On stage at the film screening, Zack Snyder was speaking candidly.

"The film begins with a funeral and ends with a funeral—it's like a cycle. But the difference is that in the beginning, it represents pure despair. As the story unfolds, the audience gradually discovers humanity, and by the end, the funeral becomes a different kind of symbol."

"After Clark's death, Bruce begins his own journey of rediscovering his humanity. Even though he is furious at Lex's actions, he doesn't resort to branding him with the bat mark."

"Although Lex is portrayed as a madman, in some sense he's still a 'false humanitarian.' He sees metahumans as a threat and believes he's protecting mankind from their harm."

"This is my favorite scene—Batman slowly walking out from the ruins of the Pietà mural. The weight of the world falls on his shoulders, but Bruce remains resolute. Superman's death changes him."

"Why, despite having all this technology, does Bruce still choose to fight with a spear? The answer is simple: Longinus pierced Jesus with a spear."

"After speaking with his father, Superman tries to embrace humanity. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but he doesn't realize Lex has already trapped him in a paradoxical deadlock."

"In strange ways, Bruce and Lex mirror each other. Bruce treats his family mansion like a tomb, abandoning it even as he's haunted by his parents' deaths, broken by tragedy. Lex, by contrast, clings to his mansion, preserving it completely… Through Bruce, Lex, and Clark, we see three different responses to inner turmoil."

Clearly, Zack Snyder had realized his movie was overly complex and was trying to help the audience understand the hidden layers.

But the audience wasn't buying it.

After the press asked their questions, one audience member voiced what many were thinking:

"Director Synder, the visuals were gorgeous and the effects impressive, but why did I just feel sleepy? All the things you just explained—I didn't notice any of that while watching. I didn't come here to analyze symbolism. I just wanted to see exciting action."

"Weren't the fight scenes exciting enough?" Schneider asked, a bit agitated.

The viewer thought for a moment, then replied, "Now that I think about it, the fights weren't bad. But for some reason, while watching, I just couldn't get excited."

...

The next day, the reviews were in.

Good ones? Barely any.

Why? Simple.

During the screenings, critics had eagerly dissected the film, finding hidden meaning everywhere. But once they sobered up, they realized most of their notes didn't actually connect to what was on screen. The film's layers of subtext, metaphors, and clues were too many, too scattered, and too confusing.

Looking back, what did we actually see?

Almost nothing memorable.

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"The movie might be grand, but it isn't entertaining. Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor is so grating that you just want Batman and Superman to team up and take him out already. Ben Affleck's Batman lacks the maturity of the Dark Knight trilogy, and though Henry Cavill's Superman is likable, the constant limitations on his powers make no sense." —Hollywood Reporter

"For hardcore comic fans, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is unmissable. But for the general audience, it's a mess. The director tried to say too much, the plot is confusing, and Eisenberg's manic performance is a huge downgrade." —Entertainment Weekly

"Trying to maintain a tone of seriousness and tragedy isn't easy, especially when it's interrupted by one explosion-filled action scene after another. For a movie that's supposed to explore inner character struggles, the emotional delivery doesn't connect. Compared to Marvel's lighter approach, this feels joyless." —New York Times

"There are flashes of brilliance that almost redeem the whole film, and this different take on Batman is somewhat interesting. But the story is incoherent, the script riddled with flaws, and the attempts at humor fall flat." —Empire

"The film makes The Passion of the Christ look optimistic. Henry Cavill's Superman is perhaps the most narcissistic in history, often smug. In a film called Batman v Superman, it's actually Wonder Woman who steals the show. After an hour in, you start thinking—shouldn't I just wait for her solo movie instead?" —Chicago Tribune

"Zack Schneider can stitch together a lot of epic scenes, enough to impress cinephiles. But they don't form a whole. And what was billed as the greatest battle in history? It lasts only twenty minutes. Jesse Eisenberg, surprisingly, wasn't bad—his villain had a certain devilish entertainment value." —New York Post

And it wasn't just critics. Regular audiences hated it too.

Rotten Tomatoes audience score: a dismal 27%.

Online reactions:

Nathalia Aryani: "Dark from start to finish. Suffocating, unpleasant to watch."

Brent McKnight: "A modern operatic myth, but way too long—I nearly fell asleep."

Black Film: "While watching, my brain was just—what, why, how? Ha! That ran through the whole movie."

Richard Crouse: "Superhero films used to be fun. Pure entertainment. Now the heroes are like Kafka characters trapped in darkness. Not what I want."

GQ Magazine: "This heavy-handed dissection of 'heroism' is exhausting. Just fight already, or let us leave."

Chicago Tribune: "A four-hundred-million-dollar knockoff of Single Room Inn."

Jim Schembri: "Huge budget, but less enjoyable than Avengers: Age of Ultron."

Roe McDermott: "Zack convoluted style drains away the movie's entertainment value."

Wrap: "It's called Batman v Superman. So… where's the ultimate showdown?"

Marija Djurovic: "It should have been epic, but there's no joy, no laughs."

Tom Meek: "The dawn passes, but there's no justice—just smugness."

Ed Whitfield: "If Christopher Reeve were alive, he'd sue Zack Schneider for defamation."

Bill Newcott: "For the target audience—15-year-old boys—the best scene was Amy Adams in the bathtub."

Eric D. Snider: "Watching this felt like having your face shoved into a hornet's nest for two and a half hours."

Jules Boyle: "No laughs, no wonder—just relentless, joyless darkness."