My brother Francisco Salazar says "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is one massive Christopher Nolan ripoff. Head over to read the 2nd part of this review series by clicking here.

Let's get something straight: "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" is not a great film. It might not even be an entertaining one, depending on audience expectations.

If a viewer is able to overlook a weak plot, sloppy structure with more characters than it can handle -- the film hits the pause button during the buildup to its climax to introduce more characters who have no impact whatsoever on the resolution -- Zack Snyder's overuse of slow motion, bombastic noise and chaotic action that can be hard to follow, then the film might be enjoyable. (Read about all of that in the other review). If those things matter to audiences, then the latest DC movie is not going to be their cup of tea.

A Modern Day Christ...

Not everything about the film is so bad.

For one thing, it accomplishes its lofty goal to approach Superman (Henry Cavill) from a more mythological discourse, with Christian symbolism coming to the forefront. Those who saw "Man of Steel" are undoubtedly familiar with these sorts of Christian references, especially given that film's use of the Holy Trinity.

That symbolism is even more overt in "Batman v Superman," or should we call it "The Passion of Superman"? The godly hero is venerated throughout the film.

His morality is also called into question. At one point he essentially decimates an entire village in order to rescue Lois Lane (Amy Adams) in the middle of the desert. 

But this scorn is often countered by images of his redemption, as when Superman saves a girl from a burning building and gets mobbed by a group of people all stretching out to touch him. Jesus -- I mean Superman -- even goes on trial in front of Congress so that the world can get a better idea of where he stands. Is he on Earth to dominate mankind? Or is he there to collaborate with humanity?

...With a Batman who Fears Him...

Of course, like Christ, there are those that fear Superman, including Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck). As the film opens, Snyder and company do the obligatory Bruce Wayne back story. (It is the same story we have seen 40 times by now, proving that reusing these characters eventually gets old and dull.) Likely because he heard for two years how oblivious Superman seemed in "Man of Steel" about killing millions of people during his fight with General Zod (Michael Shannon), Snyder decided to then show audiences this same destruction from a different viewpoint, using overt 9/11 references.

While Snyder's attempts to acknowledge the carnage in a way his previous film didn't, the rewrite does not in reveal how Superman feels about anything. More to the point, despite seeing the mayhem, Bruce Wayne's alter ego Batman seems to have no sympathy for killing other characters during the various chase or action sequences he takes on.

The promised showdown between the heroes is actually not all that consequential in the grand scheme of things. The conflict is not truly borne out of any rivalry on the side of Superman. The "god" is forced into the fight, and Batman stands around waiting for him. Affleck is solid as a forlorn Bruce Wayne, but it isn't anything we haven't seen before.

...and a Joker Wannabe Trying to Kill Him

Then there is Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg), who looks to bend Superman to his will. Luthor's discourses on the nature of man and his relationship to God are rather interesting and methodical, but the character as a whole is more of an attempt at a Joker rip-off. He appears as more of a cartoon character than a fully fleshed out human who inspires fear. There is little for Eisenberg to do here, though he undoubtedly tries his utmost to make Lex unpredictable.

The film is undeniably at its most interesting when tackling humanity's ability to deal with the presence of a true god, particularly in the film's first half. Even moments when Superman and Batman recognize their common humanity have a poignant ring to them.

"Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" ultimately takes its mythologizing to a rather obvious extreme, leaving the audience with everything one might expect from "The Passion of Superman." And while the ending might shoot for pathos, the audience's realization of what is to come in subsequent franchise films not only robs the sequence of its resonance, but makes it irritating. That might be the best way to describe the film as a whole.