Long story short I felt it was paced better and I found the black freighter stuff distracting. I found the book just too slow and a bit of a slog. For context when I was around 14 when I first read it, I never finished it. When everyone was saying it's the best comic ever, I forced myself to finish it. Maybe I'll reread it, just not anytime soon. The film cut out a lot of fluff, had an amazing intro and told a good story.
Thanks for the explanation, completely get where you are coming from.
I really enjoyed the comics at the time so had more investment going into the film. I felt the movie was visually amazing but didn't capture the tone and broader concepts, which would be almost impossible in a 2-3 hour film.
Even then I think it is one of Snyders best films because the source material is strong.
For me it might have worked better as a 12 part tv show.