Justice League

Well everyone, I came back from seeing the much anticipated “Justice League,” which came out yesterday. This is a movie that every DC fan has wanted to see ever since the Marvel Cinematic Universe came out with “The Avengers.” Maybe long before that. However, I will share with everyone what I thought of this film that every DC fan has requested for years.

Maybe everyone had really low expectations after “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” but “Justice League” is good. It’s nowhere near as amazing as “Wonder Woman,” but “Wonder Woman” also had the smart idea of being a standalone story that was trying to do something different than the previous huge superhero combination movies. I agree with Katey Stoetzel when she stated in her review, “Justice League takes what was bad about Batman V Superman and fixes some of it, which leaves us with a film that, to be kind, didn’t feel like a complete waste of my time or money.”

The cities are in danger after the death of Superman, having criminals do so much crime they want and for aliens to enter in Earth now that they have no savior. To stop the madness, Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) brings together a team of superheroes that consist of Barry Allen/The Flash (Ezra Miller), Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Victor Stone/Cyborg (Ray Fisher). Together, they form the beginning of the Justice League and are the best part of the film, hands down. They work off each other so well, with enough comedy that feels on par with the Marvel films, but also enough drama to not feel just like a copy of the Marvel formula.

Individually, they’re just as interesting. Gal Gadot’s return as Wonder Woman is just perfect after the five month break since we last saw her. Stoetzel admitted, “Jason Momoa as Aquaman kills it, although if you’re not familiar with the character, you might be a little lost on some of his story (like me). Ezra Miller as The Flash, who I was the most concerned about due to my affection for Grant Gustin’s turn on the CW series, ultimately impressed with his charm.” It’s the completely unknown Ray Fisher who is the best part here. Victor Stone may be mostly robotic, but Fisher fills humanity and warmth through only his facial expressions and voice. It’s also good that Victor has the most convincing character arc out of all of them.

Stoetzel said, “The nicest thing to say about Ben Affleck’s Batman this time around is that he isn’t a distraction while Superman played by Henry Cavill remaining the dark mark on the DC Universe.  Delivering a wooden performance, his relationship with Lois Lane (Amy Adams) remains cringe-worthy. Cavill’s turn as Superman has been around since 2013, but I couldn’t find it in myself to care about his return, despite how much the film wants you to.”

The plot is less messy than the over-packed mess of “Batman v Superman,” but there’s still some questions that will be asked and will make it hard to follow sometimes. Stoetzel admitted, “While some feel that Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) is just another CGI villain, I found him to be a worthy opponent for our heroes.” The flashbacks of the first fights with him put “Justice League” and the DC Extended Universe on a larger, epic scale. The action is engaging, most notably when we have a part in Themiscyra, home of the Amazons. Its here we first see Steppenwolf when one of the three Mother Boxes power up and Steppenwolf appears to steal it. The Amazons try to keep the box from being stolen; throwing it between each other like they are playing “Monkey in the Middle” with Steppenwolf. The larger story about the three boxes is a little vague – something to do with remaking Steppenwolf’s home planet, but it only tells as much as that it would destroy humanity, rather than explaining further on why, exactly.

Stoetzel said, “The film also suffers tonally. The comedy fits well with the drama between the characters, but it also flits between Lord of the Rings-type mythical battles, sci-fi alien invasions, and a gritty dystopia that can only be healed when their hero returns.”

“Justice League” brings light to the DC Extended Universe, so at least this time; there is some enjoyment to have. I agree with Stoetzel when she said, “It’s definitely a step up from BvS, not quite as remarkable as Wonder Woman, but a good popcorn film that doesn’t have me losing faith just yet.” Be sure to stay for the two mid-credit (where Flash and Superman agree to race one another) and post credit scenes (where Lex Luthor (Jesse Eisenberg) escape from Arkham Asylum and recruits Slade Wilson/Deathstroke (Joe Manganiello) to create a team), though, because that’s what comic book movies do nowadays.

After seeing this movie, I have to admit that it’s better than all the movies in the DC Extended Universe, except for “Wonder Woman.” That’s still the best, but that’s probably because it was a standalone, solo film about one character, rather than about a team. Those seem to cram too much in, but “Justice League” doesn’t really do it that much. The action was great, the comedy was funny, and it was about the team coming together, learning about one another, and learning teamwork. This movie did what “The Avengers” did, but not at the same level. Even though there isn’t as much action, it was still a good movie because it was more about the characters coming together, learning from one another, and learning to work together as a unit. I would probably say this is one of my favorite comic book films. My only complaint is that Steppenwolf is not a good villain. I know that he was never a villain in the Justice League and it should have been their main villain, but I don't know Justice League that well. Maybe DC needs to work on their villains a bit, but Marvel had that problem for a long time as well.

My advice is to not listen to the critics, since Rotten Tomatoes is showing critics hating this movie, but audiences love it. Go and see the movie for yourself. I seriously think all of you will like it, agreeing that it’s the second best installment in the DC Extended Universe. I give this a recommendation and tell you to go check it out.

Thank you for joining in on my review, stay tuned next Thursday when I review a Thanksgiving movie.