Before we begin let’s make one thing clear…I don’t hate this film! It certainly isn’t the worst film I’ve seen, that dubious honour goes to Ted 2. The problem is…I don’t love it either.

Why? Because this is a film beset with problems including tone, lighting and character development.

The biggest problem is the lack of Clark Kent/Superman. By my (very rough) estimation Henry Cavill only appears in ten scenes before the final act showdown. How can you build tension and story when one of your leads is absent for such vast portions of the film?

Answer: you can’t.

It’s a shame because exploring Clark’s conscience as he deals with the deadly consequence of his actions is interesting story in itself and could have been a strong element of the film if it had been given the proper time and attention.

Which leads to the next issue. The film doesn’t make sense. For the most part it is a jolting, confusing jump between multiple stories and characters with several scenes, including a disorientating Justice League set-up dream, feeling jarringly out of place.

I admired Zack Synder as a director for his work on Watchmen, but here he just feels wrong for the job, not least because of how serious he makes everything. Just because Marvel inject humour and warmth into their films doesn’t mean DC can’t. A little light relief would have been welcome.

Villains are also a problem. I’ll admit I thought Jesse Eisenberg an inspired piece of casting when he was announced as Lex Luthor. But now I’m not so sure. He had a few brilliant moments (the Senator and the sweet) that showed us what his Lex could be. But for the most part he was a let down, never feeling like a credible threat to Superman, or Batman, which made it frustrating to watch.

As for Doomsday, he looked like he had just stepped out of Middle Earth, where I’m certain Peter Jackson would have made him far more interesting. I had low expectations to begin with and he did little to meet those!

I promise I don’t hate this film…I do have some positive things to say.

I like Affleck’s version of the Caped Crusader as older and world weary. It feels like Bruce Wayne is going through the motions having forgotten why he started the fight in the first place, which kind of explains Batman’s motivations towards Superman (kind of). I also think that Jeremy Irons’s Alfred is better than Sir Michael Caine’s in the Dark Knight Trilogy. The interactions between Irons and Affleck are some of the best moments of the film.

While the introductions of the Justice League are brief, and again misplaced in the films narrative, the addition of Wonder Women is a breath of fresh air. From her one-upmanship of Bruce Wayne, to her role in the final fight, Wonder Woman steals the show. Not least because she gets a kick-ass theme song. Hats off to Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL for that.

While Wonder Woman may steal the limelight in the final fight, it’s the showdown between Batman and Superman that lives up fans expectations and finally delivers what they’ve been waiting for. It was great to see Batman plan his way through the fight and manipulate Superman in making the wrong moves, just as it was great to see Superman become more and more annoyed. Synder throws everything into this sequence, including the sink, which makes it’s contrived conclusion all the more frustrating.

We know they were going to end up on the same page at some point, but really that’s how you’re going to bring it about. (Shakes head in dismay.)

This is a cinematic showdown that comic books fans have been waiting decades for. It was supposed to be DC’s big ‘We’re here and it’s time to take notice” film but it ultimately fails to live up to expectations leaving fans disappointed. Marvel won’t feel threatened just yet.

E