The long and often impatient wait has ended. Zack Snyder's daring attempt at bridging the two iconic universes belonging to DC Comics legends, Batman and Superman, officially opened to audiences this week and all of my reservations proved warranted. Not only is Dawn of Justice a muddled and overly ambitious cornerstone to the seemingly doomed DC universe, the film fails terribly at being the antithesis of its Marvel rival.

Following Superman's (Henry Cavill) colossal destruction of Metropolis during his fight with General Zod, the devastating effects linger into the mind of Gotham's caped crusader (Ben Affleck). Fearful of Superman's almighty power to rule planet Earth if he so desired, Batman must take matters into his own hands. And while these gladiators settle their own differences, the maniacal madman, Lex Luthor (Jessie Eisenberg), summons a villainous creation of his own.

Let me preface by stating that I am by no means a Marvel loyalist. I'd considered myself a marginal fan of the widely stretched universe in which it continues to create. However, my deepest affinity for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy gave me a rooting interest for Snyder's new vision of the Batman legacy. Unfortunately, Dawn of Justice substitutes an obsessive amount of CGI and visual effects for a cohesive storyline. The result is a jumbled entry that fails to get a worthwhile performances out of any of its lead actors. Dawn of Justice packs far too many ideas into an already difficult premise of linking together DC's two most recognizable superheroes. Any hope of a resurgence will have to come from the intriguing super villain film, Suicide Squad, which opens this August.