A tedious build up to the satisfying main event, with some tantalizing hints at what’s to come, create an uneven film that mostly gives what the audience has been waiting for. Even with a two and a half hour running time, there’s just not enough room for everything they wanted to cram into the story. There seems to be three films fighting it out here: The sequel to “Man of Steel,” a new Batman film and a Justice League prequel. The early part of the film drags, as plot points that barely make sense and never truly pay off later come at you rapid fire. Characters tend to come to important decisions off camera and it feels like the skipped a scene or two. There’s actually quite a bit that could’ve been cut and streamlined things, particularly some of the dream/flashback/visions that show up sporadically with little explanation to their meaning. The film finally gets exciting just before the advertised Batman vs. Superman fight, and delivers the action. Henry Cavill is still a decent Superman, but is a bit bland when he’s not doing anything super. Ben Affleck and Gal Godot are both great additions, as Batman and Wonder Woman, respectively. And while Jesse Eisenberg does bring some menace to his Lex Luthor, he comes off more silly than scary. While there was much hype about some of the Justice League character appearing, their involvement was minimal, albeit it still got me excited to see more.

**1/2 out of *****