I’ll be honest: I almost didn’t go see “Batman v Superman.” I had read the reviews and heard from a few friends, and they had all said the same thing. It was too long (two and a half hours). They screwed up Batman. The movie is entirely exposition.

But I had also heard from a few other friends who said that this time, the critics were wrong, and everyone agreed that Wonder Woman made the entire movie worthwhile.

So, a full week after the movie opened in theaters, I finally gave in and went to see it with my dad.

I didn’t have much fun.

Did I enjoy the film? Yeah, sure. The action was decent (once it started) and like everyone said, Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) absolutely stole the show. I liked Ben Affleck’s portrayal of Bruce Wayne and the fact that they were acknowledging the sheer amount of destruction caused in “Man of Steel.” But if I’m going to be completely honest, the movie felt more burdensome than fun.

In short, DC Comics has a problem.

Marvel set the standard for extended superhero movie franchises, creating a fairly realistic universe in which its heroes exist. “The Avengers” and all of its sequels and spinoffs proved to be massive successes. DC, meanwhile, was struggling to find its footing and catch up despite having a full arsenal of amazing characters. So, to compensate, it decided to give its movies a much darker tone than Marvel’s films.

I’m not saying that darkness doesn’t have its place in superhero movies. It’s valuable and offers depth to stories. But too much of it is counterproductive to the purpose of superhero films.

(And don’t even get me started on how there seemed to be no sunny days at all in the film.)

I found myself disenchanted with both Superman and Batman by the end of “Batman v Superman.” I was disenchanted with Superman after his careless battle with Zod in “Man of Steel.” In trying to be edgy and gritty, “Batman v Superman” forgot what endears Superman and Batman to us the most: their humanity.

Superman isn’t Superman without the awkward, sweet Clark Kent. In “Batman v Superman,” Superman loses the sense of morality that was always with him in previous portrayals. The reason why I enjoyed Batman so much was the healthy dose of Bruce Wayne and Alfred we were given. “Batman v Superman” tries too hard to take away all that Superman stands for in a clumsy attempt to make him “cool.”

But here’s the thing: Superman is already cool. Christopher Reeve’s Superman wasn’t gritty. He didn’t growl everything. He was just a hero. Darkness works for heroes like Batman or, in the Marvel universe, Daredevil. Vigilantes by definition have a bit of an edge. But Superman isn’t a vigilante. He isn’t a pariah. He is the cornerstone of superheroes: a good man who helps because he can and he wants to.

Again, I am not saying darkness is a bad thing. But when directors shove it down our throats, the original sense of the source material can easily get lost. Perhaps the “Justice League” movie will be more light-hearted, or perhaps “Batman v Superman” would have lost its emotional gravitas with less darkness.

But when I go to superhero movies, I want to have fun. I don’t want to walk out of a movie glad that it was finally, blessedly over, despite the fact that it was, for all its issues, a good movie.

In fewer words: DC, please just lighten up.

_Edited by Katie Rosso | krosso@themaneater.com_