Wham! Pow! Bam! DC Comics has begun to spin the thread of their cinematic universe, the DC Expanded Universe (DCEU), with the release of “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” a successor to 2013’s “Man of Steel.” While the movie had its moments, like the first on-screen appearance of Wonder Woman, it failed to live up to the publicity that had been buzzing around it for the past three years. The acting was not the issue, as many people expected it to be due to the casting decision of Ben Affleck as Batman, although there were some scenes that felt forced. The overall problem was the writing. It went in every direction, jumping from place to place, confusing the audience by trying to establish connections to the upcoming “Justice League” films.

“Batman v Superman” opens up with yet another retelling of Batman’s origin. The deaths of Martha and Thomas Wayne have been depicted on-screen countless times since 1989, when Tim Burton’s “Batman” was first released. At this point in time, it is unnecessary to devote the first ten minutes of a movie to show why Bruce Wayne became Batman. Affleck’s performance was not bad, despite the cries of fans when his role in the movie was first announced. The characterization of a Batman who is willing to kill fits well with the darker tone of the DCEU and Affleck’s acting does the job.

Superman, for once, was not anything super. Henry Cavill was boring, lessening Superman’s impact on the audience. Wonder Woman ended up stealing the show. The plotline with Lois Lane lacked luster as well, feeling completely extraneous.

Wonder Woman’s debut was another redeeming quality of the film. Gal Gadot’s acting was superb, the costuming remained loyal to the comics and Wonder Woman’s theme song in the score, Is She With You?, represented her renegade demeanor flawlessly. Not much was revealed about Wonder Woman’s backstory beside the fact that she has lived for more than 100 years, but more will come when her solo movie premieres in 2017. If “Batman v Superman” captured anything perfectly, it was definitely Wonder Woman.

Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor was a refreshing experience, bringing in a much-needed whimsical element to the bleak universe the heroes live in. Again, acting is not a problem here. This version of Luthor was not the one most fans are familiar with. Traditionally, Luthor is portrayed as a bald, evil mastermind, not a Joker-esque character. However, at the end of the film, Luthor is revealed to be imprisoned, sporting a shaved head. Hopefully as the DCEU expands over the next decade, Luthor will gradually evolve to be more similar to his comic book counterpart.

Aside from the characters, the film was confusing. The plot does not become clear until about an hour into the movie when a congressional hearing is bombed. Every scene is loaded with Easter eggs and references to DC’s 82-year-history, which the modern audience cannot comprehend, similar to when someone tells a joke and no one laughs. A good example of this was when The Flash appeared in a vision to Batman, making absolutely no sense. Not all Easter eggs were bad, though. A bright side to this was when Wonder Woman began to investigate files found on Luthor’s hard drive, teasing the future members of the Justice League. That scene was one of the best in the movie and if the “Justice League” films are similar to what was shown, they will definitely generate positive box office revenue. Hopefully, future battles will not be like the one against Doomsday in “Batman v Superman,” as it was anticlimactic and utilized too much computer-generated imagery (CGI).

“Batman v Superman” was not good, but it provides a foundation for the future of the DCEU films. With any luck, writers, actors and directors will learn from their mistakes and come together to create an expansive saga reflective of DC’s incredible comic book stories.