so much packed into BvS that it's difficult to even know where to start here. For those hoping for a sequel to Man of Steel, BvS does try to wear that hat as well, taking place 18 months after the film and showing the impact Superman's battle with Zod had on Metropolis and the world around it. They use this as a springboard to introduce the latest Batman, now played by Ben Affleck, ushering him officially into this new DC cinematic universe. The film opens by placing Bruce Wayne in Metropolis during the epic finale of Man of Steel, and it kickstarts the caped crusader's beef with the Kryptonian hero. The world admires and celebrates Superman now, but a staged massacre in the desert paints our hero as a villain, and it begins turning the world against Superman. And once another act of terrorism misrepresents Superman yet again, it's the final straw that breaks the proverbial camel's back for Batman, and the two are manipulated into facing off.

And that's really why this movie exists, isn't it? While it's tough to watch two heroes try to fight to the death, there's also something just plain exciting about it. I'm firmly on the side of Superman any time (although, admittedly, if Bale had continued as Batman into this movie, I would have been too invested in his version of the character to quickly dismiss him for a complete allegiance to Supes). But Man of Steel only cemented my good vibes towards the character of Superman, and it was certainly bittersweet to see the two engage in a knock-down, drag-out wall-smashing brawl. Frankly, their tussle is worth the price of admission alone -- as it should be -- even if the outcome comes to a sudden and somewhat perplexing conclusion.

As a whole, however, from start to finish, Batman v Superman is plagued with any number of problems. Was it entertaining? Oh my gosh, yes! Quite so. But is it a hot mess? Also an emphatic yes. Watching the story play out is kind of like watching a 5-year-old boy play with toys; maybe the plot is more sensical, but the ADD exhibited here in the way the story skips from one thought to the next and back again is almost dizzying. It's a little exhausting, but in the same way two-and-a-half hours at an amusement park can be too. Superhero fans are already pretty invested in these characters, so it's exhilarating to see a story like this unfold. But let's not forget that Avengers had four full-length films leading up to it: Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger. These films--which varied in quality but were all still pretty good even at their "weakest"--were a thoughtful way to win audiences over and set up Avengers properly. Batman v Superman--which reintroduces Batman, introduces Wonder Woman, and tries to tease The Flash, Cyborg, and Aquaman too--is just trying too hard to play catchup to Marvel.

How do the newcomers fare? Jesse Eisenberg is entertaining as Lex Luthor, but he seldom really feels like "Lex Luthor." My wife, Amy, pointed out that he reminded her of Heath Ledger's Joker, and I had to agree, and then I read another article tonight that complained he was a "Joker rip-off." While he's nowhere near the quality of a villain or performance as Ledger's turn as the maniacal clown, Eisenberg still seemed to be the appropriate, manipulative foil for Batman and Superman in this story--even if several moments seriously screamed "Ledger's Joker." Jeremy Irons has some big shoes to fill as Bruce Wayne's Alfred, after Michael Caine turned in my favorite performance of the character. However, Irons did a more than admirable job, returning to the more techy version of the character--and he offered up some of the film's very few laughs. And how was Ben Affleck as Batman? Just typing that concept conjurs up bad memories of the realization that George Clooney made a terrible Batman, but believe it or not, Affleck was actually quite good as an aged and experienced Batman and Bruce Wayne. I have to admit I was impressed. The silliness that Bale unintentionally brought to Batman at times (his gruff voice and dramatic enunciations, for example), were replaced with some pretty committed acting from Affleck. In some ways, he's too good for this particular movie.

But man, the story... in trying to do too much at once, the story is all over the place. I have read some complaints that the story relies too much on convenience - like Gotham being a stone's throw from Metropolis or that Superman has really great selective hearing for keeping Lois safe at every turn. Even the ironic fact that loner Bruce Wayne/Batman would be the catalyst for roping together the Justice League seems kind of odd. Also, with so much going on, we have Luthor playing Dr. Frankenstein to create a monster -- which comic book fans are familiar with -- that becomes the uber-villain for the film's climax. It all leads up to the treatment of an iconic scenario that still packs an emotional wallop for those who are really invested in the characters, but doesn't give the scenario the conflict or resolution it so truly deserves. It SHOULD have the same caliber and intensity as pitting Superman and Batman against each other, but it feels like it's over far too soon after you realize what's being set up here. It's just poorly handled and unsatisfying (Think the way Venom was treated for Spider-Man 3 and you might start to get a feel for what I mean).

As far as content goes, Dawn of Justice is extremely dark. From beginning to end, it's just dark, heavy and brooding. You're having each hero hating each other for some good reasons and some really unfair reasons. There's also a great deal of death on screen. Whether it's a dream sequence or an actual, physical fight, we see terrorists gunning down people, Batman fighting rather brutally in hand-to-hand combat, a long car chase with explosions and vehicles getting smashed, and even another Batman movie giving viewers a flashback of Bruce's parents' death. And if that all isn't enough, we even get flashbacks to these flashbacks and other violent moments. There's very little blood seen in the movie, but we see the bat signal burned into the flesh of a couple of Batman's victims, a man who's lost his leg in the aftermath of city-wide destruction, a bloody cut on Superman's cheek, Lex cutting his own hand to draw blood and other kind of rough moments (including a character who's impaled with kind of bloody results). In addition, there is some language, with most of it being blasphemy, including 3 uses of Jesus' name, and several of God's (including "g*dd*mn"), and at least 1 use of the "S" word. Finally, there's a scene where Clark talks to Lois while she sits naked in a bathtub (we see the tops of her bare breasts peeking out of the water), and then he climbs in there with her (while he's clothed).

It's a shame that Dawn of Justice is as muddled as it is. Director Zack Snyder uses dream sequences far too often in the film to tell parts of the story or try to establish Bruce's motivation against Superman. From the first dream sequence where a young Bruce is carried out of a well by flying bats (which you don't know is a dream sequence right away), to Bruce having a nightmare about a world where Superman has his own army and mows down the opposition with his heat vision, it's just all too much. Cutting most of these dream sequences out would have made the film feel a bit less chaotic (even though one of them might be hinting at things to come in future movies, but as it is here, it's just noise). I was also surprised to see that Batman--who spent three movies as part of Christopher Nolan's series refusing to kill anyone--is a killer here. We see his vehicle crush and kill several villains while he shoots and stabs many others, clearly lethally too. And after having Superman breaking Zod's neck in Man of Steel upset so many people 3 years ago, it surprises me that Snyder would choose to have Batman be a killer here too. Also, I have to mention, it's fascinating to me that the film released on Good Friday. Lex frequently refers to Superman as a god and man battling god, and the world needing a savior. And there's also more than one death and resurrection reference in the story. Even if it's just a marketing ploy, it's really curious to note the placement of this film. Even Man of Steel had blatant symbolism about Superman and relating that to faith and Jesus.

While Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is ultimately a hot mess, it was highly entertaining. However, repeat viewings could make or break the film for me. I'm curious to see if it holds up or if its shortcomings drag it down even more. If you don't mind your superhero movies being massively flawed, you won't want to miss this on the big screen. But if you're hoping for a strong, well-constructed superhero epic, be a hero yourself and save your money. For parents tempted to bring the kids to this one, please be advised that it's very violent, very dark, and not one you'll want to take the kids to. If the violence doesn't overwhelm them, the scary dream sequences will certainly do it.

- John DiBiase (reviewed: 3/25/16)

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is available in a 3D Blu-Ray/2-Disc 2D Blu-Ray/Digtial combo pack, a Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital combo pack, 2-disc DVD, and a 4K/Blu-Ray/Digital combo pack, as well as separately through the usual digital movie providers. We're reviewing the 3D combo pack, which also includes a code to get digital copies for both the "Ultimate Edition" cut and the theatrical version.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 3D (2 hours, 31 minutes) - It's kind of a bummer now that only the theatrical version is in 3D on this edition. However, the 3D is only decent to pretty good. I've definitely seen better 3D films, so I'm not sure this would be worth splurging on. Still, the most fun 3D sequence is the iconic Batman versus Superman fight, so it might still be worth it for some fans.

In addition to the theatrical film on a 2D Blu-Ray disc are the following special features:

Uniting the World's Finest (15:05) - The first featurette talks about getting Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman on screen together for the first time -- and we're treated to some footage of clips from Wonder Woman's upcoming solo film. We then are introduced to Aquaman, Flash, Cyborg and then Suicide Squad, and learn about that villainous team.

Gods and Men: A Meeting of Giants (12:28) - Here he hear about the history of the two heroes and when they first appeared in comics together and separately. It also takes a long look into who these characters are and why they've endured through the years.

The Warrior, The Myth, The Wonder (21:16) is dedicated to bringing Wonder Woman to the big screen, in this film and in her upcoming 2017 solo film. It delves deep into the history of the comic book character, her stint featured in a TV show, the evolution of the character through the years, what she symbolizes, and what her future looks like.

Accelerating Design: The New Batmobile (22:46) - The designers of the new Batmobile gather to talk about conceptualizing and designing the new car. We see various testing of it functionally, and watch them test drive it through its various stages of completion. We also learn here that the car weighs a whopping 8,500 lbs! Extreme Sports Commentator Sal Masekela gets to test drive it here too and you can tell he has a blast. The featurette concludes with some behind the scenes footage of the big car chase in the film.

Superman: Complexity & Truth (7:08) - The next three featurettes dive into the individual superheros with their costume design and characteristics. This one covers Clark Kent's wardrobe and the new, updated Superman suit. Henry Cavill talks about the complexity of shooting the big fight with Batman in the rain as well.

Batman: Austerity & Rage (8:15) covers Bruce Wayne's suits as well as Batman's suit and where his comfort lies between the two. The featurette also talks about Batman's new gadgets, Ben Affleck's physique, and his suit designs (and the details in them).

Wonder Woman: Grace & Power (6:48) focuses on designing the suit, Gal Gadot becoming Wonder Woman, Gal's training for the role and Wonder Woman's various weapons.

Batcave: Legacy of the Lair (7:12) takes us to the indoor set of the new batcave and shows us how they built it in a studio. It then focuses on the technology we see inside the cave.

The Might and Power of a Punch (5:15) analyzes the first half of the fight between Batman and Superman, showing us stats of the weight of the punches and how far each character is thrown during the fight.

The Empire of Luthor (12:33) talks about the history of Lex Luthor as a character, Jesse Eisenberg's unique portrayal, and how Doomsday comes into play in the film (and compares to his comic book version).

Save the Bats (4:37) - This short video talks about how bats are suffering (and dying out) from White Nose Syndrome, which originated in Europe and has come over to the U.S. Bats help control the bug population in our eco system and are necessary for it. They hope to raise awareness about these endangered animals and hopefully save them from extinction.

- John DiBiase, (reviewed: 7/12/16)