Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (12A)

Director: Zack Snyder

Starring: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Jesse Eisenberg, Gal Gadot

IT is the superhero showdown that everyone has been waited for – the Dark Knight versus the Man of Steel.

Comic book fans have waited years to see this bout on screen since reading about it in the pages of various graphic novels.

While who would win out of a fight between Batman and Superman has no doubt been discussed endlessly in pubs up and down the country.

Well here it is – the clash between two caped icons. The result? You will wish they did not bother.

The awkwardly-titled, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, got off to a shaky start before it even hit cinemas.

Warner Bros and DC Comics are painfully aware that they are lagging behind Marvel Studios in the superhero movie stakes and this film was arguably made not to tell a story but to launch DC's Justice League franchise.

So it is telling that Amazonian superhero Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) is crammed into this two and a half hour film with no real explanation for who she is or why she is there.

Jesse Eisenberg's role as deranged villain Lex Luthor is also overplayed and a bit pointless at times.

Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman is a direct sequel to his dreadful previous film, Man of Steel, so perhaps we are gluttons for punishment.

Snyder's earlier films like 300 and Watchmen showed promise but the direction and editing here often makes no narrative sense.

The movie works on a basic level because the filmmaker relies on the fact that the audience have an inbuilt knowledge of who Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill) are.

This is a blessing because it makes the confusing, badly constructed exposition less vital.

Even so, the film insists on retelling Batman's well-known origin story for the sake of turning point in the plot which is so weak it is laughable.

It is a shame because there is a real glimmer of hope towards the beginning of the movie.

After Metropolis is devastated in 2013's Man of Steel, there are talks about whether Superman is really a hero or villain and there is a potent exploration of the dangers of hero worship.

Tensions begin to brew between Superman and the distrusting vigilante Batman.

But despite the movie's name, their fight boils down to a brief moment that is not enough of a pay-off.

On the plus side, Affleck proves his detractors wrong. He is a decent follow-up to Christian Bale as an older world-weary caped crusader.

And stylised scenes of Batman dispatching villains show that although Snyder may not be a good storyteller he still has an eye for visuals.

RATING: 5/10

DAVID MORGAN