Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is two and a half hours of messy battle spectacles with occasional maudlin scenes.

Prior to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'€™s premier, the major concern of comic fans was Ben Affleck, who they doubted could enliven the character of asocial conglomerate Bruce Wayne aka Batman.

Now that Batman v Superman has reached theaters, Affleck can sit back and relax, because it turns out the major problem of the movie is not his performance.

Zack Snyder'€™s Batman v Superman builds up the two heroes'€™ hostility utilizing their tormented past, the government'€™s concerns over Superman'€™s godlike powers and an evil plan devised by the odd version of Lex Luthor.

As we have seen in previous Batman movies, we will see again the tragic deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne, subsequently followed by the dramatic scene of their son, Bruce Wayne, tumbling into a bat-infested shaft.

The film swiftly fast-forwards several decades, when the grown-up Wayne finds his city devastated by the final showdown between Superman (Henry Cavill) and General Zod '€“ as seen at the climax of Snyder'€™s Man of Steel.

Wayne races to the city only to find his tower toppled, with hundreds of his workers inside it. He witnesses a girl become an orphan and his employee losing his legs.

Believing that Superman must be held responsible for the incident, Wayne utilizes his Batman costume and high-tech devices in his Batcave to pursue and punish Superman.

One hour of the movie is heavily focused on the inner life of Superman and Batman and the effort of a senate committee, headed by Senator Finch (Holly Hunter), to investigate the destruction caused by Superman.

Snyder seems to try to evoke the style of Christopher Nolan'€™s Batman films, presenting fight scenes in the background of smoke and dark sky. The fights are bone-crushing, but there'€™s nothing innovative about them.

Between the spectacle of fights, car racing and explosions the movie presents maudlin talk about the heroes'€™ personal problems and dilemmas. For Batman, it is about his haunting childhood trauma and nightmares. Meanwhile, Superman questions his identity: A powerful alien who is both feared and adored by the people.

While the heroes are busy with their personal problems, a young tech mogul, Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), devised '€œsilver bullets'€ made of Kryptonite rock that can bring Superman to his knees. With his repeated reference to religious symbolism and mythology, Lex unconvincingly argues that mankind must defeat gods '€“ in this case, Superman.

His argument is as unimpressive as the giant creature that he created for the showdown. Although the monster seems powerful and indestructible, it barely looks intimidating. More or less, it looks like a confused monster, with jumping between skyscrapers as its superpower.

The final battle is marred with some silly things done by Superman and his girlfriend Lois Lane (Amy Adams). One of them may prompt you to wonder: '€œWhy did Superman use a powerful weapon that can kill him? He could have asked fellow superheroes to do it instead, right?'€

Batman v Superman fails to impress with its story or battles, but at least it paves the way for DC Comic'€™s extended universe. Gal Gadot makes some brief appearances as a sophisticated lady before putting on her Wonder Woman costume and delivering some action in the final scenes.

As found footage in the movie suggests, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman will join forces with Aquaman (played by Jason Momoa '€“ the brawny Khal Drogo of HBO'€™s Game of Thrones). Their superhero team, the so-called Justice League, will also include Ezra Miller as The Flash and Ray Fisher as Cyborg.

Despite the flood of harsh reviews it has received so far, Batman v Superman is poised to be a blockbuster success. Two comic book titans are enough to draw their diehard fans and general audience to theaters, hoping to get answers to the simple questions of who will win and what suits they will wear.

Children may not really enjoy the movie due to its overall gloomy mood and hazy philosophical talk about gods and mankind.

Judging from Batman v Superman, Marvel can rest easy for now. The Avengers'€™ warm colors, battles and jokes are much more entertaining than the scattered showdown of the caped crusader and the man of steel.

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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
(Warner Bros. Entertainment, 152 minutes)
Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter and Gal Gadot

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