Justice League - A RMNT Review

Oh, Warner Bros, when will you ever learn? It seems that the legendary movie studio ceases to admit their own mistakes and not realize that the DC Extended Universe franchise can be improved if they allow the directors creative control and deliver quality storytelling and characterization, but sadly, I don’t think it’ll ever come to pass. Before I start this review, I wish to pay my respects to the movie’s director, Zack Snyder. It is a tragedy that no father, or really anyone else, should ever carry in their lives. It is both unfortunate and unfair, and for those thinking their own reasons on what might've led to that outcome, don’t you dare. It’s disrespectful to assume such atrocities. For those who don’t know, on May 2017, Zack Snyder’s daughter took her own life, which really impacted him and couldn’t continue with his work on the film and asked fellow director Joss Whedon to work on the reshoots. But with that said, Warner Bros. has been in deep trouble as their franchise continues to be a failing one, despite Wonder Woman being a critical and commercial success, but the sad issue is that this is the only GOOD movie in the franchise’s entirety! After Batman V Superman and Suicide Squad’s poorly received reception, this caused a massive rift for superhero fans and made us all wonder if the DCEU should even continue to exist at all. Which begs the question, can Warner Bros. deliver a huge comeback for the franchise with Justice League? Will the film be just as good as Wonder Woman, or will it end up being the final nail in the coffin for the DCEU? We’ll see…

Justice League is the latest installment of the DC Extended Universe franchise with Zack Snyder directing once more, and this time, he’s joined by Joss Whedon, who previously wrote and directed the Avengers films. The film takes place after the events of Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice as mankind continues mourning the loss of Superman, and as a powerful alien threat approaches Earth, its up to Batman and Wonder Woman to recruit other metahuman allies such as The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg in time to save the planet from imminent destruction.

While the premise is very simple on paper, execution is still an important matter when it comes to superheroes films such as this, while nicely done, still has its issues in the narrative, pacing and the inconsistent tone. What do I mean by that? You see, you want to experience a film based on its feel and atmosphere and as superhero films go, it depends on which character it portrays and the world around him and/or her. For example, superhero films made for older audiences, like the Deadpool films, contain adult content such as strong language, sexual innuendo, intense violence with bloody/gory imagery and witty dark humor, while lighthearted superhero films such as Spider-Man are fun, exciting and made to entertain anyone for all ages. My point is, Justice League’s tone tends to go back and forth with balancing its tone, going from serious moments when the characters deal with their own emotional dilemmas, like Victor Stone (Cyborg) trying to adjust to being more machine than human or Barry Allen’s (Flash) jailed father telling him to do more with his life as he worries about his well being, to then going for lighthearted humor, which I will point out isn’t actually a bad thing, it just depends on the timing and delivery of the humor, such as exchange of banter between characters. In a way, the balance of tone can be somewhat conflicting at times.

The narrative is also another issue since the film is re-establishing events after Batman V Superman, fully introducing characters previously mentioned or made small appearances in previous films and each dealing with their own arcs as well as re-introducing Batman and Wonder Woman, plus, rushing in getting the team formed to deal with the main alien threat while also getting to know the latter and learning of their backstory, and of course, scenes involving with established supportive characters and introducing new ones to boot, basically, its a mess to deal with, but at least flows a bit better than that in Batman V Superman.

The main characters in the film are all diverse and interesting thanks to the amazing cast as they each capture the essence of the roles as well as showing great character chemistry between them. Ben Affleck once again proves that he’s a worthy choice as both Bruce Wayne/Batman, Gal Gadot gracefully owns the role of Wonder Woman on screen in both beauty and in wisdom. Ezra Miller proves that he captures the youthful energy and wit of Barry Allen/The Flash, despite most people wishing that Grant Gustin (from the current Flash TV series) do the part instead, but I’m very happy with this choice as Ezra delivers genuine funny moments. Jason Momoa unexpectedly steals the show as Arthur Curry/Aquaman, in funny moments, screen presence, and action scenes, which I will get to later. Ray Fisher, in his film debut, is a definite winner as Victor Stone/Cyborg, showing doubt in trying to human while in his current state and showing to be an important ally in the team.

Other characters who made appearances in previous films also return including Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Jeremy Irons as Alfred Pennyworth, Connie Nielsen as Queen Hippolyta, Joe Morton as Silas Stone, as well as new supportive characters making their first appearances, including J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Jim Gordon and Amber Heard as Mera, who’ll make return appearances in later films in the franchise. While they have short amounts of screentime, their appearances are crucial to the plot in the film. But while the cast is well picked and each deliver their roles well, there’s still the matter of Superman, who does appear in the film, but that requires me to spoil, which I won’t. Though, I will say this, Henry Cavill continues to capture the role of Clark Kent/Superman, and surprisingly, I prefer how he turned out in this film, than in his previous appearances in Man of Steel and in Batman V Superman. Now we talk about one of the main issues of the film, the alien general Steppenwolf, the most bland, forgettable and ugly-looking CG villain I’ve ever seen. The character design is unappealing, lacking unique elements, and worst of all, no standout character moments as he’s just another typical computer-generated monster who wants to, no surprise, destroy the world. His motivation is to collect all three Mother Cubes in order to use its power to terraform Earth, but WHY is he doing this? I know why, but the way its done in the film, there’s no depth or meaning to the character, other than “Destroy”. In the comics, Steppenwolf is the general of the Parademons and uncle of Darkseid, one of the biggest threats in the DC Comics Universe, and speaking of, I just hope that his live-action debut appearance doesn’t get botched up in later films as the build up has to pay off, otherwise, Warner Bros. has to pack it up and put an end to the DCEU franchise.

The visual effects are a mixed bag as they inconsistently look great in some scenes, but can look ugly and noticeably bad in others, particularly the final battle. Speaking of awkward, there’s also the matter of Superman’s noticeably infamous mustache problem. You see, Henry Cavill has been filming scenes for the upcoming sixth Mission: Impossible film, as his character requires him to have a beard and his contract with Paramount Pictures won’t allow him to shave until his scenes are in the film are done, leading to the effects team to “cover” his mustache. According from many people, they commented that its distractingly bad, but when I saw his face, it looks good, like he had a clean digital shave, but then there’s how his mouth looks… The costumes that each of the main characters wear look impressive and well-made, with Cyborg’s machine body made with CGI with Ray Fisher doing motion-performance capture, and for most the scenes I’ve seen, looks top-notch and the alien-like design gives him it a unique spin to the look. Action scenes, for the most part and as expected, are a spectacle, full of excitement and intense to boot, but most of them aren’t well shot though, as it can feel visually overwhelming due to the angles in certain moments.

While not as great as Wonder Woman, Justice League remains a very entertaining film thanks to the wonderful cast portraying the strong qualities, characteristics and chemistry of the Justice League, incredible action sequences, visual effects, and good lighthearted moments of humor, but the story’s narrative, pacing, inconsistent tone, and weak villain prevent it from being a true standout superhero film. Let’s hope that Aquaman’s upcoming solo film bring some small dose of hope for the DC Extended Universe franchise, but we’ll see what happens when its released on December. For now, I recommend the movie as a nice addition to your superhero movie collection or as a good rental if you wish to have a fun time watching your favorite superhero characters fight off an alien invasion on screen.

Story: 3 / 5

Characters: 4 / 5

Visuals: 3.5 / 5

Final Rating: 3 / 5