Justice League
Starring: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher
Directed by: Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon
Rated: PG-13
Well, at least it wasn't as bad as Batman v. Superman. Someone at DC should put that on the Blu-Ray case as a complimentary review. "It's not as bad as Batman v. Superman!" That's not enough to save Justice League though. Considering DC had a $300 million budget AND the most iconic superheroes to work with, this should be a great movie. Why isn't it?
First of all, when I think about Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Flash teaming up in a movie I imagine something incredibly epic.Justice League never reaches epic territory. Think about the first time you saw all of the Avengers fighting together. What a moment. We never get anything close to that here. Maybe it's because the threat is so weak. The League battles a villain called Steppenwolf who wants to destroy the planet. Considering his motive is the same as every other comic book villain, the stakes just don't feel high enough for such iconic characters to be brought together. I forgot to mention that he has an army of irritating bug-men that scream in people's faces. Wow, absolutely terrifying.
It's important to note when Justice League was filming, director Zack Snyder suffered a family tragedy that caused him to leave production. When this happened, Joss Whedon was brought on to direct the rest of the movie. When you watch this, you can tell two very different directors worked on it. Snyder's style is dark and stylistic while Whedon's is lighthearted and character-centric. These two styles clash. This clash also effects the overall narrative cohesion of the film. The beginning of Justice League is barely a movie, just a series of events happening in different parts of the world. There's a scene to show what's going on with Wonder Woman in London. Then it's time to show Bruce Wayne and Alfred chatting in the Bat Cave. Oh, then there's Cyborg with his dad. Then we see the Flash with his dad! Let's add in some quirky humor. How about a random Lois Lane and Martha Kent scene! None of it flows cohesively. It all feels like random scenes following one another.
Ezra Miller’s portrayal of Barry Allen/The Flash is rather annoying. I’ve seen Miller in several other roles and it’s clear he’s a good actor. But this version of the Flash is so childlike that he quickly becomes irritating. I’m sure young kids will love the character, but I don't feel that his humor and attitude will translate to an older audience.Ray Fisher plays Cyborg/Victor Stone a former star football player adjusting to life as a robot. Fisher is compelling as the character, but I wish we could have learned a bit more backstory about him.
In the end, Justice League features an iconic group of superheroes who deserve a much better storyline.
My Rating: 5/10