I'm sure most people have moved on and completely forgot about this movie, but I watched the "Ultimate Cut" the other day and will give some of my thoughts.
There are two certainties about the Ultimate Cut. One, it is absolutely still the same movie, same crappy Lex, same murderous Batman, so don't go expecting a completely different movie. Two, it is undoubtedly better than the theatrical version. I don't know who the editing team was for the theatrical version, but they should be fired.
The R rated thing is overblown, they just added some blood in some instances and you see a shadowy Batman butt in the shower in a scene.
The opening desert scene is a little more fleshed out, and it makes more sense why Superman showed up.
The lady who was to testify to the senate hearing wasn't pissed off at Superman, she was blackmailed by Lex Luthor to testify. That changed the perception.
The wheelchair that blows up was lined with lead, so Superman couldn't see or hear the bomb, that changes a lot. Thats a good "win" for Lex over Superman. Its not just Superman being pouty and useless at his job.
Quite a bit more Clark Kent stuff, following the Batman leads, interacting with Perry. It gave him more of an interesting arc.
Lots of little tidbits to connect the terrible pacing of the theatrical version. Its still really slow in the second act, but I guess it flowed better.
I don't know if I missed it in the theater, but I understood Batman's arc a bit better, in how he was tracking and following Lex Luthor. It seemed more Batman'ish that he was seemingly keeping tabs on Lex because he thought he was up to no good. But really he knew Lex had found the Kryptonite and he meant to steal it.
Even though it made more sense for his arc, I think it weakened the "plausibility" of Lex that he just seems to be completely omniscient, and i'm not sure how or why. The whiny little frat boy didn't seem like a guy who is always one step ahead.
I literally loled at the "Martha" scene. Only because I get it now and the idea is actually kind of poignant. But holy crap was the execution terrible, how did that get past the screenwriter, the director, the producers? I get it, with the flashback to his parents death and his father, a dying man helplessly calling "Martha." Just like Superman was. In that moment with the spear ready to kill Superman, he realized he had become the exact thing that he swore to fight. He had betrayed the very reason why he became Batman. I like that. Then, I think the warehouse scene is so brutal because in that moment Bruce Wayne felt like he had a second chance to save his Mom, a chance at retribution, so he makes the promise to Superman. Thats great stuff, but holy crap the dialogue is terrible, the forced "Martha" is cringe worthy and the fact that they are just buddies right away is pretty damned convenient.
Even though there were still 2.5 movies crammed into one, I felt like the Superman death had a bit more weight to it, because he actually wasn't as terrible at being Superman as he was in the theatrical version. Though he was more of a tragic figure than a "Hero" who died.
So, yeah. Better movie for sure, but doesn't fix the overall disappointment that the film was.
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