BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE ULTIMATE EDITION

(2016) I recently read someone else's criticism of Marvel films as "cookie cutter" and realized that was the issue I have with both Marvel and X-Men movies of late; both have become formulaic, with each film in the series feeling very much like the one before.  Batman v Superman - while messy, ungainly, imperfect and loud - definitely does not feel cookie cutter.  As the world is just adjusting to the presence of Superman (Henry Cavill), global leaders are also trying to determine whether Superman is a genuine friend to mankind; or even if he is, how can we assume he will remain so?  After a recent incident where a number of innocent people - many of them civilians - died after Superman's intervention, it appears as if the superhero might be doing more harm than good ... and none feel that more than Bruce Wayne, aka Batman (Ben Affleck), who has become convinced that Superman - like any metahuman - is the problem and not the cure.  It's in this highly combustible atmosphere that young tech genius Lex Luthor (a woefully miscast Jesse Eisenberg) decides to stir the pot while furthering his own agenda, setting the two titans against each other as he plans to take control over everything left over afterward.  I actually liked this big, clunky film much more than I expected; at just over three hours for the "Ultimate Edition" it still seems to fly by, and peeks into Wonder Woman as well as a few other film heroes to come only adds to the authenticity of the story.  The film is imperfect, CGI-heavy, and character development isn't its greatest strength - but it feels like a way-cool, non-cookie cutter roller coaster ride the entire time.  (Ultimate Edition: rated R)  7.5/10 stars