Batman v Superman: Screw the reviews; the film's great within what it represents – 50 years of comic book glory

WARNING: This article contains major spoilers. Do not proceed further if you haven't watched the film

You know, 10-15 years down the line, there is going to be some new director making another "reboot" of Batman/Superman or both with new actors ­­­­– and that film may or may not be far better than Zack Snyder's version. But the fact remains that Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will go down in history as the first film, which featured the two iconic DC superheroes together on the big screen in a live-action film – and that is what should matter most, at least to fans.

You want a story, well-defined sub-plots, deeply etched-out characters, and stuff like that. There's over 50-years of material in DC comic books that provides plenty of that. You need to understand that Batman v Superman is not a standalone superhero movie. It is a film that begins and plays out as a story already in progress, set in motion not just by Man Of Steel, but the broader world of DC comics folklore, and that I feel is the film's biggest weakness as well its biggest strength.

I watched this movie in a packed theatre on the first day of release. I was with a group of friends who like me, knew everything about the story and characters – next to me were a bunch of people who probably weren't that tuned in. And as the movie played out, I figured why this movie probably won't become so universally appealing as lets say... The Avengers.

Synder and the makers seem to have made a film strictly for DC comics fans. Now whether that was intentional or just happened is unclear but that is just what it is.

A certain section of the audience understood the Darkseid references, The Flash time travelling to warn Bruce Wayne, a furious and deranged Superman punching his way into Batman's heart (instead of Joker's) – and Lois Lane's impending death being the probable cause of that. There were hoots and cheers from fans during these scenes.

Nonetheless, the fact is that the film may not appeal to everyone, and in that it falters considering that it is a big budget movie and is setting up the stage for a billion-dollar film franchise. But this is something what Marvel got right – they introduced the characters first via solo movies and then brought them together – so even those who never read the comics, knew some backstory.

Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice is not a great movie, it's not a bad movie either. It is a parenthesis for on ongoing storyline. It is not the beginning of the DC Cinematic Universe and its heroes – they're all already there and active... and in the upcoming movies, we will get to know more about them and their individual storylines and you'll see how the missing pieces of the puzzle fall into place.

So never mind the reviews or what critics are saying, let's just appreciate and support the effort that Zack Snyder, Warner Bros and team have made in bringing such a marvellous treat to fans like us. There's Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, looking so amazing and fantastic in this visual spectacle; it's just incredible and overwhelming.

And it does not matter how much better or worse this movie could have been, or how a potential reboot in the future could be a better version of this story. The fact is, you will never again feel that sense of newness and excitement about a film that features these two characters together, and that is worth something.