LoginHaving been underwhelmed by the waste of great potential that was 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' (not terrible but rather lacklustre) and seeing that critical reception was not particularly good, expectations for 'Justice League' were not very high.
Although it has major problems, 'Justice League' turned out to be better than expected. Contrary to the constant critic bashing, which to be perfectly honest has gotten out of control and extremely annoying fast for a while now, critics get a good deal of respect from me. Even when my opinions differ to theirs, which has happened a fair number of times, their appraisals and criticisms are very understandable and it is easy to see where they are coming from. 'Justice League' is a case of the film being much better than anticipated, considering the word of mouth and 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice' being so disappointing. Is 'Justice League' better than that film? Yes, by quite a bit.
'Justice League' does have its problems. Although the CGI is pretty good on the whole, there is an over-reliance of it and it doesn't always add to some of the scenes. The story has its fun and excitingly compelling moments, but a lot of it does feel rushed, which does see too many abrupt tonal and storytelling shifts, and some of the first half has a cobbled together and rambling quality. Am usually not one to carp about plot holes, much of the time it is a lazy criticism to me, but one can fit the Grand Canyon through some of them and some border on the ridiculous.
The rushed pacing does come at the expense of character development, which tends to be rather flimsy. Particularly true to this is the villain, there is nothing menacing or remotely interesting about him, he's basically a very dull just there sort of character. Ciaran Hinds is completely wasted, while Ray Fisher is somewhat dull. Not all the jokes work, some feel out of place, while the final battle could have had more excitement and Danny Elfman's music score is uninspired and forgettable.
On the other hand, most of the acting is very good. Ben Affleck brings a brooding intensity to Batman and he didn't seem that bored to me. Other bright spots in the cast are Jeremy Irons' very amusing Alfred, Amy Adams' feisty if somewhat underused Lois Lane, Jason Momoa's beautifully judged Aquaman and particularly Gal Gadot's positively show-stopping Wonder Woman. Ezra Miller is amusing, if at times slightly too introverted, as Flash and Henry Cavill looks much more comfortable here than he did in 'Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'. Diane Lane and JK Simmons are also welcome presences.
Visually, 'Justice League' is beautifully shot, far more cohesively edited and its boldly dark and gritty look fits very well within the story. The script is less clunky and dreary and lightened by some nice quirky humour and some jokes are amusing, especially the absolute hoot that involves the magic lasso. The action is mostly nicely choreographed and fun to watch, some of the characters are interesting and the chemistry is great.
In summary, could have been much better but to me it wasn't that bad. 5.5-6/10 Bethany Cox
Justice League Reviews
Justice League review
Posted : 2 years, 1 month ago on 24 March 2022 09:24
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Just Other Nail in the DCEU
Posted : 6 years, 5 months ago on 20 November 2017 12:44
[English Version]
Notes: Before I begin, I must clarify that this review would have some spoilers in order to make a point. So, if you haven't seen the film yet and you are afraid of spoilers, please do not continue reading. Also I would say that I Will judge this movie both as an adaptation and as an stand alone film.
So, I Recently watched the new DC movie "Justice League" and It was s big suprise...........................that it was shitty as anyone would expect. Sure, it was a better experience compared to stuff Batman v Superman or Suicide Squad, but it doesn't even hold a candle to Wonder Woman, which was mediocre at best.
Before I begin, as always, I will say first the Good things that this movies has: The Cinematography has a more visually appealing color palette that plays with them in a pretty good way, the acting in general is pretty good their do their best to express the emotions of their respective characthers (Regardless of how well written this is), all the cast contribiut somewhat in the story despide it having many of them, in contrast to previous films the plot is simple and straight foward , some action scenes have a pretty nice choreography (like the battle on Themyscira), the OST is decent and memorable for the most part (with even remakes made byt Danny Elfman of the 60s batman theme o the famous superman theme) which goes hand in hand with the dramatic moments and action scenes, and (almost like wonder woman) a few of the jokes are actully funny (but unlike the previous film, this has this problems that I will mention later on).
Now, to start with the bad things, one of the most noticeable problems in the movie were the main characters and main Villain. By that, I mean, What characterizes them???
-Batman/Bruce Wayne: He's smart, Rich, feels guilty for the death of Superman, kinda of funny, or something like that.
-Wonder Woman/Diana: She's Princess of the amazons, wants to save the world after the first attack of Steppenwolf, she's is trying to adapt to modern society......I Think.
-Flash/Barry Allen: He's young, he loves his father, he's smart (I think), he can run really fast, he's funny and......
-Cyborg/Victor Stone: He's smart..........
-Aquaman/Arthur Curry: He hates his mother, he's carismatic, he's rebellious, but also funny and noble (somehow).
-Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El: He's back from the dead, he'sa simbol of peace (despite threating him like a menace in the last movie), first wants to be alone, and then he helps to fight Steppenwolf.
All of them have a basic characterization, many of them describe their origin in a vague way without really exploring them (unless you hace seen the other 4 movies already), and the chemistry is based mostly on punch-lines and silly jokes, instead of, you know, ACTUAL CHEMISTRY LIKE TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY FELL ON FACING A GLOBAL THREAT THAT CAN EASILY KILL THEM OR HOW THE PUT ASIDE THEY DIFFERENCES TO UNITE???? This consequently makes one of its main themes (companionship and union) handled in a superficial way.
On top of that, none, and i mean, NONE of them have an interesting characther arc, they remain static though out the whole movie. And the Main villian (Steppenwolf) isn't worht mentiong: He's forgettable as fuck, having only motivation to Conquest the world with the Mother Boxes but nothing else, making them one-dimensional.
As for the story, is equally as bad: It starts off with 20 minutes of showing us too much things that we saw and we know from the beginning, the tone is inconsistent (sometimes in very dramatic moments they throw a silly joke from nowhere breaking all the tension and seriouness), most of the jokes are forced as hell and innmersion breaking for the reason I Just said. Yeah, there are SOME few jokes that work, but it only cracks a smile and nothing else, I'm not saying that an action movie can be a comedy and a serious drama ate the same time, since the time has shown that you can do that (ex: John Wick 1 and 2, Hardcore Henry, Deadpool, Baby Driver, Nice Guys, Kingsman, etc), the thing is that you have to know how to presented the tone of your film and know you to balacen those moments, which Justice League Doesn't.
As for the rest of plot, it is quite typical in the formula of the superhero of uniting and fighting X villian, but without something that stand out particullary (like the setting, the villian, the team, the conflict itself, or another them explore). By the way, the scene of Superman being revived to conveniently "save the day" is the most insulting shit I've seen in a long time, not only it's superconvient that the Mother Box can do that or that Batman acts in such a stupid way to use it knowing they know little about this artifact itself, it doesn't know how to handle the drama; literally no one cries or laughs of joy with the return of Superman (aka the "Symbol of peace and good", something very contradicnting taking into account the last 2 movies, where he was a divided figure), is more they start to make shitty jokes about this situation instead of expressing what is the return of the symbol of truth and justice. Speaking of Superman, unlike the previous movies in the DCEU, does have KINDA of a characther arc (first being all mad at Batman and JL, then talking with Louis lane and Martha to make him feel better, and then he goes to save the day and join the JL), but the movie doesn't focuse enough on him to this be call "a Good Arc"
As for the Visuals they were pretty hit or miss: Some special efects look good like the design ot Atlantis , Steppenwolf, the flash runing scenes or the Batmovil, whereas some of them where cheap as hell, for example Cyborg, the Parademons, some of the impact in the enviroment, or hidding a mustache in Superman's face. It's very notable that they don't use any practical efects in here. Some of the editing choices there pretty wierd by putting comedy in serious drama moments, some scenes have an inconsistency in regards to the lighting (probably because of the massive reshoots) along with very continuity mistakes in the background. The OST, as I said before, was decent, going with some of the action scenes or presentation, and the acting, was pretty good for all the characthers.
In Conclusion: This movie is yet another fail in the DCEU: Generic, predectible, empty, with a liveless cast, irregular visuals, one dimensional villian, and a convinient conclusion, failing both as a standalone movie and as a adaptation of one of the most famous comic book's Team ever. Don't watch it, unless you're a DC/Warner Hater.
Final Score: 3/10
Notes: Before I begin, I must clarify that this review would have some spoilers in order to make a point. So, if you haven't seen the film yet and you are afraid of spoilers, please do not continue reading. Also I would say that I Will judge this movie both as an adaptation and as an stand alone film.
So, I Recently watched the new DC movie "Justice League" and It was s big suprise...........................that it was shitty as anyone would expect. Sure, it was a better experience compared to stuff Batman v Superman or Suicide Squad, but it doesn't even hold a candle to Wonder Woman, which was mediocre at best.
Before I begin, as always, I will say first the Good things that this movies has: The Cinematography has a more visually appealing color palette that plays with them in a pretty good way, the acting in general is pretty good their do their best to express the emotions of their respective characthers (Regardless of how well written this is), all the cast contribiut somewhat in the story despide it having many of them, in contrast to previous films the plot is simple and straight foward , some action scenes have a pretty nice choreography (like the battle on Themyscira), the OST is decent and memorable for the most part (with even remakes made byt Danny Elfman of the 60s batman theme o the famous superman theme) which goes hand in hand with the dramatic moments and action scenes, and (almost like wonder woman) a few of the jokes are actully funny (but unlike the previous film, this has this problems that I will mention later on).
Now, to start with the bad things, one of the most noticeable problems in the movie were the main characters and main Villain. By that, I mean, What characterizes them???
-Batman/Bruce Wayne: He's smart, Rich, feels guilty for the death of Superman, kinda of funny, or something like that.
-Wonder Woman/Diana: She's Princess of the amazons, wants to save the world after the first attack of Steppenwolf, she's is trying to adapt to modern society......I Think.
-Flash/Barry Allen: He's young, he loves his father, he's smart (I think), he can run really fast, he's funny and......
-Cyborg/Victor Stone: He's smart..........
-Aquaman/Arthur Curry: He hates his mother, he's carismatic, he's rebellious, but also funny and noble (somehow).
-Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El: He's back from the dead, he'sa simbol of peace (despite threating him like a menace in the last movie), first wants to be alone, and then he helps to fight Steppenwolf.
All of them have a basic characterization, many of them describe their origin in a vague way without really exploring them (unless you hace seen the other 4 movies already), and the chemistry is based mostly on punch-lines and silly jokes, instead of, you know, ACTUAL CHEMISTRY LIKE TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY FELL ON FACING A GLOBAL THREAT THAT CAN EASILY KILL THEM OR HOW THE PUT ASIDE THEY DIFFERENCES TO UNITE???? This consequently makes one of its main themes (companionship and union) handled in a superficial way.
On top of that, none, and i mean, NONE of them have an interesting characther arc, they remain static though out the whole movie. And the Main villian (Steppenwolf) isn't worht mentiong: He's forgettable as fuck, having only motivation to Conquest the world with the Mother Boxes but nothing else, making them one-dimensional.
As for the story, is equally as bad: It starts off with 20 minutes of showing us too much things that we saw and we know from the beginning, the tone is inconsistent (sometimes in very dramatic moments they throw a silly joke from nowhere breaking all the tension and seriouness), most of the jokes are forced as hell and innmersion breaking for the reason I Just said. Yeah, there are SOME few jokes that work, but it only cracks a smile and nothing else, I'm not saying that an action movie can be a comedy and a serious drama ate the same time, since the time has shown that you can do that (ex: John Wick 1 and 2, Hardcore Henry, Deadpool, Baby Driver, Nice Guys, Kingsman, etc), the thing is that you have to know how to presented the tone of your film and know you to balacen those moments, which Justice League Doesn't.
As for the rest of plot, it is quite typical in the formula of the superhero of uniting and fighting X villian, but without something that stand out particullary (like the setting, the villian, the team, the conflict itself, or another them explore). By the way, the scene of Superman being revived to conveniently "save the day" is the most insulting shit I've seen in a long time, not only it's superconvient that the Mother Box can do that or that Batman acts in such a stupid way to use it knowing they know little about this artifact itself, it doesn't know how to handle the drama; literally no one cries or laughs of joy with the return of Superman (aka the "Symbol of peace and good", something very contradicnting taking into account the last 2 movies, where he was a divided figure), is more they start to make shitty jokes about this situation instead of expressing what is the return of the symbol of truth and justice. Speaking of Superman, unlike the previous movies in the DCEU, does have KINDA of a characther arc (first being all mad at Batman and JL, then talking with Louis lane and Martha to make him feel better, and then he goes to save the day and join the JL), but the movie doesn't focuse enough on him to this be call "a Good Arc"
As for the Visuals they were pretty hit or miss: Some special efects look good like the design ot Atlantis , Steppenwolf, the flash runing scenes or the Batmovil, whereas some of them where cheap as hell, for example Cyborg, the Parademons, some of the impact in the enviroment, or hidding a mustache in Superman's face. It's very notable that they don't use any practical efects in here. Some of the editing choices there pretty wierd by putting comedy in serious drama moments, some scenes have an inconsistency in regards to the lighting (probably because of the massive reshoots) along with very continuity mistakes in the background. The OST, as I said before, was decent, going with some of the action scenes or presentation, and the acting, was pretty good for all the characthers.
In Conclusion: This movie is yet another fail in the DCEU: Generic, predectible, empty, with a liveless cast, irregular visuals, one dimensional villian, and a convinient conclusion, failing both as a standalone movie and as a adaptation of one of the most famous comic book's Team ever. Don't watch it, unless you're a DC/Warner Hater.
Final Score: 3/10
[Spanish Version]
Notas: Antes de comenzar, debo aclarar que esta reseña tendría algunos spoilers con el fin de hacer un punto. Por lo tanto, si aún no has visto la película y tienes miedo de spoilers, por favor no sigas leyendo. Tambien, cabe aclarar que criticare la peli tanto como peli independiente como adaptacion del grupo.
Notas: Antes de comenzar, debo aclarar que esta reseña tendría algunos spoilers con el fin de hacer un punto. Por lo tanto, si aún no has visto la película y tienes miedo de spoilers, por favor no sigas leyendo. Tambien, cabe aclarar que criticare la peli tanto como peli independiente como adaptacion del grupo.
Así que, recientemente vi la nueva película de DC "Justice League/Liga de la Justicia" y fue una gran sorpresa ........................... que fuera una mierda como cualquiera esperaría. Claro, fue una experiencia mejor en comparación con Batman v Superman o Suicide Squad, pero ni siquiera es algo parecido a Wonder Woman, peli la cual era mediocre en el mejor de los casos.
Antes de comenzar, como siempre, diré primero las cosas buenas que tiene esta película: La cinematografía tiene una paleta de colores visualmente más atractiva que juega con ellos de una manera bastante buena, la actuación en general es bastante buena, hacen todo lo posible para expresar las emociones de sus respectivos personajes (independientemente de lo escrito que esté), todo el elenco contribuye algo en la historia a pesar de tener muchos personajes, en contraste con las películas anteriores la trama es mas simple y directa, algunas escenas de acción tienen una bastante buena coreografía (como la batalla de Themyscira), el OST es decente y memorable en su mayor parte (incluso con remakes realizados por Danny Elfman del tema Batman de los 60 o el famoso tema de Superman) que va de la mano con los momentos dramáticos y escenas de acción, y (casi como Wonder Woman) algunos de los chistes son en realidad divertidos (pero a diferencia de la película anterior, esto tiene estos problemas que mencionaré más adelante).
Ahora, para comenzar con las cosas malas, uno de los problemas más notorios en la película fueron los personajes principales y el villano principal. Por eso, quiero decir, ¿qué los caracteriza?
-Batman / Bruce Wayne: Es inteligente, millonario, se siente culpable por la muerte de Superman, es algo gracioso o algo así.
-Wonder Woman/Diana: Ella es la princesa de las amazonas, quiere salvar al mundo después del primer ataque de Steppenwolf a Themyscira, y está tratando de adaptarse a la sociedad moderna ... Creo.
-Flash/Barry Allen: Es joven, ama a su padre, es inteligente (creo), puede correr muy rápido, es divertido y ......
-Cyborg / Victor Stone: És inteligente............
-Aquaman / Arthur Curry: Odia a su madre por abandonarlo (por alguna razon), es carismático, rebelde, pero también divertido y noble (de alguna manera).
-Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El: Ha vuelto de la muerte, es un símbolo de paz (a pesar de amenazarlo como una amenaza en la última película), primero quiere estar solo, y luego ayuda a luchar contra Steppenwolf.
Todos ellos tienen una caracterización re-básica, muchos de ellos describen su origen de una manera vaga sin realmente explorarlos (a menos que ya hayas visto las otras 4 películas), y la química se basa principalmente en chistes o "remates" tontos, en lugar de, o no se.... QUÍMICA REAL COMO HABLAR DE CÓMO SE SIENTEN AL ENFRENTARSE DE UNA AMENAZA GLOBAL QUE PUEDE MATARLOS FÁCILMENTE O CÓMO ELLOS PUSIERON DIFERENCIAS A UN LADO PARA UNIRSE? Esto en consecuencia hace que uno de sus temas principales (el compañerismo y la unión) este manejado de una manera superficial.
Además de eso, ninguno, y quiero decir, NINGUNO de ellos tienen un arco de personaje interesante, permanecen estáticos durante toda la película. Y el villano principal (Steppenwolf) no vale mencionarlo: es Olvidable, solo tiene de motivación conquistar el mundo con las Cajas Madre pero nada más, haciéndolo alguien unidimensional y poco interesante (ya ni hablar de su horrible aspecto en CGI que se ve falso como la mierda)
En cuanto a la historia principal, es igual de mala: comienza con 20 minutos mostrándonos demasiadas cosas que vimos y sabemos desde el principio, para luego ir a un ritmo apresuradisimo sin ninguna razón introduciendo personajes en poco tiempo para así cumplir con la estructura provocando asi varias conveniencias (ej: la manera en la Aquaman encuentra y rescata a la Liga cuando ellos se enfrentan a Steppenwolf por 1ra vez), sumado a que el tono es inconsistente (a veces en momentos muy dramáticos lanzan una broma tonta de la nada rompiendo toda la tensión y seriedad), la mayoría de las bromas son forzadas como la mierda y la inmersión se rompe por la razón que acabo de decir. Sí, hay ALGUNOS chistes que funcionan, pero me han hecho solo sonreír un poco y nada más, no estoy diciendo que una película de acción/superheroes no pueda ser una comedia y un drama serio al mismo tiempo, ya que el tiempo ha demostrado que puedes haz eso (por ejemplo: John Wick 1 y 2, Hardcore Henry, GOTG Vol 1 y 2, Deadpool, Baby Driver, Nice Guys, Kingsman, etc.), la cosa es que tienes que saber cómo presentar el tono de tu película y saber que debes balancear esos momentos, algo que JL no hace.
En cuanto al resto, es bastante típico en la fórmula de una peli de superhéroes, de unir fuerzas y luchar contra el Villano de turno, pero sin algo que se destaque particularmente (como la ambientación, el villano mismo, el equipo, el conflicto en sí, u otro tema que explore). Por cierto, la escena de Superman siendo revivida para "salvar el día" convenientemente es la mierda más insultante que he visto en mucho tiempo, no solo es superconviente que la Caja Madre puede hacer eso, o que Batman actué de una manera tan estúpida para usarla sabiendo que saben poco de este artefacto en si, no sabe cómo manejar el drama: literalmente nadie llora o ríe de alegría con el regreso de Superman (osea, "El Símbolo de paz y Bondad", lo cual es contradictorio si vemos que en las otras 2 pelis anteriores el era en si un símbolo muy divisor entre el publico, algunos lo odiaban y consideraban una amenaza y otros lo veian como ese símbolo de paz y salvación), es más que comienzan a hacer chistes de mierda sobre esta situación en lugar de expresar lo que es el retorno del símbolo de verdad y justicia . Hablando de Superman, a diferencia de las pelis anteriores en el DCEU, el tiene ALGO PARECIDO a un arco de personaje (primero se enoja con Batman y JL, luego habla con Lois Lane y Martha para hacerlo sentir mejor, y luego se va para salvar el día y unirse al JL, luego de hacer las pases con Batman), pero la película no se enfoca lo suficiente en estas escenas y duran poco como para llamarlo "un buen arco de personaje"
En cuanto al apartado técnico, fue bastante acierto o fallo: algunos efectos especiales se ven bien como el diseño de Atlantis, los trajes, la fotografía en general, las escenas de flash corriendo o el Batmovil en acción, mientras que algunos de ellos eran tan baratos como la mierda, por ejemplo Cyborg, los Parademons, algunos de el impacto en el ambiente u ocultando un bigote en la cara de Superman. Es muy notable que no usan ningún efecto práctico aquí. Algunas de las opciones de edición son bastante extrañas al poner la comedia en momentos de drama serio, algunas escenas tienen una inconsistencia en cuanto a la iluminación (probablemente debido a los nuevos rodajes masivos) junto con errores de continuidad en el fondo. El OST, como dije antes, era decente, yendo a la par con algunas de las acciones escenas o presentación, y la actuación, era bastante bueno para todos los personajes.
En conclusión: esta película es otro gran fracaso en el DCEU: genérico, predecible, vacio, con un elenco sin vida, visuales irregulares, Villano unidimensional y una conclusión convincente, que falla tanto como una película independiente y como una adaptación de uno de los más famosos el equipo del cómic jamas hechos. No lo veo, al menos que seas un hater de DC/Warner.
Nota Final: 3/10
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An entertaining ride, if nothing else
Posted : 6 years, 5 months ago on 18 November 2017 01:06
Spoiler Warning: It is difficult to fully discuss and evaluate Justice League without divulging what some may consider to be spoilers, at least while the movie is a new release. A spoiler warning is therefore in effect.
The good news is that 2017's Justice League is not the downright disaster that many of us were anticipating, given the considerable behind-the-scenes reshuffling and the slipshod quality of its immediate predecessor, 2016's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. It is a bit of a mess, the narrative is too simplistic, and it's not a home run by any stretch, but it's also not altogether unappealing either, as Zack Snyder - and Joss Whedon - avoid the gloomy self-seriousness which has thus far characterised the DC Extended Universe. The action sequences are rousing, and there are enough goosebump-inducing moments of pure big-screen coolness that audiences will expect to see within an expensive blockbuster entitled Justice League. But what's missing is all the connective tissue - the movie plays out like a highlight reel, with the bare minimum of explication and character beats. Forget about any sort of thematic undercurrents or emotional resonance; fast-paced spectacle is the order of the day.
With Superman (Henry Cavill) now dead, the Earth has become vulnerable to diabolical forces. A god-like being known as Steppenwolf (Ciarán Hinds) rises in the aftermath, planning to use three powerful Mother Boxes to rule the universe, aided by an army of vicious Parademons. Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) seeks to amass a team of heroes to defend the world, with Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) warning him of the potentially devastating effects of Steppenwolf's plan. Using all available information at his disposal, Wayne tracks down Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller) and Victor Stone/Cyborg (Ray Fisher), hoping to unite them and prevent Steppenwolf from eradicating humankind. But even their combined superpowers may not be enough, prompting the newly-formed Justice League to explore the potential to bring Superman into the fight before it's too late.
Even though Snyder is the sole credited director on the project, The Avengers helmer Whedon was recruited to oversee extensive rewrites and reshoots late into post-production, and received a co-writer credit for his efforts. Evidently, Whedon's job was to lighten the tone, bringing a more pronounced sense of humour to the production whilst retaining Snyder's proclivity for brutal, explosive action sequences. Previous DCEU movies have been criticised for lack of humour, with Batman v Superman in particular emerging as dour beyond belief, and Justice League endeavours to course-correct the franchise, with jokes and laughs scattered throughout. Though certain moments do work (such as an amusing aside during which Aquaman sits on the Lasso of Truth), other gags just come across as forced (see the awkward joking around after the climactic action sequence). Indeed, don't expect Whedon's best work, especially given that he didn't have a great deal of time to hone the best possible script. In addition, Justice League is completely hollow, with nothing in the way of poignant emotion. There is a contrived aside in which a family get the spotlight and are rescued during the climax, but it feels too perfunctory and makes no impact.
It's evident that Warner Bros. only really cared about two things whilst trying to salvage Justice League in the editing room: keeping it at two hours in length (narrative coherence be damned), and carving out at least a workable movie that's jam-packed with colourful action scenes. It's also evident that Justice League was initially intended to be more in line with Batman v Superman from a tonal standpoint before the studio got Whedon involved. (It's not hard to see why Whedon probably didn't want a directorial credit on the finished movie.) A new trailer was seemingly released every couple of hours, and therefore a lot of footage seen in the marketing materials did not make it to the finished movie. Indeed, it appears that Warner Bros. chose to deliberately excise any plot details that may have initially existed to set up future storylines - case in point: it seems that Steppenwolf's plan could be a precursor to something more significant, like Darkseid who was initially rumoured to be part of the movie and was ostensibly set up in Dawn of Justice, but the storyline as it is seems deliberately standalone in case the studio nominates a different direction in the future. (The post-credits scene does imply another direction entirely.) Hell, Justice League doesn't even provide any payoff to the time-travelling Flash, or to Batman's nightmares from Batman v Superman.
Despite being hidden in the majority of the marketing materials, of course Superman makes his return here, but the Man of Steel's resurrection is one of the biggest missed opportunities of the movie. Rather than taking a page from the "Death of Superman" arc (which would make sense, given that he fought Doomsday in Dawn of Justice), Justice League finds the heroes using the Mother Box's powers to bring Superman back from the dead, and the resultant action set-piece of a confused Kal-El running amok is seriously awkward. In addition, the subplot feels too throwaway when it should be more significant, further demonstrating that squeezing so much material into one two-hour movie was a bad idea. It would have been more interesting to see Superman don the iconic black suit and battle the rest of the Justice League for real. Maybe this was actually explored in an earlier cut, and perhaps there was more to this subplot before the studio took a hatchet to the movie to keep it under two hours sans credits. Whatever the case, it feels like Justice League is rushing through plot points in order for the franchise at large to move on. The film was initially intended to be split into two parts, and there's certainly enough material for two motion pictures to cover.
When Justice League gets into an agreeable groove, it works like gangbusters, providing plenty of lively action as the superheroes throw down against Steppenwolf and his Parademons. If nothing else, Justice League gets the characters right for the most part (more on that later), with perhaps the most definitive big-screen portrayal of the Caped Crusader to date (the costumes are dead on). Shot on 35mm film by cinematographer Fabian Wagner (Game of Thrones), the movie is actually presented in an expanded 1.85:1 aspect ratio, meaning that there's more to absorb in every frame of the movie. However, the cartoonish CGI is admittedly squiffy from time to time, lacking in tangibility. The digital removal of Cavill's moustache looks amateurish at best, while the digitally-created Steppenwolf often resembles something from a video-game cut-scene. Some sequences are enormously impressive, to be sure, but there's no consistency, which can probably be attributed to the reshoots and the rushed schedule to meet the longstanding, predetermined release date. For a major motion picture this expensive (a staggering $300 million before promotional costs, reportedly), it's disheartening to behold such sloppiness. On a more positive note, bringing in composer Danny Elfman (to replace Junkie XL) proves to be one of the most welcome creative decisions of the entire production, as his score is more on the playful side as opposed to downright serious. Elfman even incorporates some notes from his 1989 Batman theme to nice effect.
Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman have been properly introduced in the DCEU at this point, but Justice League is tasked with introducing Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash to the franchise (their previous tiny cameos don't count), giving the movie plenty of baggage to work through. There's just no getting around the fact that these heroes deserved their own solo flicks prior to Justice League, just as the standalone Wonder Woman should have been released prior to Batman v Superman. As for the thespians themselves, it's...mostly good news. Affleck continues to impress as this older interpretation of Batman, and Gadot is still a charismatic treat. It's certainly a real thrill to see Gadot back in action as Wonder Woman so soon after the release of her solo feature. However, Miller is a terrible Flash, playing the hero as a whiny, irritating, weightless Millennial stereotype, while Fisher doesn't have much screen presence, though that could likely be attributed to the lack of a meaty introduction. Momoa is fine, some cheesy dialogue aside, and Cavill is welcomely more upbeat here as Superman. Hinds does what he can with the material, but Steppenwolf is still a bit of a dud villain. Nevertheless, it is commendable that Snyder and co. elected to use a villain who hasn't previously featured in a live-action movie.
When Justice League works, it really works, providing breathtaking visual delights throughout, ensuring that the target audience will walk away happy. It's an entertaining ride, if nothing else. But since we don't yet know all of the primary characters intimately enough, the film is not as gratifying as it could have been. In addition, the movie is undeniably pared-down to the bare essentials - basically, anything that isn't a joke, a character striking a dramatic pose for marketing materials, or a big action scene...didn't make it to the final cut. Extended cuts have become somewhat customary for the DCEU, as both Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad received beefed-up editions on home video, and it would certainly be intriguing to see what could be done with Justice League with more story development and character interaction. Even more promising, though, is the prospect of a sequel, with (hopefully) a more carefully-written screenplay and a better fleshed-out team.
6.4/10
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A good movie
Posted : 6 years, 5 months ago on 17 November 2017 10:41
Even though the DCEU movies didn't get much love so far, except for 'Wonder Woman', I was still eager to check this flick. Well, it was not bad at all after all. Eventually, even though it might be unfair, the main problem was that Marvel has set the expectations so high following the huge critical and commercial success of 'The Avengers'. I mean, this movie did work but it still never reached the level of the classic delivered by Marvel. Even with Barry Allen and the Flash who was your average wise-cracking teenager, Marvel already used the same trick with Peter Parker with some tremendous result. Still, the Justice League is a great team of super-heroes, the cast was really spot on and it was pretty neat to see how they managed to bring all these characters together. Still, even though there was quite some material to cover with all these characters, it was rather bewildering that they delivered the shortest movie so far in the DCEU, all because the previous movies were considered to be too long. Considering Steppenwolf, he was yet another powerful being who wanted to destroy our world which was seriously generic and I didn't care much for him. To be honest, even though I will probably be in the minority, I actually preferred 'Man of Steel' and 'Batman v Superman'. Obviously, these movies were not great but I really liked the darker approach if only because DC was at least trying to do its own thing. Now, this darker tone is gone and even though it might please more people, they gave us something too similar to Marvel which is too bad in my opinion. Anyway, to conclude, it was still a decent effort from DC, even if there is plenty of room to improve, and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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Justice League
Posted : 6 years, 5 months ago on 17 November 2017 08:44
Let’s start with the good, Justice League is a leap above both Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and about on par with Man of Steel. So clearly, WB/DC may be heading in the right direction with the material, finally, but it’s still bogged down by numerous problems. Chiefly, the insistence on sticking with Zack Snyder’s hollow imagery, clashing of tonal styles, and a general sense of things being rushed to a finish line instead of organically taking their time to happen.
The likes of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman didn’t need a series of origin stories to tell their tales prior to teaming up. They’re iconographic and well-known enough that everyone is familiar enough with them, but that still leaves half of the team to get introduced (Flash, Cyborg), Aquaman to get an image rehabilitation for the general public, and the concept of the Fourth World/New Gods to get time and development. That’s a hefty task for any film let alone one that runs just shy of two hours. They really needed to push this one back and roll out the solo films for Aquaman and Flash before jumping into the deep end. The New Gods and Fourth World material alone would be enough to justify its own movie.
As it stands, there’s a clearly visible sense of the characters treading water. Did you like Aquaman enough here? Well, his solo film is coming out in 2018 where we fully explore his background and develop his character. That isn’t to say that Jason Momoa isn’t an absolute joy in the role, because he is. They’re revamped the character to combine the brooding underwater barbarian and the adventure-loving hero into a surfer demi-god with a lust for stabbing Parademons with his pointed staff.
Nor does this mean that the Flash isn’t a blast to hang out with, as he provides the solid comedic relief of the team. Ezra Miller is clearly enjoying playing the hyperactive, sarcastic Barry Allen (hey, welcome! I’m tired of your TV show version being a mopey dick), but his character’s journey here feels half-formed. Miller and Billy Crudup are strong enough actors to make us care about their father-son dynamic, but it just feels like a lot of teasing for a Flash movie that may or may not come.
And that’s the problem with Justice League for all of its fun and entertainment, it feels like its keeping time and setting up better things to come in the shared cinematic universe. Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman continues to be the MVP, Henry Cavill finally gets the chance to play a hopeful Superman, while Ben Affleck is in clear “I’m contractually obligated to be here” mode. Joss Whedon’s snarky additions to the film stick out most abundantly when stuck into the mouth of Affleck’s Batman, a character that has become far less interesting than the one we saw previously.
Zack Snyder’s ability to film beautiful images but complete indifference in the emotional connectivity that ties these sequences together is still a problem. Steppenwolf’s flashback attack, one prevalent enough to bring in the Amazons, Atlanteans, the tribes of man, the Greek gods, and the Green Lanterns (that was a fun cameo) is a gorgeous tableau that the rest of the film never quite lives up to. And the less said about the constant cutaways to a Russian family trapped in their shanty home while the Parademons flocked outside the better.
I didn’t hate Justice League, not by a long shot, but it’s a comedown from the glorious high that was Wonder Woman. It’s just at this point many of its failings are clearly endemic to the genre (bland villains being one, excessive yet unconvincing CGI being another) that rival Marvel are just as guilty of but better at papering over with tonally coherent and consistent entertainment. Justice League is serviceable, but these characters deserve better than that. At least the characters are engaging and fun here.
Yet I still can’t find it within myself to completely write off the DC movies. For all of their egregious errors and flaws, they’re at least trying to explore themes and ideas with these characters and their mythologies that are unique and distinctive even if not entirely successful.
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