When my brother first asked me if I wanted to see “Justice League” with him, I was admittedly a bit conflicted. We both grew up loving the DC Universe, but I was 1 for 4 on the most recent DC movies. However, my admiration for “Wonder Woman” as both a culturally significant film and damn good movie convinced me to give “Justice League” a chance.
So do I regret giving DC’s newest attempt at a decent superhero movie a chance? Not really, since “Justice League” was much better than I expected. But that bar was set so low, “Suicide Squad” could almost hurtle over it. And while I still have many complaints about “Justice League," I (surprisingly) have a few compliments as well.
To begin on a positive note, I think the casting choices were spot on for “Justice League." Gal Gadot once again kicks ass as Diana Prince, despite Snyder’s overt objectification of the character. Ben Affleck’s Batman is as brooding as ever, but with a hint of vulnerability that I wish was explored more. Jason Momoa and Ezra Miller provide some much-needed comic relief as Aquaman and the Flash, respectively.
Last but not least, Ray Fisher adds some new complexity to the character of Victor Stone/Cyborg. Specifically, he portrays him as being ashamed of becoming a mix of flesh and machine. Victor’s relationship with his father (who saved his life by transforming him into a cybernetic being) has some Frankensteinian themes to it, but they are brushed over in favor of action sequences.
Although I’m usually one of those weirdos who are more interested in the villains of comic book movies than in the heroes, this wasn’t the case with “Justice League." The movie’s main antagonist is a tall dude with a deep voice, horned helmet, and a glowing axe. Oh, and his name is Stepphenwolf, just like that rock band who sang “Born to be Wild."
This might seem like a complete oversimplification, but “Justice League” fails to flesh out Stepphenwolf as a comic book movie villain. We’re told that he wants to destroy/terraform earth and that he has attempted to do so before, but we’re told very little when it comes to his motivations or his opinion of the heroes (besides the obvious fact that he’s pissed at them for messing with his plans).
Worst of all, we’re told early on that he’s only a lackey of another more powerful villain (Darkseid), which undermines any attempt to portray him as a legitimate threat.
Like most comic book movies that involve heroes teaming up, “Justice League” takes a while to get all of its characters into place. When all of them are in place, however, there’s not much of the movie left. Time management seems to be an issue with “Justice League," to the point that it feels overstuffed with unnecessary subplots and flashbacks.
And since it’s a Zack Snyder film, bombastic action sequences far outweigh genuinely emotional moments. These action sequences are definitely enjoyable, if not a little hard to follow at times.
I wouldn’t consider “Justice League” to be a great comic book movie. Nor would I necessarily consider it a horrible one. It’s certainly better than “Suicide Squad," but like I said, that’s an incredibly low bar to clear. “Justice League” also boasts a stellar cast, but the film itself gets bogged down and tries to go in too many different directions at once.
In other words, who is excited for “Black Panther”?
