Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice left us with mixed emotions. This was the movie we were waiting for. We longed to see Batman and Superman together on the big screen. Having Wonder Woman appear as well has a fantastic bonus.

Then we found out Batman and Superman would be fighting each other. Isn't this the World's Finest? Aren't they practically best friends in the DC Universe? Sure, superheroes fighting each other is not a new concept. We know it happens and they end up fighting each other. Sadly, with this focus in the movie, we were left often wondering who were we supposed to be rooting for. (The answer is clearly Wonder Woman).

The movie may have had some odd choices with the direction of the story, but the movie did deliver some nice visuals. With the extra footage in the Ultimate Edition, the story does become a little clearer at times. We get to understand Superman and his motives a little better. There are some cool moments, as well as other aspects explained a little more.

Does it make the movie better? It does help a little. The movie is still muddled at times. The cameos still feel forced. Lex Luthor is still all over the place. The dream sequence will still make you scratch your head. Despite being longer, it doesn't necessarily drag on. Because it helps the flow of the movie, you'll stay in your seat and take in all the sights. Surprisingly, I didn't notice much of a difference in the violence, which is part of the reason for the R-rating.

There is a lot of content in the special features. If anything, they'll make you even more excited for what's to come. This movie may have had some problems, but it does set up a lot. Seeing footage from 2017's Wonder Woman or the behind the scenes filming for the other Justice League characters, you can't help but get excited for the idea of this cinematic universe growing.

Here's a run down of the special features.

• Uniting the World's Finest (15:05) Zack Snyder, Ben Affleck, Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder, Geoff Johns, and more talk about the rich history of the DC characters. Behind the scenes look at filming and how they want to create a new cinematic world. Footage from Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa talks Aquaman, Ezra Miller on being Flash, Ray Fisher on being Cyborg, the new characters in Suicide Squad, etc.
• Gods and Man: A meeting of Giants (12:28) Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Geoff Johns, Charles Roven Laurence Fishborne, and others talk about the two characters and how they've interacted in the comics. We see the history of the two and when they first met in comics along with how the relationship has been redefined over the years.
• The Warrior, The Myth, The Wonder (21:16) A look at who Wonder Woman is. It's looked at why William Marston created the character and where he drew inspiration from. It wasn't sure if a book starring Wonder Woman could work back when she debuted. It turned out to be a huge success as she was one of the first female characters to have her own book.
• Accelerating Design: The New Batmobile (22:46) Sal Masekela talks to the team that designed and built the new Batmobile.
• Superman: Complexity & Truth (7:08) Henry Cavill talks about the character and how people look at him. Zack Snyder and Deborah Snyder talk about how this Superman is different. Costume designer mentions how they had to make Clark's clothes hide who he is. Cavill describes the problems with fighting in costume in "rain."
• Batman: Austerity & Rage (8:15) How do you bring Batman into the movie? Ben Affleck talks about how Bruce Wayne is asmuch of a costume as Batman. The designers talk about the new costume and gadgets he uses. The stunt team talks about how this Batman fights. Lots of behind the scenes footage
• Wonder Woman: Grace & Power (6:48) We get a good look at Gal Gadot's take on Wonder Woman. We see how she trained and read up on the character. Others talk about how she carries herself when in character. They spent a lot of time figuring out how the costume should look since it's something she's had for many years, in theory. This really gets you excited for the Wonder Woman solo movie.
• Batcave: Legacy of the Lair (7:12) The designers talk about making a new cave while trying to retain some of the legacy. They had to figure out who to fit in everything so it'd make sense in an underground lair.
• The Might and the Power of a Punch (5:15) An analysis of the encounter between Batman and Superman.
• The Empire of Luthor (12:33) Geoff Johns talks about how villains like Zod and Lex are opposites. Lex's history and evolution in the comics is shown. We see how he's similar and different in the movies.
• Save the Bats (4:37) Trying to raise awareness for bat conservation. Bats are dying and it could be catastrophic for our ecosystem.

The movie is far from perfect. In some ways, it doesn't have to be. Seeing DC's Trinity is great. The new footage does enhance the film but doesn't fix all the problems. It's still something you'll want to watch again. Now that the basics have been established, we can look forward to more with these characters. There was a lot of potential here. The Ultimate Edition shows more of a hint of what we could still. If you're a fan of the DC characters, you'll want this in your personal collection.

Here's a bunch of images to enjoy until you pick up your copy.

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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition is now available in a Blu-ray combo pack with DVD, Ultra HD Blu-ray, and Digital HD.

Already bought the digital version. Will buy this too.

I will be buying this. Thanks for the great review Tony!

Looking forward to picking it up today.

It was a struggle for me to get through the first time. Adding an extra 30 minutes or so makes me less inclined to view it again.

Picking up from Target after work. Snyder still muddles things up though with his obsession with flashbacks and dream sequences though...

If you liked BvS, you'll love this. If you thought BvS was so so, then you may like this. If you hated BvS, save your money. This won't change your mind.

No amount of added features or scenes can make Jesse Eisenberg's lex Luther not terrible

Glad to hear the extra time made it more enjoyable.

@senoramazing said:

Agreed! That in my opinion was the worst part of the movie...Jesse Eisenberg's take on Lex Luthor.

I know this movie had its problems, but still I liked the theatrical version and really, really liked the Ultimate Edition. Can't wait for Wonder Woman and Justice League.

This cut is definitely superior and clearly Zach's original plan for the movie. I agree the movie is too long(when will we go back to the 90 min romp?) but that's the beauty of the DVD, you can watch it in multiple sittings.

Hmmm I wonder what's so Ultimate about this edition. I guess I'll have to get it and find out.

@stormphoenix: pretty sure that's covered in this review dude

Awesome

Omg what? Comic Vine didn't totally poop on this? That makes me so happy :)

Eww, no.

I'll pass. They would have had to remove things from the movie to make me sit through it again.

Best purchase

@kal_smahboi: That's okay, the comments will make up for that.

This cut of the movie is better, but that's such a low bar to clear. It functions as a more coherent plot ... that still trips over itself when you take a second to actually think about things. Zack Snyder is so preocupied, like in Man of Steel, with how we (the public in the film) would react to Superman that he never bothers to actually make him a character for the audience viewing the movie. We are kept at arms length like the media in the moive, which is itself a half-measure that never really considers the role the Planet played in making Superman. Batman gets off better in that he is formed but what he is made out to be is so far from Batman it's mind boggling how Snyder got away with it. There is too much funamental misguided in this movie to turn it into something enjoyable to watch. There's stuff to pick at sure (but that's in any piece of media) but it never coheres into anything, it's all half finished thoughts some potentially interesting thoughts but the film never manages to complete it.

Cheap Plug to longer thoughts on BvS: Ultimate Edition

Not sure how the theatrical cut is but the Ultimate edition is still worse than Man of Steel. Still, I gotta admit that I did like how Batman managed to take down Superman though. Effective but very risky.
Oh and I actually do like this version of Lex Luthor although he should've had a different name.

Can't wait. I pre ordered from Amazon so it should be waiting for me when I get home. I have yet to see any version of this movie. I have Waited for the bluray to come out.

@jtmac005: Well still I'd rather watch it for myself.

The uncut version was fantastically better than theatrical. I wasn't a big fan of the hysterical version , but the ultimate version made me really like the movie . Props to Snyder.

Just got it. Can't wait to watch it. I loved the theatric version, so I am so hyped to watch the ultimate cut

I'm picking mine up tomorrow with my comics. I liked the theatrical cut, and I saw the ultimate a few weeks ago. The ultimate definitely runs smoother, very little complaints.

Just got it and I hate the packaging. Three discs and they decide to stack two of them on top of each other instead of making a third disc holder.

Sigh... what a grossly underrated movie this is. For me, it is decisively better than every single MCU film, barring maybe The Winter Soldier. But, to each his/her own.

@omnicrono: I get what your saying, I don't completely agree but this movie is SO underrated, we can agree on that.

@omnicrono: I get what your saying, I don't completely agree but this movie is SO underrated, we can agree on that.

Same

I'm gonna make my own version as well where I cut out the dream sequence and cameos.

I could barely notice the differences from the theatrical cut, but the things I did notice them add really only made the movie worse. It's something like 30 minutes before there is even a conversation in this movie.

I did not go to the theater but I watched the blu ray version ans this movie is AMAZING!!!!!!

I can not undertand why people did not liket

This movie present in a new way a very human, vulnerable, noble and kind Superman

and Luthor is a bery bad person and a super evil master mind, The only wrong of the movie is Aflleck, the worst Batman ever, and a very fat Batman

@stormphoenix: of course, and you should. I'm just saying that the review lists all the additions and bonus features, which make it the "ultimate edition"

I still don't think this movie was THAT bad. I picked up the UE today and watched it immediately and the extra scenes do fill things in a little more and help connect the dots. Had they released this version instead, easily half of the petty complaints against the movie wouldn't exist. Although I will say that overall the extra scenes were rather lackluster and aren't overly intriguing.

Jesse Eisenberg would have been a PERFECT Riddler.

The ultimate cut doesn't fix what matters. The characters and the range of acting in this film.

No one is likeable in this.

I can't attach to anyone because everyone is so busy planning the epic showdown,they forgot they are actually people.

Superman is so depressing. All we needed was a darkside and he would have been Sentry.

Batman was insane. Like REALLY insane.

Lex Luthor was the child of Joker and Riddler.

Somewhere in this was an amazing movie,but was buried between five other crappy ones.

I almost dozed off 3 times during this flick. 30 extra minutes? No thanks.

My biggest problems with this movie was Lex and Batman's characters. They were poorly written and Lex's motivation is almost nonexistent.

That said, I liked it enough to buy this and just finished it. The story as a whole was much better than I realized the first time.

Already have the movie ❤️

The ultimate cut makes all the difference.still would have had Micheal Rosenbaum as Lex. He IS the Villain of the Story.

For all the hate that movie got, the DVD shelves looked mighty empty

Did the parts with Jena Malone get put back into the flick? And was she Babs Gordon or somebody else?

Yea, she's in the UC. She plays some researcher.

It's so dumb

Night and day, the theatrical release and the extended cuts were. At least for me. I liked the theatrical one but this ultimate cut just made me realize how the plot was indeed all over the place with the WB cut. Snyder's cut was more seamless. More explanations. You get to see the bigger picture. Less plot holes as well.

One thing I did not like was how the R rating seemed to be forced. Added blood splatters, the f word, etc. Perhaps the only necessary R rated addition was the Africa scene. Somehow one is left to wonder how the other scenes, which aren't R rated in nature, got removed from the theatrical cut.