Okay, Wonder fans.  Admitedly, I gave a rather trite review of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice in last week’s Wonder Woman Wednesday column.  To be honest, I was kind of at a loss. I not only wanted to like the movie, I wanted to LOVE it. Sadly, I was a little disappointed.

I’ve been doing film reviews since the now defunct “The Gays on Film” web series on YouTube, so I tend to be a little more critical than the average moviegoer.

Being a huge comic geek, I was highly anticipating this superhero movie, especially one that finally introduced my favorite superhero, my lifelong childhood crush, and my defining diva goddess, Wonder Woman.

I didn’t leave the theater high on adrenaline, talking a mile a minute about how I couldn’t believe how freakin’ cool that movie was and wanting to do round kicks to any super villain that may cross my path on the way to the parking garage.

I confess to having been a little disappointed. I confess to being a little heartbroken. The movie was okay. Wonder Woman was a saving grace, not living up to the expectations I had of finally seeing my ultimate heroine grace the silver screen for the first time, but exciting nonetheless. In fairness, the movie is titled Batman V Superman, so the responsibility of the film’s success shouldn’t fall on the Amazonian shoulders of Princess Diana.

But, in a way, it could be argued that she was the saving grace of a mostly dark, disjointed film. Many reviewers and even more regular viewers touted her as the best thing in the movie. And therein lies the problem. What about the rest of the movie? In a story that clocks in at a little over 2 and a half hours, Wonder Woman’s screen time is scant at best.

However, that does exemplify not only her appeal, but her potential.  It has been widely reported that most audiences cheered when Wondy hit the screen in battle garb for the first time, and my audience was no exception.

So, in fairness and loyalty to my devoted Wonder Woman Wednesday readership, let’s take a closer look at BVS: Dawn of Justice.

The Good:

It was pee-pants exciting to see Wonder Woman take center stage with a powerful impact and join the battle. It was equally exciting to see the holy trinity join forces and fight fairly well together, considering it was the very first time the trio met came together.

Aquaman. Although his all-too-brief cameo was a bit of lingering, creepy camera mugging and clearly a mere set up for the Justice League and Aquaman films, Jason Mamoa looked cool as heck and I can’t wait to see more of him.

Jeremy Irons is amazing in anything he does and was captivating as Bruce Wayne’s faithful butler Alfred.

It was good to see Holly Hunter in the film, as she is amazing in anything she does and works far too seldom these days. Too bad she came to a bad end. (And I have not, nor will I be trying any of “Granny’s Peach Tea” anytime soon!)

Ben Affleck exceeded my expectations as Batman and his playboy alter-ego Bruce Wayne. After a couple of flubbed superhero attempts – one as “Daredevil” and one as “George Reeves/Superman” in Hollywoodland – I was a little on the fence. Not only did he pull it off, I think he did a fine job, especially when he gets all buff for a role. Although, forgive me, Bataddicts. I have never been a fan of the forced, gravelly tough guy voice put in place by the actors (directors?) of Batman they for some reason always deem necessary.

Henry Cavil: I think Henry is a great Superman. He looks good as Supes and Clark Kent and he certainly has no problem filling out the “Super suit.” (I mean, did you see that scene where he’s strutting down the hall of the Capitol?)

Amy Adams: Although she did nothing for me as Lois Lane in Man of Steel, for some reason it was a complete turnaround in BVS. I found her to be the emotional heart of the film and one of the few characters with a fair modicum of dimension.

The aesthetic: Although it was way too dark in tone, the film looked amazing. The costumes looked great, the settings were fantastic, and effects were stellar.

Wonder Woman: It was a thrill to see Wonder Woman in action on the big screen. She probably was the best thing about the movie, and I am hopeful for her coming-soon solo flick. Gal Gadot has screen presence for sure. She looked as good as Wonder Woman as she did Diana Prince. Her powers were displayed quite nicely and showed that she could not only hold her own alongside, if not above, the big boys. Although, why did they not make her fly? Superman flies. How dare they clip an eagle’s wings! Oh well, maybe they’ll become wiser in future appearances.

The Bad:

I won’t dwell on too much as, despite a few problems, I generally did like the film (especially after a little proper digesting).

I found the characters somewhat two dimensional and borderline unlikable. I found a few problems with what some are referring to as “massive” plot holes. The reason for “B” being versus “S” seemed a little wishy-washy, and the climactic (easily avoidable ) clash of the titans wound up being somewhat lackluster and anti-climactic. 

Not to mention the handling of the “Big Blue Boy Scout.” I’ve always loved Superman because he always made you feel like everything was going to be all right and he would do anything in his power to make it happen. Now, he’s been relegated to a whiny, reluctant hero that doesn’t seem to want to take out the trash let alone save the world.

And don’t get me started on Lex Luthor. I don’t know what Zack Snyder and Jesse Eisenberg were going for with that character’s direction. I felt Superman would have had more justification snapping Lex’s neck than he did General Zod in Man of Steel for being utterly irritating alone.

Speaking of Zod, how dare they turn his gorgeously ripped corpse (in a non-necrophliac way) into Doomsday? Yet another giant, growling CGI fiasco that makes you feel like you’re watching someone else play a video game. Yawn.

The ending. Superman is left for dead (Yeah right!) and Batman has enlisted Wonder Woman – who gave up on humanity 100 years ago – to round up some of the world’s meta-humans (superheroes), because he is pessimistically predicting that the collective Bats#!t is gonna hit the fan for no reason at some point and he wants to be ready. Oh well, if “Bat-paranoia” gives us a JLA flick, who am I to argue?

The Hope:

DC Comics movies are happening! What we have seen of the WW movie this far looks fantastic! Suicide Squad looks like a thrill ride, and we have plenty more DCU films to look forward to.

And maybe they’ll make a JLA/Avengers movie?!? (Okay, slow down, ponyboy!)

On a lighter note, check out the super cute line of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice “Dorbz” figures I picked up recently (pictured above). Aren’t they the cutest? (Photo by Michael Fitzgerald Troy)

Okay, Amazons, Manazons, and Glamazons . . . that’s all for this week’s edition of Wonder Woman Wednesday!  And as always, make sure to check out, “Like,” “share,” and post over at the “I Am Wonder Fan” Facebook page.