2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was a film that was a huge deal for the history of both pamagat characters. Although Batman and Superman had met in several comics and cartoons, Batman vs. Superman was their first encounter in a theatrical film. Batman and Superman are two of the most iconic bayani in all of fiction, so the film was hyped up as one of the biggest films in superhero history. Did the film live up to the expectations of fans? It's complicated. The film was poorly received sa pamamagitan ng critics. As for fans, they were very divided on it. Some fans thought it was one of the best superhero films of all time, while other fans thought it was one of the absolute worst.

During the time when Batman vs. Superman was coming out, I had stopped watching superhero films for years. My interest in them had disappeared around 2010. However, my curiosity for Batman vs. Superman was so high that it sucked me back into the world of superhero films. The film helped rekindle my pag-ibig of superhero films. After I first saw it, I was eager to watch it over and over again. I saw the film so many times.

I can never deny that Batman vs. Superman is a very important part of my history with superheroes. Because of that, the film has my gratitude. Does that mean that I think that the film is amazing? It's complicated.

Due to how important Batman and Superman are to my childhood and to my adult life, it's been very hard for me to look at the film without becoming a fanboy that gives the film a complete pass.

Zack Snyder is one of the greatest directors when it comes to action scenes. In fact, I could rewatch Zack Snyder's amazing visuals dozens of times. Batman and Superman's fight scenes are some of the most impressive fight scenes in the history of action films. Jesse Eisenberg's performance as Lex Luthor was very divisive, but I pag-ibig it. In a film that's so dark, Lex adds some much-needed comedy to the film. The Jolly Ranchers scene is one of the funniest things to ever occur in an otherwise serious film.

Batman vs. Superman was the first theatrical film to give credit to Bill Finger. Bill Finger's loved ones had been trying to get his name in a theatrical Batman film since 1989, so the fact that Bill's name was finally on a theatrical film was a huge deal. Ever since then, Bill's name has been in every theatrical Batman release.

Now that I've ibingiay out some compliments, I have to describe the problems with the film:

For those that don't know, in Batman's earliest comic appearances, he carried around a gun and would use violent methods to defeat his enemies. However, Batman creator Bill Finger quickly realized that Batman needed to be madami morally responsible, so he could become a role-model for the kids that read the stories. Ever since then, one of the key aspects of Batman's character is that he refuses to kill any of his enemies. This no-killing rule has also applied to Superman. With Superman, there have been some expectations, such as Brainiac (who is a computerized, non-human being) and Doomsday (who is a mindless, hulking beast), but like Batman, Superman would never kill a human.

Batman vs. Superman is a film where both pamagat bayani are responsible for the deaths of several people.

In Superman's case, a bunch of innocent people end up dying from the large number of buildings that are blown to bits from Superman's battle with General Zod that occurred from 2013's Man of Steel film. Zod was trying to get rid all of humanity, so he could replace Earth with a rebuilt version of Krypton. sa pamamagitan ng defeating Zod, Superman technically saved a countless number of lives. However, the fact that Superman battled Zod in the middle of the city, rather than in an empty area, led to several civilians losing their lives. Technically speaking, Superman didn't directly kill anyone, other than Zod, but the property damage that he caused still led to so many lives being lost.

nakaraan versions of Superman are known for standing for truth and justice. This version of Superman has dialogue like:
"Nobody stays good in this world."
"I'm taking you and I'm breaking you, which is madami than you deserve."
In other words, this version of Superman isn't as inspiring and uplifting as the character normally is. Henry Cavill's a great actor, but the way that Superman's acts in the film is very awkward and questionable. Superman's known for being such a strong role-model, but in this film, Superman spends several scenes moping around.

In Batman's case, Batman acts like a villain. An example of that is that Batman and the film's villain, Lex Luthor, have the same motivation. In the film, Lex Luthor is a rich man that wants to get rid of Superman, because he thinks that letting someone as powerful as him live is too risky. In the film, Batman is also a rich man that wants to get rid of Superman, because he fears what Superman could do with his massive amount of power.

In the film, Batman kills a bunch of Lex Luthor's henchmen, so he can steal Kryptonite from Lex Luthor and then use the Kryptonite to kill Superman. That last sentence shows how messed up Batman is in this film. Batman KILLS a group of men, so he can STEAL something that he can use to KILL Superman. This really goes against who Batman is supposed to be. I can't imagine Bill Finger ever approving of a story that turns his most iconic character into a murderous anti-hero that tries to kill a fellow anti-hero.

As the film goes along, Batman and Superman eventually have a big fight. The fight scene is amazingly directed sa pamamagitan ng Zack Snyder, but it builds up to one of the most confusing scenes in superhero history. Batman is about to stab Superman with a Kryptonite spear, but after learning that Superman's mom has the same first name as his mom, Batman suddenly realizes that he's gone too far. While it's good that Batman finally comes to his senses, it feels so abrupt. Batman learns that Superman's mom, Martha Kent, has been kidnapped, so he decides to save her. While that makes sense, what doesn't make sense is that Batman stops hating Superman and starts referring to him as his friend. Earlier in the film, Batman was ready to stab Superman with a Kryptonite spear, but out of nowhere, Batman trusts and respects Superman? I don't get it. Also, when Batman's saving Martha, he causes a guy with a flamethrower to burn to death. That's pretty cruel and out of character for Batman.

After all the criticisms that I launched out at Batman vs. Superman, you might think that I hate the film. Do I? Well, it's complicated. Like I've mentioned, the film is a guilty pleasure. Because of the incredible visuals and the film's several interesting ideas and entertaining moments, it's hard for me to not get enjoyment out of the film. However, when it comes to representing Batman and Superman's inspiring morality, the film falls flat. As an action film, it's a fantastic spectacle. As a story about heroism, it's very flawed. The film turns two of the most inspirational bayani in fiction into very flawed anti-heroes. Because of all the film's strengths and weaknesses, I have very complicated feelings on the film.

If you have seen the film, how do you feel about it? Feel free to mention your thoughts in the comments.