Plot:
Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Together, Batman and Wonder Woman work quickly to find and recruit a team of metahumans to stand against this newly awakened threat. But despite the formation of this unprecedented league of heroes-Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and The Flash-it may already be too late to save the planet from an assault of catastrophic proportions.
Review:
Justice League is a surprising film, and the reason for that is because DC played it safe.
Justice League is very by the numbers, and given the sketchy track record of their comic book film adaptations into their extended universe - when excluding the recent success of Wonder Woman - it is easy to see why they made that decision.
The movie hits it’s expected beats in an almost predictable manner, but this doesn’t not make the film any less enjoyable.
For long time fans wanting to see these characters on screen, portrayed as heroes, and not angst riddled people with superpowers - Justice League delivers.
The film is two hours long, and it is very efficient for that reason. The movie doesn’t feel like it’s dragging and in all honestly, could have used another 10-15 minutes fleshing out more of the personality of the characters and backstory.
It felt stripped back, and surprisingly nowhere near as heavy-handed as DC movies have a reputation for being.
Standout performance has to go to Ezra Miller, who plays Barry Allen’s The Flash. He has excellent comedic timing, and impressively makes the role his own, despite the very successful TV show version of the same character to contend with.
Miller gives his character charm, and a wonderful innocence that is easy to root for. He is learning what it means to be a hero, and pairing him with other more experienced heroes creates a fun on screen dynamic.
Jason Momoa takes the often ridiculed role of Aquaman, and despite not having his character fleshed out on screen, he turns the role into a very badass one. Momoa brings a bravado and authority with the role, which along with his numerous shirtless moments will definitely make his portrayal a fan favourite.
Gal Gadot, coming off the success of Wonder Woman, is still a runaway hit with her role as Diana. She remains the charming and tough superhero that everyone fell in love with. There was one blatant shot of Diana’s backside, that really didn't need to happen and could cause a storm in how her character was portrayed in the film, but her male co-stars too get their fair share of being objectified too.
Ray Fisher’s Cyborg introduction gets a very simplified explanation with his character spending half of his appearance brooding in his father’s apartment or hiding in the shadows as he deals with becoming a cybernetic superhero. Fisher makes a strong impression as Cyborg, portraying his character as a tortured soul, with a heart of gold.
There are impressive moments in the movie, but they come in spurts rather than in any grand sequence.
The initial confrontation with villain Steppenwolf, played by Ciarán Hinds, is impressive with many easter eggs for fans sprinkled in, but throughout the film, the villain is a empty figure head, just used for the team to fight against, and with no real presence.
The stakes never feel that high because the villain never feels like a genuine threat.
The film also handles one of the main plot points (which I won't spoil here) without any emotional depth, significantly reducing the impact that it could have had.
There too are moments when the CGI in the film are noticeably incomplete, but they aren’t distracting enough to take you out of the movie. Ultimately, Justice League is a fun, yet bumpy ride, relying heavily on the charm and heroics of the lead characters.
It’s not a runaway success for DC, and not remotely close to being a bad film either, but they played it safe in the first live action appearance of the Justice League, and it’s very easy to understand why.
The film is certain enough to make enough money to warrant a sequel, but hopefully they’ll be ready to tell a bolder story when that time comes.
@thelionmutters